Aircraft Maintenance Technician
Program Description
Play this video with descriptive audio.
Minneapolis College’s Aircraft Maintenance Technician program will prepare you to perform extensive service, repair and detailed inspections on all types of aircraft while meeting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards. The program covers the content and provides the required clock hours to prepare you to take the FAA’s Aircraft & Powerplant (A&P) license exams.
Advantages
- Minneapolis College’s Aircraft Maintenance Technician program traces its history to WWII, when it prepared mechanics to work in Northwest Airlines’ Modification Center at Holman Field, where aircraft were altered for a variety of military duties.
- Minneapolis College began a public-private partnership with Delta Air Lines/Endeavor Air in 2013, when it received a grant award from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development to relocate its program to facilities at Delta.
- Our current instructors are all graduates of Minneapolis College’s program and have extensive backgrounds in general and commercial aviation.
Program Details
Program Start and Location
The Aircraft Maintenance Technician program accepts a cohort of 25 new students once per year in the Fall Semester. Students complete the program over 6 continuous semesters: Fall, Spring, and Summer.
Courses are scheduled Mondays through Thursdays.
The Aircraft Maintenance Technician program is located off campus in a Delta Air Lines facility at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.
The address for the program location is:
Minneapolis College
Aircraft Maintenance Technician Department
Delta Air Lines, Building C
7500 Airline Drive
Minneapolis, MN 55450
Facility Tours
As a result of COVID-19 and the guidance issued to the College by the System Office and the Office of Higher Education, Minneapolis College will indefinitely postpone all prospective student tours of the Delta C Building.
We will establish a new tour schedule once we receive clearance from Delta and the College that it is acceptable for groups of 25 persons to tour our program facilities again.
Therefore, please check back here for more information.
Cost
Tuition and fees are $254.95 per credit. The program is eligible for financial aid for qualified students.
Additional approximate costs include:
- Books: $350
- Tools: $1000
- FAA licensure exams: $1000
How to Apply
Complete Minneapolis College’s online application for admissions.
What You Will Learn
- Through lecture and hands-on lab, you will learn to service, repair, and overhaul all aspects of aircraft systems, structures and engines to ensure safety, airworthiness condition and proper operation.
- You will learn how to access information on specifications, diagnostics and troubleshooting techniques according to manufacturer manuals, Federal Aviation Regulations (F.A.R.s) and Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.s)
- Since teamwork is critical in the aviation environment, you will learn about team-building and communication techniques, as well as valuable decision-making and deductive-reasoning skills.
Beyond-the-Classroom Opportunities
Minneapolis College’s partner in our Aircraft Maintenance Technician program is Delta Air Lines, the world’s largest airline, and is located in facilities near its maintenance hangars at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, Delta’s third largest hub. Our program routinely incorporates learning opportunities made possible by this relationship, including guest speakers and training specific to commercial aviation.
Minneapolis College also partners with the Minnesota Women in Aviation and its Learning Jet program to provide hands-on experience with commercial aircraft. Our faculty has decades-long background in general and commercial aviation and frequently utilize their connections to expand beyond-the-classroom opportunities for students.
Professional Licensure or Certification
Minneapolis College has determined that completion of the Aircraft Maintenance Technician program prepares a student to take the Federal Aviation Administration’s national licensure examination for an aircraft maintenance technician. Passage of the national exam is required for licensure in all 50 U.S. states and U.S. protectorates.
Therefore, the Aircraft Maintenance Technician program meets educational requirements needed to obtain professional licensure in all 50 states and U.S. protectorates. Additional requirements such as state-specific examinations, background checks, feed, additional training, experience and coursework, etc. may apply. If you have additional questions related to being licensure in a different state, please contact us at Heidi.Aldes@minneapolis.edu
If you have further questions about licensure for Aircraft Maintenance, please feel free to reach out to Heidi Aldes, Interim Dean of Enrollment Management.
Occupational Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and technicians is projected to hold steady from 2014 to 2024. Job prospects will be best for mechanics who hold an Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certificate.
Potential Job Titles
- Aircraft Technician
- Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) Mechanic
- Inspection Authorized (IA) Mechanic
- Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR)
- Aviation Maintenance Manager
- Aviation Technical Writer
Where You Could Work
- Major, regional and charter airlines
- Corporate aviation divisions
- Airports
- Aircraft overhaul facilities
- Aircraft and aircraft equipment manufacturers
- Government and military facilities
- General aviation fixed base operations
- Flight schools
Contact us
Prospective and admitted students: Julie Nicholas, 612-659-6205
VA Benefits: Renee Cannon
Faculty: Keith Norton