Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) is the world's largest and oldest university specializing in aviation and aerospace, with roots tracing to the Embry-Riddle Co. aviation school founded in 1926. Its two residential campuses — Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona — are both ranked among the top aerospace engineering programs in the United States, alongside a large online Worldwide Campus. ERAU offers dedicated aerospace engineering programs with astronautics tracks, space physics degrees, and planetary science coursework. Industry ties are among the strongest of any engineering university: SpaceX, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, and NASA collectively hire hundreds of ERAU graduates annually. The Prescott campus in Arizona is particularly active in space research given proximity to Embry-Riddle's Optical Observatory and the Flagstaff/Tucson scientific community. ERAU's MicaPlex research park at Daytona Beach provides commercial space for aerospace startups and government contractors, and the university operates the Center for Space and Defense Studies focused on national security space policy and wargaming.