Earn your bachelor’s degree. If you plan on embarking on a career as a combat aviator, your first step will be to complete a 4-year degree program at an accredited university. Fighter pilot is an officer position, and all officers in the U.S. military must hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.
- Your degree can be in any subject of your choosing. However, fields of study like engineering, physics, mathematics, geography, and meteorology will translate especially well to the kind of duties you’ll be performing as a pilot.
- It’s a good idea to enroll at your earliest convenience to give yourself plenty of time to meet your academic requirements, especially if you’ll be also be working while you’re in school.
