New enhanced degree offers high-demand career pathway
This spring, Nashua Community College instructors have been busy setting up a new Air Traffic Control Tower Simulator on campus ahead of the Air Traffic Control Associate Degree debut this fall.
“The same training equipment used around the world is right here on campus,” said Vice President of Academic Affairs, Jill Loveless. Loveless and Aviation Department Chairperson and Professor Doug Mitchell discussed the program curriculum, equipment, and career prospects for future graduates.
“We have nine students fully enrolled, and the cap is 12,” said Mitchell, adding the Aviation Department hopes to have an additional cohort of Air Traffic Control (ATC) students in January for Spring 2026.
“It’s a day program, they will have classes Tuesdays and Thursdays during the first year, with and additional lab time during their second year,” he said. The ATC program will primarily be on campus, but will include field trips to area Air Traffic Control facilities.
NCC’s aviation programs maintain a space at the Nashua Airport, which is currently used by Aviation Technology students for training to prepare for their careers in aircraft maintenance.
As of early May, the Aviation Department is waiting for the final FAA signature to receive the initial certification, the CTI or Collegiate Training Initiative, for the program.
They are in the process of acquiring an Enhanced Collegiate Training Initiative, or ECTI, that will allow students to complete all required initial ATC training in Nashua. “Up until now, the CTI was the highest certification you could get as a college, but with the Air Traffic Control shortages last year; they have established a new way for schools to do the full curriculum versus having to go to the Air Traffic Control Academy in Oklahoma.”
“Once we get our final certification, you can get everything you need at NCC. We have a formal relationship with the FAA and they will support us in getting everything we need to get certified.”
After the two-year associate degree, graduates typically begin their ATC careers at smaller, regional towers, “Something more like Nashua than Boston. Where they will have local training systems for that area,” said Mitchell.
While ATC careers have high salaries, Mitchell said applicants need to be aware of the FAA standards for new hires. “You have to be younger than 31 by completion of the program, you have to be a U.S. citizen, fluent in English, and there’s going to be medical clearance, drug testing, and background checks; all required before they are hired.”
“To enroll in the program, there’s also an air traffic skills assessment test, and this score is part of the package that will go to the FAA – and if they don’t score high enough, they won’t be looked at by the FAA. That’s why we have them take the assessment early,” said Mitchell. Students who fail can take the test after one year, and they can take it twice while in the program.
Non-U.S. citizens may still enroll, he said, “We can accept foreign students, but they won’t be hired by the FAA. They can train here, and work in their home countries. The training can transfer over, some deliberately study in the U.S. and return home to work.”
The ATC program will be the only one in New Hampshire, with the next closest one in New York, and another emerging ATC program under development in Augusta, Maine.
To learn more, visit the program webpage, or contact Donna Lisa Sanchez at DSanchez@ccsnh.edu to apply.
Interested in aviation education? NCC also has Aviation Technology associate degree and certificate options for students interested in aircraft maintenance, and an associate degree in Aviation Management available 100% online.
