The university offers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs in arts, sciences, aviation, business, and engineering.

Embry–Riddle began in 1925 as the Embry–Riddle Company, an aircraft dealer and airmail provider, founded by Talton Higbee Embry and John Paul Riddle in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Over time, the flight school expanded beyond pilot training, providing specialized courses in a number of aeronautical sciences; this was eventually recognized with the 1965 name change to Embry–Riddle Aeronautical Institute, coincident with moving operations to Daytona Beach, Florida.

Built adjacent to the Daytona Beach International Airport, the campus has easy access for flight training.

The university owns 140 acres (0.57 km2) directly south of the main campus that is developed into a research park.

The cornerstone building, the John Mica Engineering and Aerospace Innovation Complex (MicaPlex) was opened in May 2017.

[4] An upper classman residence, the Chanute Complex, is approximately two miles south of the main campus.

[6] There various software titles available to faculty and students in two computer labs within the Lehman Building, including CATIA, Nastran, Pro/ENGINEER, and Matlab.

The College of Aviation building provides a conducive learning environment for those in the aeronautical sciences as well as the air traffic, meteorology, safety, homeland security and dispatch programs.

It houses flight dispatch, safety, records, scheduling, chief pilot's, team leaders, ip offices, oral and debrief rooms, and a classroom.

It stands out from the rest of the campus because of its tower that houses the flight supervisors office and an interior observation deck.

The full-motion McDonnell Douglas MD-90 simulator was recently sold and removed from the west sim bay.

The 140,000-square-foot College of Arts & Sciences building is a diverse learning community comprising five academic departments — Human Factors & Behavioral Neurobiology, Humanities & Communication, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Security Studies & International Affairs.

[citation needed] The JRHML has been demolished to make space for the new four-floor Student Union, which features a new library on the top two floors.

Willie Miller Instructional Center contains classrooms and an auditorium for large lectures, presentations or performances.

[9] Doolittle it is a three-story residence hall typical of traditional university housing and is designated for first-year students.

It also has offices for the Student Government Association, Touch-N-Go Productions (campus entertainment), Greek life, The Avion Newspaper and The WIKD 102.5 FM.

[12] Other student facilities include the 5,300-square-foot (490 m2) Interfaith Chapel, ICI Center gym, and intramural sports fields.

Aeronautical science (flight training) and aerospace engineering are the two most popular degrees at the Daytona Beach campus.

[28] Aviation interests characterize most of the student body, though particularly among the aerospace engineering and aeronautical science majors.

Embry–Riddle's student-athletes have also proven to be very successful in the classroom, as evidenced by the 321 NAIA scholar-athletes and 80 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans since 1990.