As aviation has evolved significantly over the past 100 years, so have its educational requirements. Aviation and aerospace industries now demand a new breed of specialists who have a comprehensive academic background, and well-developed analytical, critical thinking and decision-making skills. It is not just flight training that is a requirement for many modern aviation and aerospace careers. A university degree is regarded by the industry as a valuable asset for a pilot or an airport or airline manager and is rapidly becoming a requirement for any professional in aviation.

The Canadian aviation industry has produced notable aircraft designs such as the Avro Arrow and Jetliner and continues to do so with Bombardier’s CRJ family.  So it should come as no surprise that its universities lead the way in applied research into aeronautical engineering (aircraft flight systems, propulsion, aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics and structural mechanics) and space systems engineering (spacecraft dynamics and control, space robotics and mechatronics, and micro-satellite technology).