Kansas State University

Media Guide - ABOUT THE COLLEGE

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MAJORS

The College of Technology and Aviation offers associate and bachelor’s degrees in the areas of engineering technology and aviation, as well as business. Student enrollment is split fairly evenly over the college’s three departments:

Arts, sciences and business
Technology management combines business and technology, emphasizing management and leadership, coupled with skills in a technical field. The applied business degree addresses basic business practices, as well as some general education requirements.  Also, an associate in applied technologies enables students receiving a certificate from the Salina Area Technical School to complete a college degree. For more information about the arts, sciences and business department, click here.

Aviation
Aviation students accomplish training under the FAA’s federal aviation regulations, professional pilot under part 141 and aviation maintenance under part 147. These certifications provide a focused learning environment where students more efficiently achieve professional certificates and ratings. Degrees are offered in both aviation maintenance and professional pilot. For more information about the aviation department, click here.

Engineering technology
The engineering technology department includes programs specifically designed to emphasize the application of existing scientific and engineering techniques to a variety of real-world problems. Engineering technicians and technologists work in the job spectrum between the engineer and the skilled craftsman, with responsibilities closest to those of an engineer. Degrees in engineering technology are construction engineering technology, computer systems technology, electronic and computer engineering technology, mechanical engineering technology and web development technology. For more information about the engineering technology department, click here.

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HISTORY

The College of Technology and Aviation was created in 1965 by an act of the Kansas Legislature. The bill provided for the establishment of a state technical institute offering two-year programs in science and engineering technology. Originally called Schilling Institute, the campus was developed on property that was formerly part of Schilling Air Force Base. Enrollment totaled 93 students during the fall semester of 1966. Schilling Institute was renamed Kansas Technical Institute in 1969. On April 12, 1988, the name was changed to Kansas College of Technology.

On May 2, 1991, Gov. Joan Finney signed into law a bill merging Kansas College of Technology with Kansas State University, making the campus the ninth college in the K-State system. The college later took the name of the College of Technology and Aviation, to reflect the two main departments on campus. Since the merger, enrollment has continued to increase, and the number of full time traditional college students has grown to represent a significant majority of the student body.

Located on 149 acres, the campus is adjacent to the Salina Municipal Airport in southwest Salina.

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ENROLLMENT

The College of Technology and Aviation is one of nine colleges in the Kansas State University system. Enrollment numbers are reported to the Board of Regents by the 20th day of each semester and released to the media with the rest of the university’s colleges.

Enrollment has steadily increased over time since the beginning of the college, with a significant growth in the number of students and FTE* since the merger between Kansas College of Technology and K-State in 1991. There currently are approximately 1,000 students enrolled in the College of Technology and Aviation.

* FTE is full-time equivalent, based on the total number of credit hours, divided by 12 (the number of credit hours needed to be a full-time student).

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CAMPUS COMMUNITY

There are more than 125 faculty and staff members working at the College of Technology and Aviation on the Salina campus. This includes professional staff and administrative positions, as well as full-time, part-time and adjunct faculty members.

The student body is made up of approximately 1,000 students, with the majority coming from within the state of Kansas. While the male-to-female ratio is not yet balanced, the number of women on campus has increased significantly in the past five years. One factor is the increase in the number of women in the professional pilot program, thanks to a $1.19 million gift from Marian “Dolly” Hardman. This gift provides scholarships to women in the professional pilot program and had an immediate impact on the number of women enrolled in the college. Currently, the student body at K-State at Salina is approximately 30 percent female and 70 percent male.

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