Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) is a private university focused on aviation and aerospace programs. Initially founded at Lunken Field in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1926, its main campuses are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona. It is the largest accredited university system specializing in aviation and aerospace. It has numerous online programs and academic programs offered at satellite locations.
It began as a regional school for pilots and aircraft mechanics. With the expansion and development of aviation and related space programs, today the university enrolls more than 33,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
History
On December 17, 1925, Talton Higbee Embry and John Paul Riddle founded the Embry–Riddle Company at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, Ohio. In spring 1926, the company opened the Embry–Riddle School of Aviation. Following a merge with the Aviation Corporation (AVCO), the Embry–Riddle flying school was closed in 1930.
In 1939, Riddle, John Graham McKay and wife Isabel re-established the school in Miami. Keeping the name, they partnered with the University of Miami to provide flight training under the Civilian Pilot Training Program, and rapidly increase the number of qualified pilots immediately preceding World War II. Alumni of this school included John F. Kennedy, who served in the US Navy in the war, and was elected in 1960 as President of the United States. Following rapid expansion, the school took over the former Fritz Hotel.
Preempting the announced closure of Tamiami Airport, where the Embry–Riddle Aeronautical Institute was conducting its flight operations, the school was moved to Daytona Beach, Florida in April 1965. Embry–Riddle became a nonprofit in 1959.
Having expanded its programs of study, it was awarded university status in 1968. It took the name Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University in 1970. Embry–Riddle started its international program the same year. In 1978 it opened a second residential campus in Prescott, Arizona.
Academics
The non-profit university is accredited as a level VI institution by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award degrees at the associate, bachelor, master's, and doctoral levels. The university's programs in aviation maintenance, air traffic management, applied meteorology, aeronautical science, aerospace and occupational safety, flight operations, and airport management are accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI).
The bachelor and master's programs in business are accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). All engineering programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET)
The programs in aeronautics, air traffic management, applied meteorology, and aerospace studies are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In July 2014, the university became the nation's first FAA-approved training provider for student airline certification.
Professional programs
ERAU hosts a variety of aviation-focused short-courses. These courses – ranging in topic from Unmanned Aircraft Systems to Aircraft Accident Investigation and Management – are tailored for professionals involved in the operations, management, and supervision of aviation organizations. The "Worldwide campus" offers courses either online, via video, or face-to-face globally.
The Embry–Riddle Prescott Campus is home to the Robertson Safety Institute (RSI); this is a center for research, development, short courses, and corporate outreach in safety education. The campus has resources including the Robertson Crash Lab, Aviation Safety and Security Archives and immediate access to advanced engineering, scientific, and forensic resources.
Campuses
Daytona Beach, Florida
Embry–Riddle's oldest residential campus () and academic headquarters has been in Daytona Beach, Florida since 1965. Built adjacent to the Daytona Beach International Airport, the campus is connected to an aircraft ramp owned by the university for flight training. The main campus consists of an aviation complex, academic quad and residence halls surrounding the student center and Jack R. Hunt Aviator Park. The campus has seven residence halls and one off-campus housing complex. Athletic facilities, the Brigadier General William W. Spruance ROTC Center, and the ICI Center are on the east side of campus.