With flight facilities at nearby Grant County International Airport, aviation students at Big Bend Community College (BBCC) receive training on four runways on 4,800 acres. The college has three simulators and 36 aircraft of varying sizes available to students working toward two-year or four-year degrees. BBCC students may earn an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in two years to prepare for a career as a commercial pilot or to transfer to a four-year bachelor's program at a university. BBCC is located in the central Washington town of Moses Lake, 177 miles east of Seattle and 106 miles west of Spokane.
Central Washington University (CWU), located in Ellensburg, offers four-year degrees in aviation. Earn a bachelor of science in flight technology in one of four specializations, including flight officer, commercial pilot, aviation management or aviation maintenance management. Academic courses are taught on the CWU campus, and flight training is conducted at the Aviation Training Center at Bowers Field, less than two miles north of campus. A residence hall at CWU is designated as the Aviation Living Learning Community to provide support for prospective pilots during their studies.
Operating since 1969 as Auburn Flight Service, Northwest Aviation College (NAC) became an accredited educational institution in 1992 and focuses exclusively on educating future pilots. All classes at NAC have a maximum student-to-teacher ratio of 15 to one, and flight-training sessions are taught individually at facilities open 360 days per year. Students may earn an A.A.S. in aviation flight technology at NAC or one of three professional pilot vocational certificates. High-school students in the Kent School District may also earn credits at NAC for aviation courses completed. Northwest Aviation College is located at the Auburn Municipal Airport building on 23rd Street in Auburn.
Green River Community College (GRCC) has 15 degree and certificate programs housed under its Aviation Technology department. The two-year A.A.S. degrees in aviation technology consist of foundational courses in English, aviation weather, air traffic control, air transportation and mathematics. A major focus is then chosen to earn an A.A.S. in air traffic control, aircraft dispatch, professional pilot, helicopter pilot or air transportation. Certificate programs include a one-year aircraft dispatcher designation, a six-credit basic weather observer classification and a 25 to 30 credit series of courses to earn an International Flight Planning Certificate of Proficiency. GRCC's 180-acre campus is located 30 miles south of Seattle and 20 miles from Sea-Tac International Airport.