Air Traffic Controller
Explore employment trends, required job duties and skills for this
career. ASU offers a variety of degrees that can help you prepare
for and meet your career goals. Visit
ASU's Career and Professional
Development Services
to learn how to develop your career plan.
Potential job titles in this career
ATCS (Air Traffic Control Specialist),
Center ATC (Center Air Traffic Controller),
Certified Professional Controller (CPC),
Developmental Air Traffic Controller,
Developmental ATCS (Developmental Air Traffic Control Specialist),
Enroute ATCS (Enroute Air Traffic Control Specialist),
Radar Air Traffic Controller,
Terminal ATC Specialist (Terminal Air Traffic Control Specialist),
Terminal Radar Approach Controller,
Tower ATC (Tower Air Traffic Controller)
* Additional schooling, certification, or degrees maybe be required for some of the potential careers that are listed.
Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.
Monitor aircraft within a specific airspace, using radar, computer equipment, or visual references.
Monitor, direct, or sequence the movement of aircraft within an assigned air space or on the ground at airports to minimize delays and maximize safety.
Alert airport emergency services in cases of emergency or when aircraft are experiencing difficulties.
Maintain radio or telephone contact with adjacent control towers, terminal control units, or other area control centers to coordinate aircraft movement.
Transfer control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights.
Provide flight path changes or directions to emergency landing fields for pilots traveling in bad weather or in emergency situations.
Direct pilots to runways when space is available or direct them to maintain a traffic pattern until there is space for them to land.
Contact pilots by radio to provide meteorological, navigational, or other information.
Determine the timing or procedures for flight vector changes.
In this career, it is important to know
Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
It's useful to be good at
Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Speed of Closure - The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
| Location |
Pay period |
2025 |
| 10% |
25% |
Median% |
75% |
90% |
| United States |
Hourly |
$37.70
|
$50.25
|
$71.19
|
$91.62
|
$103.66
|
| Yearly |
$78,420
|
$104,520
|
$148,080
|
$190,570
|
$215,610
|
| Arizona |
Hourly |
$41.65
|
$53.86
|
$65.77
|
$82.15
|
$94.22
|
| Yearly |
$86,630
|
$112,030
|
$136,800
|
$170,870
|
$195,980
|
| 2025 Median% |
| United States |
$71.19
Hourly
|
$148,080
Yearly
|
| Arizona |
$65.77
Hourly
|
$136,800
Yearly
|
Employment (2025)
24,000
employees
Projected growth (2025 - 2035)
Little or no change
Projected job openings (2025 - 2035)
2,100
* Data obtained from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).
Frequently asked questions about degree programs
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite
the completion of their degree.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn
a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for
some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible
for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue
the accelerated master's during the junior year of their
bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about
eligibility requirements and
how to apply.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or
professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two
diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work
with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more
than one college and provide opportunities for students to take
advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon
graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma
conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often
and look for the "New Programs" option.
Students from western states who select this major may be eligible for a
reduced nonresident tuition rate of 150 percent of Arizona resident tuition
plus all applicable fees. See more information and eligibility requirements on
the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program
Web site.
check up to 3 programs to see a side-by-side comparison
This program will be stored in your saved programs (upper right) only for this
session. To save for later use, please
sign in.
This program will be stored in your saved programs (upper right).
A minor is an approved, coherent focus of academic study in a single
discipline, other than the student's major, involving substantially fewer
hours of credit than a corresponding major. Certain major and minor
combinations may be deemed inappropriate either by the college or department
of the major or minor.
This is only the first required math course. This program may contain
additional math courses; See Curriculum for details.
The level of intensity represents a measure of the number and academic rigor
of math courses required.
The level of intensity represents a measure of the number and academic rigor
of math courses required. Courses included in the General level: MAT 142
The level of intensity represents a measure of the number and academic rigor
of math courses required. Courses included in the Moderate level: MAT 117, MAT
119, MAT 170, MAT 210, SOS 101, CPI 200
The level of intensity represents a measure of the number and academic rigor
of math courses required. Courses included in the Substantial level: MAT 251,
MAT 265. MAT 266, MAT 267, MAT 270, MAT 271, MAT 272, MAT 274, MAT 275
Students pursuing concurrent degrees earn two distinct degrees and receive two
diplomas. ASU offers students two ways to earn concurrent degrees: by choosing
a predetermined combination or creating their own combination. Predetermined
combinations have a single admissions application and one easy to follow major
map. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your
academic advisor. Either way, concurrent degrees allow students to pursue
their own personal or professional interests.
Concurrent degree programs are specially designed academic programs which
provide high-achieving undergraduate students the opportunity to complete two
distinct but complementary bachelor degrees at the same time. Students must
meet minimum admissions standards for both programs and be accepted
individually by both colleges offering the concurrent program.
Concurrent degree programs are specially designed academic programs which
provide high-achieving graduate students the opportunity to complete two
distinct but complementary graduate degrees at the same time. Students must
meet minimum admissions standards for both programs and be accepted
individually by both colleges offering the concurrent program.
Accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree programs are designed for
high-achieving undergraduate students who want the opportunity to share
undergraduate coursework with graduate coursework to accelerate completion of
their master's degree. These programs feature the same high-quality curriculum
taught by ASU's world-renowned faculty.
Accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree programs are designed for
high-achieving undergraduate students who want the opportunity to share
undergraduate coursework with graduate coursework to accelerate completion of
their master's degree. These programs feature the same high-quality curriculum
taught by ASU's world-renowned faculty.
A rolling deadline means that applications will continue to be reviewed on a
regular basis until the semester begins. International students should be
mindful of visa deadlines to ensure there is time to produce necessary visa
documents. Applicants are encouraged to complete and submit application
materials as soon as possible for consideration.
A final deadline means that all applications and application materials must be
received by Graduate Admissions by the deadline date. Applications that are
incomplete may not be considered after the final deadline. Applications that
are submitted past the final deadline may not be considered.
A priority deadline means that applications submitted and completed before the
priority deadline will receive priority consideration. Applications submitted
after the priority deadlines will be reviewed in the order in which they were
completed and on a space available basis. An application is complete after all
materials are received by Graduate Admissions.
The 24-Month STEM OPT Extension is an additional benefit from United States
Citizenship and Immigration Services that allows international students in F-1
status who receive a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in an approved
STEM field to apply for a 24-month extension of their standard 12-month
Post-OPT period, twice in a lifetime. This allows international students the
opportunity to gain additional off-campus work experience in their field of
study after completion of course studies and Post-OPT. The OPT extension does
not apply to students completing a degree through ASU Online.
