UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has signed a partnership with Penn State World Campus aimed at helping the organization’s members pursue high-quality, affordable degrees online that can help advance their careers.
The partnership opens educational opportunities to the more than 15,000 NATCA members who work as air traffic controllers, engineers and other aviation safety-related professionals. Retired members, current and retired employees, their spouses and dependents are also eligible.
NATCA members will have access to more than 125 undergraduate and graduate programs offered online through Penn State World Campus. As World Campus students, they will have access to an array of academic support services.
Penn State World Campus has offered degrees online since 1998. U.S. News and World Report ranked World Campus No. 1 for best online bachelor’s degrees and for several of its graduate programs in the top 10 of their fields in 2015 and 2016.
“We are very proud and excited to work with Penn State to offer this tremendous educational benefit to our members,” NATCA President Paul Rinaldi said. “The aviation safety professionals NATCA represents are constantly striving to improve themselves through training, furthering their education, and becoming more active in their profession and their union. This is an extraordinary opportunity for NATCA, and we could not be more thrilled to work with such a prestigious university. This is the start of what we believe will be an extremely successful relationship.”
NATCA is the latest partner in Penn State World Campus’s Corporate Alliance Program, which helps provide access to online education to employees at more than 30 businesses and organizations across the country.
“Penn State World Campus is pleased to partner with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association to help its members realize their educational goals,” said Craig Weidemann, vice president for outreach and vice provost for online education. “Our partners help us fulfill Penn State’s mission of providing better access to high-quality education.”
World Campus offers a wide variety of online degrees that can help NATCA members advance their careers. These include bachelor’s degrees in organizational leadership; labor and employment relations and advertising/public relations; a master’s degree in human resources in employment relations; and a master’s degree in organizational development and change. Other degree programs are available in business, science, health, the liberal arts and more.
World Campus student services include academic advising, a dedicated advising team for military students, disability counselors, tutoring and career counseling. In addition, World Campus offers a free, optional online course called "Transitions" that introduces students to online learning while increasing computer, study and research skills.
Graduates from Penn State World Campus receive the same nationally recognized degrees as the students who attend a Penn State campus and can become part of Penn State’s worldwide alumni network of more than 170,000 active members.
For more information about the degrees and programs available, visit the Penn State World Campus website.