ERU PhD program?

bflynn

bflynn

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Brian Flynn
Hey, does anyone have direct knowledge of Emery Riddle's PhD programs? Seems like they're new, are they at all respected?
 
I'm assuming you are referring to Embry Riddle, ERAU?

I have known a few people with PhD's in aviation. They're all professors...
 
steingar said:
A PhD that you have to pay for is a truly useless thing.
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I guess you must have printed yours off on your inkjet printer for free?

Anything that you DON'T have to pay for is worthless.

Embry Riddle's PHD program is respected in many circles. Just not here POA). Sort of like my grandfather, who never finished high school always said; schoolin is a waste of time.
 
When it comes to aviation employment, anything beyond a BS in aviation is a waste of time and money unless you are in academia. No one in industry really looks upon higher degrees as added value. At least that has been my experience. In aviation, more real world or hands-on experience is what typically matters.
 
JOhnH said:
I guess you must have printed yours off on your inkjet printer for free?

Anything that you DON'T have to pay for is worthless.

Embry Riddle's PHD program is respected in many circles. Just not here POA). Sort of like my grandfather, who never finished high school always said; schoolin is a waste of time.
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Probably obtained on it while working for the university he got it from. That would be my guess. I know a couple people that did it that way.
Of course that would be free as in no exchange using currency, but there was time and work exchanged.
TNSTAAFL or TNSTAAFPhD
 
SkyDog58 said:
When it comes to aviation employment, anything beyond a BS in aviation is a waste of time and money unless you are in academia. No one in industry really looks upon higher degrees as added value. At least that has been my experience. In aviation, more real world or hands-on experience is what typically matters.
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I beg to differ, but this is POA and nothing is going to make ERAU popular here. Not for a while at least.
 
JOhnH said:
I beg to differ
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Explain?

I’m not aware of any sector of the aviation industry that requires graduate level education, unless you’re a university professor.
 
I'll caveat my earlier posts:

A Masters or PhD in aviation is as useful as the topic the person studied to earn those degrees. Aviation is such a wide topic that it's difficult to say how useful a degree is without going into the specifics. The PhD's with a degree in aviation that I know, have all studied things that were mostly for academia.

A PhD makes you really smart on one topic in a very broad genre.
 
flhrci said:
Research? NASA? My best guesses.
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Possibly, but those examples seem more along the lines of engineering and bio-sciences than an aviation specific focus.

Just a guess, I could be totally wrong.
 
Ryanb said:
Explain?

I’m not aware of any sector of the aviation industry that requires graduate level education, unless you’re a university professor.
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The ERAU PhD program is designed for people that want to go into academics or aviation RESEARCH. If that is not what someone wants to do, then the degree is not all that valuable. It would be a stupid degree for someone that just wants to be a pilot.
 
full disclosure.....I'm a few credits from the Piled high Deep degree....in aerospace engineering. I didn't think it was worth the effort to complete it. So...I didn't. Even the masters is a stretch at some companies.....it doesn't have the luster it once had.
 
Ryanb said:
Possibly, but those examples seem more along the lines of engineering and bio-sciences than an aviation specific focus.

Just a guess, I could be totally wrong.
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There are 'lines of engineering' that have an 'aviation specific focus'. Somebody's gotta design and test those wingy things you fly. I'm not sure that a PhD in 'aviation' would prepare one well for a career in aerospace research and development; and a review of the ERAU curriculum for same reinforces that opinion, but a PhD in aerospace engineering definitely should.

Nauga,
from the inside
 
nauga said:
There are 'lines of engineering' that have an 'aviation specific focus'. Somebody's gotta design and test those wingy things you fly. I'm not sure that a PhD in 'aviation' would prepare one well for a career in aerospace research and development; and a review of the ERAU curriculum for same reinforces that opinion, but a PhD in aerospace engineering definitely should.

Nauga,
from the inside
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But then you’d be talking MIT, Purdue, Cal Tech, etc. type of schools, not ERAU. Correct?
 
SkyDog58 said:
But then you’d be talking MIT, Purdue, Cal Tech, etc. type of schools, not ERAU. Correct?
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Lots of schools have PhD programs in aero engineering. Based on my quick sweep of their offerings, ERAU does not appear to be one of them.

Nauga,
down the ladder a few rungs
 
JOhnH said:
I guess you must have printed yours off on your inkjet printer for free?

Anything that you DON'T have to pay for is worthless.

Embry Riddle's PHD program is respected in many circles. Just not here POA). Sort of like my grandfather, who never finished high school always said; schoolin is a waste of time.
Click to expand...

I will remember this advice next spring when I am walking out of the woods with a bag of Morel mushrooms.
 
bflynn said:
Hey, does anyone have direct knowledge of Emery Riddle's PhD programs? Seems like they're new, are they at all respected?
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What's the desired plan to utilize such a degree?
 
nauga said:
I'm not sure that a PhD in 'aviation' would prepare one well for a career in aerospace research and development; and a review of the ERAU curriculum for same reinforces that opinion
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That was the thought I was aiming toward as well.
 
JOhnH said:
I guess you must have printed yours off on your inkjet printer for free?

Anything that you DON'T have to pay for is worthless.
Click to expand...

I think he is referring to selecting a PhD program that would be funded by an employer. Not at all worthless.
 
Clip4 said:
I will remember this advice next spring when I am walking out of the woods with a bag of Morel mushrooms.
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Going out in the woods to collect Morels requires effort, both in the collection process and in earning the knowledge of which ones won't kill you. By definition, they are not free, they are a trade off.
ElPaso Pilot said:
I think he is referring to selecting a PhD program that would be funded by an employer. Not at all worthless.
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Again, that would be part of his compensation for his contributions as an employee. Not free, unless he has one of those "never show up" type of jobs.
 
But at least you can go to parties, bars, etc. and introduce yourself as doctor.

Don’t know if it’ll get you laid quicker than saying you’re a pilot.
 
SkyDog58 said:
But at least you can go to parties, bars, etc. and introduce yourself as doctor.

Don’t know if it’ll get you laid quicker than saying you’re a pilot.
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Most non-MD doctors that I know are too nerdy to get laid.
But then, most pilots are too horny and anxious to get laid. (or too married).
 
JOhnH said:
I guess you must have printed yours off on your inkjet printer for free?

Anything that you DON'T have to pay for is worthless.

Embry Riddle's PHD program is respected in many circles. Just not here POA). Sort of like my grandfather, who never finished high school always said; schoolin is a waste of time.
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Most STEM doctoral programs reimburse doctoral candidates' tuition and pay a stipend for research work in laboratories or instructional activities. STEM PhD students perform valuable research services, and are often worth far more than they're paid. I focus on STEM since ERAU is based around aviation aerodynamics, STEM fields if ever there were.

Any STEM program that doesn't function likewise is not going to get the best students and is truly a waste of time and effort.
 
JOhnH said:
Most non-MD doctors that I know are too nerdy to get laid.
But then, most pilots are too horny and anxious to get laid. (or too married).
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@JOhnH Clearly you haven't met my wife! She has a PhD in the humanities, and I hold a lowly BS, and we both do our best to be the exception to your rule. I won't call you wrong, just inaccurate! :)

-Skip
 
I am with those that believe paying (especially taking out loans) for a Masters or PhD is not the smartest thing to do.

Method # 1:
If your grades are good enough you should land a 1/2 time Research Assistant or 1/2 time Teaching Assistant gig that also waives all tuition and pays for books...and actually pays a salary. I did my Masters in EE that way or would have skipped it and went off to work 2 years earlier.

Method # 2: Your employer just pays for all of it. This probably isn't as common any more due to how it needs to be taxed, but I am aware if it in very recent cases to get people the almost mandatory MBA. This one really comes with the expectation of staying with the company. My wife's friend's husband did this and then decided to leave after just 2yrs. There was fine print in his agreement with the employer and he had to pay the employer back. Also the employer will be very specific with what specific areas: Example you can get a Masters In Computer Science but for a medical imaging company they probably don't want you getting it in Natural Language Processing or complier development and might even restrict it to image processing, etc.

Method # 3: You do it part time and use the maximum re-imbursement the employer will provide. It takes longer. And usually has the same fine print as # 2. And the same specific degrees limitations usually apply. Some people think their employer will happily pay tuition reimbursements for entire career changes...uh...no.

Method #4: Take out a $120K loan to get a Ivy League Masters. Sure it may pay off, but not always. We had a Ivy League MBA type at the first company I worked for. It turned out he was a Navy officer and I was a Navy Petty officer. He quietly approached me and said he felt he is getting f'd on salary. He is the only co-worker I ever discussed salaries with (while still at the same job). He freaked when he found out I was making more than him just 1 year out of college. He was gone in like 4 months, went out east and cashed in on the MBA. I later bumped into him coming through a tech company I was at and he was with a "notable" VC company. We chatted, he was all smiles. Still in debt...but paying it off way faster.
 
Skip Miller said:
@JOhnH Clearly you haven't met my wife! She has a PhD in the humanities, and I hold a lowly BS, and we both do our best to be the exception to your rule. I won't call you wrong, just inaccurate! :)

-Skip
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I stand corrected. I was being unintentionally sexist. I was referring primary to male PhDs. I have known some very hot female PhDs that would have no trouble getting laid.
Congratulations on marrying up.
 
steingar said:
I focus on STEM since ERAU is based around aviation aerodynamics, STEM fields if ever there were.

Any STEM program that doesn't function likewise is not going to get the best students and is truly a waste of time and effort.
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Just saying, when I look at their offering, I don’t see a lot of STEM or aerodynamics.

https://erau.edu/degrees/phd/aviation
  • Aviation Safety & Human Factors: Overall, technological advances have led to improved safety and human performance in the aviation and aerospace domain, but have also resulted in new, unexpected challenges. Students choosing this specialization will focus on managing risk culture through control of known and yet-to-be discovered techniques and safety applications.
  • Operations: Students choosing this specialization will focus on the work that emphasizes research capabilities in a global marketplace while considering industry trends and innovations.
  • Intradisciplinary: For students with a broader interest in aviation, this specialization offers a cross-disciplinary approach to aviation where you work with your advisor to build a curriculum appropriate for a student's educational needs.
 
steingar said:
I focus on STEM since ERAU is based around aviation aerodynamics, STEM fields if ever there were.

Any STEM program that doesn't function likewise is not going to get the best students and is truly a waste of time and effort.
Click to expand...
I see nothing related to aerodynamics in the PhD program description or curriculum. Safety, Human Factors, and Operations are the specific areas of focus they list.

Nauga,
classy
 
ElPaso Pilot said:
What's the desired plan to utilize such a degree?
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Safety and risk research, maybe some operational algorithms. I enjoy data and numbers and I think there are opportunities to improve safety reporting and risk management.

I've got maybe 20 years left, this is probably a pipe dream.
 
JOhnH said:
I guess you must have printed yours off on your inkjet printer for free?

Anything that you DON'T have to pay for is worthless.
Click to expand...

This post is just idiotic; in most cases a PhD you have to pay for is the worthless one.
 
dmspilot said:
This post is just idiotic; in most cases a PhD you have to pay for is the worthless one.
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Perhaps I should have said "earn" instead of "pay for".

But saying it is idiotic is, well idiotic. It is well known that people don't value stuff as much when it is given to them.
 
JOhnH said:
Perhaps I should have said "earn" instead of "pay for".

But saying it is idiotic is, well idiotic. It is well known that people don't value stuff as much when it is given to them.
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Except you were arguing with someone who said not to pay for one. Where did you get the idea that he was promoting the idea of "giving" PhD's to people that didn't earn them? Your follow up is equally idiotic as your previous comment, and a straw man fallacy.
 
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