Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University–Prescott

The Embry-Riddle Experience

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Prescott, Arizona campus is recognized and respected worldwide for cutting-edge instruction and training for tomorrow's aviation, aerospace, security and intelligence leaders. Embry-Riddle is a private, four-year university accredited by SACS. The coed student population of just over 2,500 undergraduates comes from all fifty states and over thirty nations. There are more than 100 student clubs and organizations including professional associations, fraternities, sororities, specialty clubs, and intramural sports. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) teams compete regionally and nationally as members of the CalPac Conference. Men's and women's teams include basketball, cross-country, golf, and soccer, along with men's wrestling, women's volleyball, and women's softball. The Golden Eagles flight team has consistently ranked among the top in the country in Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) competitions, capturing the national championship title 11 times. Within a year of graduation, 96 percent of graduates are either employed within their discipline or continuing their education.

Majors and Degrees

Twenty-five majors are offered through four different colleges: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Engineering, and the nation's first College of Security and Intelligence. 

 - Aeronautical Science, the professional pilot program, offers fixed-wing or rotary-wing flight options. The program emphasizes hands-on training to prepare students for a career in the aviation industry with airlines, corporate and commercial aviation, or the military.

 - Aeronautics builds upon pre-existing experience and training in aviation, or other technical fields. It also allows the flexibility to build a major with an aviation focus and a professional outcome. 

- Aerospace Engineering instructs the scientific principles that govern the design of airplanes, spacecraft, and jet engines. The program focuses primarily on the engineering of mission-oriented vehicles for atmospheric or space flight.

 - Air Traffic Management blends simulation training with rigorous academic study. Hands-on air traffic training prepares students for a career as an air traffic controller with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

 - Applied Meteorology provides a practical understanding of the physics and dynamics of the atmosphere to forecast complex phenomena. This program offers areas of concentration in flight, meteorology for aviation operations, military meteorology, and research. 

- Astronomy emphasizes both a hands-on and theoretical education in the study of celestial objects and astrophysics. The Campus Observatory Complex, as well as Prescott's excellent viewing conditions, enhance education beyond the classroom. 

- Aviation Business Administration integrates in-depth studies of aviation, transportation, and government interface with a strong business foundation, and is approved by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI). 

- Business Administration students experience a unique hands-on learning approach by taking their education outside the classroom and consulting with actual clients through a faculty-led student team. Students produce start-up business plans, strategic management plans, and conduct fraud-risk analysis. 

- Computer Engineering provides a background in the design of digital hardware and software systems including communications systems, computers, and devices that contain computers. A senior design project will closely follow the development of an engineering project in the industry. 

- Cyber Intelligence and Security empowers students to lead, manage, administer, and create organizations in cyber security. Students study computer forensics, information warfare, and technical intelligence while utilizing the University's state-of-the-art Cyber Security Lab.

- Electrical Engineering is a systems-oriented program that includes analog and digital circuits, communication systems, computers, control systems, electromagnetic fields, energy sources and systems, and electronic materials and devices.

- Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination is where law enforcement meets the accounting world. Graduation prepares students for the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) exam and Certification, and incorporates criminal investigative skills with areas of accounting, including financial, managerial, information systems, governmental, auditing, tax accounting, and psychology.

- Forensic Biology combines biology, chemistry, and law to give students experience in forensic science laboratories, law enforcement, and legal contexts. Hands-on activities include evidence collection, crime scene investigation, tissue sampling and analysis, and emphasis on DNA techniques. This major also fulfills pre-med requirements. 

- Forensic Psychology is the science of human behavior and prepares students to work in civil, legal, and criminal environments as experts in understanding, evaluating, and predicting human behavior. Training combines the study of global and cyber security, forensic science, the U.S. legal system and international affairs. 

- Global Business prepares students for international management. Classroom topics include global events and issues related to transportation, trade, public policy, technology, resources, energy, and the environment. Students study international cultures with a focus on emerging markets. 

- Global Security and Intelligence Studies gives graduates an expertise in terrorism, asymmetrical warfare, transportation security, threats to manufacturing facilities, corporate offices, computer systems, and telecommunications infrastructure. Students prepare for careers with the FBI, CIA, State Department, military intelligence, and private sectors. Options include Mandarin Chinese, Arabic or Spanish. 

- Industrial Psychology and Safety explores the disciplines of aviation safety, occupational safety, industrial hygiene, ergonomics, and quantitative methods. The program delivers a foundation in human behavior and cognition as it relates to safety and organizational effectiveness. 

- Interdisciplinary Studies is a unique option allowing students to customize their undergraduate curriculum to match specific career goals by choosing three major areas of study to create their own major. 

- Mechanical Engineering focuses on the design of robotic, propulsion, and energy systems. The program prepares students for the vast career applications in this field including aerospace, automotive, robotics, thermal environmental control, recreational products, medicine, and manufacturing. 

- Simulation Science, Games and Animation instructs students to design and build technologies underlying aviation simulators, computer aided design (CAD) systems, computer animation software, streaming video networks, and computer games. 

- Software Engineering prepares students to work as programmers and software engineers, constructing software systems and developing system requirements. A unique cyber security track allows graduates to support the nation's need for cyber security to protect a company's proprietary information. 

- Space Physics is an applied physics program designed to prepare students for graduate studies in physics, astrophysics, and exotic propulsion systems, as well as for work in space and aerospace related industries. 

- Unmanned Aerial Systems focuses on the design, operation, and business components of the emerging unmanned aerial vehicles industry. This program emphasizes practical applications such as search and rescue, first responder, hazardous surveillance, or evaluation of emergencies. 

- Wildlife Science is the only undergraduate environmental science program in the country with a focus on the aviation and aerospace industries. Students with interest in wildlife biology, environmental science, and working in the outdoors should explore this growing and rewarding career field.