Texas Woman’s University Opens Aviation Program

Thanks to the largest gift in Texas Woman’s University, a generous gift of $15 million from the Doswell Foundation, the school will be able to fund its aviation program.

The Doswell School of Aeronautical Sciences anticipates its first class to begin in fall of 2024, with cohorts of about 25 students. It will offer two tracks: one for professional pilot training and the second in aviation management. Graduates from approved four-year universities with a bachelor’s degree and an aviation major are only required to obtain a total of 1000 hours of flight, instead of 1500 flight hours. This will allow Texas Woman’s graduates to become commercial pilots in less time and with less expenses.

While the program will be open to all genders, the school hopes it will bring more women to the aviation industry. The school has a current enrollment of 16,000 students, 89% of whom are women.

Texas Woman’s plans to allocate some of the funds to purchase simulators for the school. The school is also hoping to partner with major airlines and flight training schools to help support the program.