What is the Aviation Accreditation Board International?

The Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) is a nonprofit 501 © (3) organization that meets twice a year and sets standards for all aerospace programs taught in colleges and universities around the United States and around the world.

Designed by educators, industry and the FAA, it judges the quality of aviation education courses. Programs that meet AABI standards are accredited for a five-year period.

Members of AABI are educators, customers, employees, regulators, manufacturers, research firms, and advocates. Ultimately, they are the people who teach and hire aspiring aviation industry professionals.

What is Accreditation?

Accreditation ensures that professional programs achieve and maintain a level of performance, integrity, and quality that entitles them to the confidence of the educational community and public they serve.

In the United States this recognition is extended primarily through non-governmental, voluntary, institutional, or professional associations. These groups establish criteria for accreditation, arrange site visits, evaluate those institutions and professional programs seeking accreditation, and publicly designate those programs that meet the criteria.

Accreditation, which applies to institutions or programs, is distinguished from certification and licensure, which apply to individuals. Although accreditation is basically a private, voluntary process, accrediting decisions are used as a consideration in many formal actions by governmental funding agencies, scholarship commissions, foundations, employers, counselors, and potential students.

Accrediting bodies have, therefore, come to be viewed as quasi-public entities with important responsibilities to the many groups who interact with the educational community.

There are two types of accreditation:

Institutional accreditation is granted by regional and national accrediting commissions of schools and colleges, which collectively serve most of the institutions chartered or licensed in the United States. These commissions and associations accredit the institution as a whole.
Specialized accreditation of professional and occupational schools and programs is granted by commissions on accreditation established by national professional organizations.

Each of these groups has its own distinct definition of eligibility, criteria for accreditation, and operating procedures. However, all have undertaken accreditation activities primarily to ensure that the members of the profession or occupation have received the highest level of educational preparation possible.

The Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) is a specialized accrediting organization comprised of representatives from all segments of the aviation field.

What are the Benefits of Membership?

• Participate in the improvement of America's aviation education infrastructure
• Network with representatives from every aspect of the aviation industry and develop important new contacts
• Provide and collect valuable feedback through AABI contacts
• Build your resume and enhance your marketability
• Gain greater industry insight and develop an expertise in aviation career planning
• Offer your students a clear path to their career goals
• Justify future resources for your career counseling programs
• Improve opportunities for scholarships
• Build parental confidence

What are the Steps to Accreditation?

Current fees associated with accreditation:

• Application (includes one program): $2,660
• Additional fee per program: $530
• Self-Study Report (review and approval process, per program): $225
• Visit Fee to be paid prior to Visit (includes one program): $1,900
• Additional fee per program: $200
• Charge for each off-campus location to be visited: $200
• Deposit for team travel expenses: $3,000
• Interim Report Fee (not involving a visit): $350

Process:

1. The institution must be a member of AABI to be eligible for accreditation.
2. The institution submits an application (Form 202), application fee, three copies of school catalog, three copies of the aviation program curriculum, and three copies of the course descriptions for all aviation courses.
3. Executive Director reviews application documents and submits copies to Accreditation Committee Chair for review.
4. Accreditation Committee Chair determines the institution's status (full self study, additional information requiired, or denied).
5. Chair of the Accreditation Committee notifies Executive Director of the decision regarding candidate status.
6. Executive Director notifies the institution, by letter, advising of status. If approved for full study, enclose Form 201 (Accreditation Criteria Manual) and Form 204 (Outline for a Self-Study Report). If denied, advise institution of reasons for denial.
7. Institution completes Self-Study (6 - 9 month process). Self-Study should be completed in one academic year.
8. Institution submits two hard copies of Self-Study Report to AABI office, as well as one electronic copy. One copy will be sent to the Accreditation Committee chairperson. If the institution has had a catalog change at any time since submission of their application, three copies of the new catalog should also be submitted.
9. Executive Director mails a copy of the Self-Study (and new catalog, if applicable) to the Accreditation Committee Chair for review.
10. Accreditation Committee Chair advises the Executive Director if the Self-Study Report is complete. For institutions conducting preliminary self studies, the institution will be given a preliminary evaluation of the status of its program in relation to the AABI Standards.

Program Measures

The measures for program assessment employed by the department are new graduate surveys, internship evaluation surveys from employers, alumni surveys, Industry Advisory Board input, Mock Interview assessments, Safety Committee inputs, annual faculty outcomes assessments of each course, CFR 14 Part 141 and 61 stage check evaluations, FAA practical examination results, FAA Computer Knowledge examination scores, student course evaluations, and program outcomes assessments for each program (Professional Aviation and Aviation Management).

Some of the measures listed above for program assessments have aided in making improvements to our program in making numerous changes to our curriculum in both programs, which have to be approved through the university’s Instructional Policies Committee (IPC). The measures derived from internship employer evaluations, alumni surveys, Industry Advisory Committee recommendations, and Mock Interview appraisals have all contributed to curriculum changes. Also, modifications and enhancements of the Training Course Outlines (TCOs) have taken place on a regular basis through input from our Industry Advisory Committee and through the assessment of our stage check evaluations, practical test critiques, and FAA computer examination failure areas. The annual faculty outcomes assessments, new graduate surveys, and student evaluations of each course have helped to make changes within our course syllabi. Safety Committee inputs and Safety Course Forum discussion topics have led to more pronounced flight training awareness subject areas, Safety Management System (SMS) highlighted areas for mitigation, and topics for our quarterly Safety Meetings. Once each year the Accreditation Committee will conduct an outcomes assessments presentation for each program (Aviation Management and Professional Aviation) to our department faculty so we can compare and analyze student enrollments, graduate rates, yearly hours flown, and graduate survey results in the areas listed in our Program Educational Objectives and Program Specific Outcomes.

Listed below is from our latest published Outcomes Assessment and states the student achievement as stated by new graduate surveys:

In the last six quarters (Winter 2011 through Spring 2012) we have produced 20 Aviation Management graduates and 28 Professional Aviation graduates (One was a double major in Aviation Management and Professional Aviation). Listed below is the employment distribution for the 48 graduates:

Accreditation through the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) is very important to our faculty, students, and alumni. It means we have met a defined set of standards that not all collegiate aviation programs can meet. The parents of our students and potential students, along with our students and potential students should be proud to know that Louisiana Tech University’s Department of Professional Aviation has been accredited since 1993 and was the fifth institution to become accredited through the only collegiate aviation accrediting body in the world (AABI).

See www.aabi.aero for further details.