Pennsylvania College of Technology's aviation curriculum has been accredited by the National Center for Aircraft Technician Training − among only a handful of institutions to receive the designation and is the nation's first baccalaureate-degree program to be so recognized.
The college is one of five partners in NCATT, established in 2005 under a National Science Foundation grant. Others in the consortium charged with setting educational standards, curriculum and certification for aircraft-electronics technicians are Tarrant County College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, San Jose State University and Weatherford College.
"We saw our latest curriculum revision as a chance to document that we meet NCATT standards," noted Thomas D. Inman, associate professor of avionics. "As a result, when Bill Stepp (associate professor of aviation) and I rewrote the curriculum, we added the NCATT standards and levels directly into our course abstracts."
Inman said that timely revision surely helped smooth the certification process: "Some schools must pass paperwork back and forth to NCATT headquarters several times before they achieve accreditation. We were able to send the package in, and receive accreditation, without having to answer any additional questions."
Inman is a co-principal investigator, chair of electronic resources and webmaster for NCATT; he also has helped prepare questions for the association's certification exams.
Penn College offers a bachelor's degree in aviation maintenance technology, an associate degree in aviation technology and a two-year certificate in aviation maintenance technician. For more information about those majors (and others in the college's School of Transportation Technology), visit online or call (570) 327-4516.
For general information about the college,visit on the Web, e-mail or call toll-free (800) 367-9222.