Students are required to enroll before they reach the age of 28 and be hired by the Federal Aviation Administration before their 31st birthdays. The FAA may take between one and three years to hire someone. Students are required to take a medical exam before admittance to an Air Traffic-College Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program.
The FAA's AT-CTI program basically teaches students about the aviation industry, how to understand radar reports, and how to read and create chart flight paths.
Upon completing the AT-CTI program, students must pass several certification exams. Those who do not pass these exams still graduate from the program but will not be eligible for employment with the FAA until they pass the certification exams.
The FAA has approved particular air traffic control schools (see Resources) as a part of the AT-CTI program and only has job openings for graduates from those schools. The FAA suggests job applicants receive a two- or four-year, non-engineering-based aviation degree from a FAA-approved program before applying to be an air traffic controller.