Air Transportation at Ohio State University-Main Campus
Columbus, OH · Public · Bachelor's Degree
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
63
Optimistic
59
Base Case
52
Pessimistic
Earnings
$40,102/yr (-9% vs median)
AI Risk
Moderate (33% exposed)
Job Market
Large (60,400 openings/yr)
How AI Changes the Outlook
Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Air Transportation graduates.
| Optimistic No Disruption |
Base Case Gradual AI |
Pessimistic Aggressive AI |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Earnings | $976K | $573K | $334K |
| Earnings Multiple (In-State) | 19.0x | 11.1x | 6.5x |
| Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) | 6.4x | 3.7x | 2.2x |
| Viable Career Paths | 6 of 6 | 6 of 6 | 6 of 6 |
| DegreeWorth Score | 63 | 59 | 52 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$51,436
Out-of-state: $153,460
Median Debt at Graduation
$21,731
6.5 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$79,569
98% growth from Year 1
Career Paths
Where Air Transportation graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 60,400 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Wage | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers | $226,600 | 11,700 | +3.9% | 35% |
| Air traffic controllers | $144,580 | 2,200 | +1.2% | 34% |
| Commercial pilots | $122,670 | 6,600 | +5.1% | 24% |
| Transportation, storage, and distribution managers | $102,010 | 18,500 | +6.1% | 49% |
| Flight attendants | $67,130 | 19,800 | +9.2% | 17% |
| Airfield operations specialists | $56,750 | 1,600 | +4.2% | 37% |
Compare & Explore
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DegreeWorth Score for Air Transportation at Ohio State University-Main Campus?
This program scores 59/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 63 (optimistic) to 52 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Air Transportation career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Air Transportation graduates retain 6 of 6 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $334,447 (pessimistic) to $975,591 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Air Transportation graduates?
The career paths mapped to Air Transportation have roughly 60,400 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a large job market.
Is Air Transportation at Ohio State University-Main Campus worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 11.1x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 6.5x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections.
"Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI.
Last updated 2025.