Academy College

08/28/2026

September is the month to stop thinking about building new skills and start doing it.

Academy College’s Learning Institute offers short, career-focused programs designed for busy adults. Whether you want to strengthen your professional skills, explore a new career direction, or learn how to operate drones professionally, you can move forward without committing to a traditional degree program.

Located in Bloomington and easily accessible from across the Twin Cities, the Learning Institute offers focused courses, flexible options, and bundled programs that help you build practical skills faster.

Here’s what’s coming up in September:

📅 SEPTEMBER 1–15
Apply to Academy College and we’ll waive the $40 application fee.

💻 SEPTEMBER 2 | 1:00–2:00 PM
Virtual Info Session: Drone Certification Program
Learn about this new program and the growing professional opportunities for certified drone operators.

💻 SEPTEMBER 9 | 1:00–2:00 PM
Virtual Info Session: The Learning Institute
Explore our fast-track programs, course bundles, and flexible options for working adults.

✈️ SEPTEMBER 11 | 3:00–4:30 PM
Aviation Open House at Thunderbird Aviation’s Flying Cloud location.

🎓 SEPTEMBER 18 | 3:00–4:30 PM
Dispatch, Business and Accounting Open House at Academy College.

👩‍✈️ SEPTEMBER 19
Visit Academy College at Girls in Aviation Day!

Fall quarter begins October 6. If you’ve been thinking about learning something new or taking the next step in your career, now is the time to explore your options.

Learn more about the Learning Institute:
https://www.academycollege.edu/programs/fast-track-programs/the-learning-institute/

Launch your career with flexible aviation, business, and certificate programs backed by personal support and real-world career outcomes.

08/26/2026

She committed to just 10 lessons.

Not to becoming an airline pilot.
Not to spending years in flight school.
Just 10 lessons to see if flying was really for her.

That decision changed everything.

Katelynn began her aviation journey while earning her degree through Academy College. She put in the work, kept showing up, and this summer she took the next big step—starting her career with the airlines.

Her story proves that you don’t need to have your entire future figured out. Sometimes you just need to take the first step.

Academy College’s Fall Quarter begins October 6—and if you’ve been thinking about a new career, now is the time to explore your options.

Choose from career-focused degree and certificate programs in aviation, business, accounting, aircraft dispatch, and more. Not ready to commit to a full degree? The Learning Institute lets you begin with one focused course, build practical skills, and stack eligible credits toward a future degree.

Start with one conversation. One course. One decision.

You never know where it might take you.

Congratulations, Katelynn. We can’t wait to see where your career takes you next. ✈️

Explore Academy College Aviation:
https://www.academycollege.edu/programs/aviation-programs/commercial-pilot-training/

Explore the Learning Institute:
https://www.academycollege.edu/programs/fast-track-programs/the-learning-institute/

08/25/2026

At Academy College, we believe in a simple mentality: get it done. ✈️

That means setting a goal, putting in the work and continuing to move forward—one flight, one lesson and one milestone at a time.

Academy College student Dennis P. did exactly that and is now officially a Private Pilot! 🧑‍✈️ Congratulations, Dennis!

With beautiful weather for his checkride, Dennis completed an important step in his aviation journey. Next up: earning his Instrument Rating as he continues his program and flight training at Thunderbird Aviation. ☁️

Ready to stop dreaming about becoming a pilot and start working toward it? Bring your get-it-done mentality—we’ll help you build the skills to take flight.

Learn more at https://www.academycollege.edu/programs/aviation-programs/commercial-pilot-training/

08/24/2026

✈️ Tomorrow Night: Meet the Fleet

Thinking about becoming a pilot? Tomorrow is your chance to get out from behind the screen and see what flight training actually looks like.

Join Academy College and Thunderbird Aviation for Meet the Fleet at Flying Cloud Airport.

📅 Tuesday, August 25
⏰ 6:00–7:00 PM
📍 Thunderbird Aviation — Flying Cloud Airport

Get up close to the aircraft, meet instructors and the Academy College team, ask questions about flight training, and learn how the aviation program combines academics with hands-on flying.

Whether you’re exploring your first career or seriously considering a career change, this is an easy way to see if the cockpit feels like the right next step.

Don’t just think about becoming a pilot. Come see where it starts.

08/21/2026

Meet Austin: Keeping Future Pilots on Course ✈️

Learning to fly takes more than aircraft and flight hours. It takes a team that helps keep you moving forward.

Meet Austin, Flight Training Coordinator and Flight Instructor at Thunderbird Aviation.

Austin helps students stay on track, coordinate their flight training, answer questions, and keep making progress toward their goals. And he knows the Academy College journey firsthand — he’s an Academy graduate who now helps the next generation of pilots earn their wings.

At Academy College and Thunderbird Aviation, you’re not navigating flight training alone. From your first lessons through your checkrides, there are people here who know your goals and want to see you succeed.

Thinking about becoming a pilot? Come meet the team in person.

✈️ MEET THE FLEET
Tuesday, August 25 | 6:00–7:00 PM
Thunderbird Aviation — Flying Cloud Airport

Get close to the aircraft, meet instructors and the Academy College team, ask questions, and see what flight training is really like.

And if you’re exploring other career paths, join us TODAY, Friday, August 21 from 3:00–4:30 PM for our Business Open House at Academy College in Bloomington.

📍 Flight training at Flying Cloud & Crystal Airports
🎓 Career-focused aviation programs through Academy College
✈️ Learn more: https://www.academycollege.edu/programs/aviation-programs/

08/19/2026

TWO EVENTS. TWO CAREER PATHS. ONE WEEK TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Maybe you’ve been thinking about a career change.

Maybe aviation has always been in the back of your mind.

Maybe you’re ready to build business skills that can actually move your career forward.

Whatever brought you here, don’t wait for the perfect time. Come see what your next step could actually look like.

📍 BUSINESS OPEN HOUSE
Friday, August 21 | 3:00–4:30 PM
Academy College — Bloomington

Explore career-focused programs in business, accounting, and dispatch. Tour the campus, meet the people who will help you succeed, ask questions, and see how Academy College is built to work for adult learners with jobs, families, and real lives already in motion.

✈️ MEET THE FLEET
Tuesday, August 25 | 6:00–7:00 PM
Thunderbird Aviation — Flying Cloud Airport

Get out on the flight line. See the aircraft up close. Meet the aviation team. And learn how Academy College and Thunderbird Aviation can help you turn the idea of becoming a pilot into an actual plan.

Office or cockpit. Business or aviation.

You don’t have to have everything figured out.

You just have to take the first step.

⏰ Both events are coming up fast and space is limited. RSVP now.

https://www.academycollege.edu/

Launch your career with flexible aviation, business, and certificate programs backed by personal support and real-world career outcomes.

08/18/2026

Twin Cities professionals: you don’t have to put your life on hold to build new skills.

The Learning Institute at Academy College is designed for adults who want to keep moving forward while balancing work, family, and everything else already on the calendar.

Our Bloomington campus gives students an easy, convenient place to learn without committing to a traditional four-year college experience.

Come in, build skills you can actually use, and get back to your life.

Choose individual courses in areas like:

📈 Marketing
💼 Business Strategy
⚖️ Business Law

Or combine them into bundles to build a broader professional skill set.

And now there’s something completely new:

✈️ Drone Operations Certificate

Our new 12-week program introduces students to drone operations, aviation principles, and the knowledge needed to prepare for the FAA Part 107 certification exam.

Whether you live in Bloomington, Minneapolis, St. Paul, or elsewhere around the Twin Cities, The Learning Institute gives you a practical way to:

✅ Add skills to your résumé
✅ Become more effective in your current role
✅ Explore a new career direction
✅ Learn something you’ve always wanted to understand
✅ Build your knowledge without putting the rest of your life on pause

Local. Practical. Built for working adults.

See what you can learn next at The Learning Institute at Academy College:

https://www.academycollege.edu/programs/fast-track-programs/the-learning-institute/

Explore career fields while earning certificates in key business, accounting, and aviation courses through Academy College's Learning Institute.

08/17/2026

A first solo flight is a moment every pilot remembers.

Congratulations to Academy College student Vallarie M. on reaching this exciting milestone in her flight training with Thunderbird Aviation. It represents countless hours of learning, preparation, and hard work—and an important step toward a career in aviation.

If becoming a pilot is something you’ve thought about—whether you’re beginning college or considering a career change—Academy College can help you turn that interest into a structured path forward.

Learn more about our aviation programs:
https://www.academycollege.edu/programs/aviation/

Congratulations, Vallarie. We can’t wait to see where your journey takes you next!

08/13/2026

✈️ Tomorrow could be the day you finally take the first step toward the cockpit.

If becoming a pilot has been sitting in the back of your mind—whether you’re just starting out or thinking about a complete career change—come see what the path actually looks like.

AVIATION OPEN HOUSE
📅 Tomorrow — Friday, August 14
⏰ 3:00–4:30 PM
📍 Thunderbird Aviation — Flying Cloud Airport

Come experience the aviation environment firsthand, meet the Academy College team, learn how flight training and academics work together, and get answers to the questions that are keeping you from getting started.

Academy College is built with adult learners and career changers in mind. Our team helps keep your academics and flight training moving forward so you can stay focused on the goal: becoming a professional pilot.

No need to keep wondering what it would be like.

Come put yourself in the pilot seat. ✈️

https://www.academycollege.edu/programs/aviation/

08/11/2026

You don’t always need a new job to take the next step in your career.

Sometimes you just need new skills.

The Learning Institute at Academy College gives working professionals a practical way to build skills they can bring back to their current role — without committing to a full degree program.

Fall 2026 courses include:

📈 Marketing + Growth Strategy
💼 Business Strategy
⚖️ Business Law

Learn how to think more strategically, better understand how businesses grow, and build knowledge that can help you contribute at a higher level.

Take one course or combine two or three to build a broader set of practical business skills.

If you’re ready to level up in the job you already have, this is a great place to start.

Explore Fall 2026 courses:
https://www.academycollege.edu/programs/fast-track-programs/the-learning-institute/

Explore career fields while earning certificates in key business, accounting, and aviation courses through Academy College's Learning Institute.