American English Language Programs

Aviation English and Airline Dispatcher Certificate Training Program

Plane flying over airport tower

Northern Kentucky University offers a sixteen week program on Northern Kentucky University’s campus which focuses on Aviation English with an optional Aircraft Dispatcher training program. Upon successful completion, students will have the opportunity to receive a certificate of completion for English classes and/or a FAA Aircraft Dispatcher Certificate.

Northern Kentucky University’s Aviation English course uses authentic material to improve reading, writing, speaking and listening skills to prepare students to work in an English- language environment. Small class sizes allow for flexibility and individualization to respond to student’s particular needs. Emphasis throughout the course is placed on developing the following:

  • General English- language communication skills
  • Understanding and communication for general and specialized aviation functions
  • Oral proficiency skills for routine and unusual aircraft emergencies
  • Routine phraseologies, terminology, and vocabulary

All English instructors have special academic preparation in teaching English as an additional language and have successfully completed FAA instructor training.

Airline Ground School’s (AGS) FAA- approved classes are thirteen weeks in length and are designed so that you may complete the required 208 hours of training on Saturdays and Sundays. Following training, you are required to sit for a FAA final exam consisting of an oral/practical flight plan exercise. Course subjects include:

  • Practical Dispatching
  • Air Routes & Airports
  • Aeronautical Information Manual
  • Federal Aviation Regulations
  • Operations Specifications
  • Emergency Procedures
  • Crew Resource Management

All classes will be held on Northern Kentucky University’s campus, allowing students to interact with Americans in daily life in the residence halls and in student organizations. The campus is located in Highland Heights, KY just 11 kilometers south of Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati is a major U.S. city that has more than one million people in the city and surrounding suburbs, an international airport, and has one of the highest ratios of Fortune 500 companies per capita of any city in the United States, including Proctor & Gamble, Convergys and GE Aviation.