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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Santa Fe Community College Approve Aeronautical Science Credit Transfer

Daytona Beach, Fla., Dec. 9, 2004 -- Under a new agreement, students who earn a two-year Associate of Science degree in Aviation Science from Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) may transfer all their credits to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to count as the first two years toward a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Science.

The pact applies to students earning a Professional Pilot specialization at SFCC’s Institute for Public Safety in Gainesville, Fla., who want to pursue an Airline Pilot specialization at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus.

“This arrangement with Embry-Riddle speaks to a need in the economy for professional pilots and fosters a definite bridge for our students to proceed to a very technical and lucrative profession,” said Capt. Jim Murphey, SFCC’s Aviation Science program director. “This is a fabulous fit with Embry-Riddle for students interested in aviation careers.”

Dave Esser, professor and associate chair of Embry-Riddle’s Aeronautical Science Department, is also enthusiastic about the coordinated efforts of the two schools. “This is a win-win situation because students know their credits will transfer when they complete their A.S. degree, and Embry-Riddle knows it is getting good students with proven academic records,” he said. “We’ll put the final polish on these students before they go forward in the industry as aviation professionals carrying the Embry-Riddle banner.”

SFCC’s A.S. degree program in Aviation Science with a Professional Pilot specialization prepares students for careers with the airline industry, charter services, the military, and police departments. The curriculum integrates the flight program prescribed by the FAA into a comprehensive program covering all aspects of aviation science, including aerodynamics, aeronautical navigation, aviation safety, and meteorology. Besides the A.S. degree in Aviation Science, graduates earn FAA Certificates for Private Pilot and Instrument Ratings, with an option for a Multi-Engine Rating.

After the transition to Embry-Riddle’s B.S. degree program in Aeronautical Science with an Airline Pilot specialization, students receive flight training in a combination of Cessna Skyhawks and Piper Seminoles. Those same aircraft are replicated by flight-training devices (FTDs) in the university’s Advanced Flight Simulation Center, which also houses a Canadair Regional Jet FTD, giving the student experience in the multi-crew glass flightdeck environment of a modern regional jet.

By training students with FTDs that simulate the jet aircraft used by regional airlines as well as the smaller planes used in flight education, Embry-Riddle’s program allows students to become better pilots faster and at a lower cost than before.

At graduation from Embry-Riddle, the student will have earned an FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate with Multi-Engine and Instrument Ratings, with optional Certified Flight Instructor and Certified Flight Instrument Instructor Ratings.

Established in 1965, Santa Fe Community College enrolls more than 16,000 students each year in liberal arts programs that lead to university transfer, and, in particular to the University of Florida; more than 60 technical and applied science programs that lead to employment in high-wage, high-demand jobs; and workforce and economic development programs that are inclusive of underserved populations and are responsive to business, industry, and government.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs through its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering and meets the needs of students and industry through educational, training, research, and consulting activities. Embry-Riddle educates more than 30,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through its Extended Campus at more than 130 centers in the United States and Europe, and worldwide through distance learning.