Starting this fall, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will offer a “Commercial Space Operations” undergraduate major, which the Daytona Beach, Fla., school said is the first of its kind.
Richard Heist, chancellor of the Daytona Beach campus, which for now is the only campus offering this major, made the announcement Feb. 6 at the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) annual Commercial Space Transportation Conference in Washington.
“This first-of-its-kind degree program would continue to solidify our students’ spot at the forefront of an industry that is sure to grow for decades to come,” Heist said in prepared remarks.
The degree is intended to bridge a perceived gap between the technical, operational and policy aspects of the space business, said Lance Erickson, program coordinator for the new degree.
“It is an important link between Embry-Riddle’s expertise in aerospace education and the needs of commercial space industries and regulatory agencies,” Erickson said at a press briefing held during the FAA conference.
Embry-Riddle is offering two variations of the new major: one with a space operations focus and one with a policy focus. Neither will be an engineering degree, Heist and Erickson said.
