sUAS (Drones) Field Technician

This program prepares students for a career as a small-unmanned aircraft systems technician. Upon successful completion of the program students will demonstrate basic proficiency in the area of small UAS operations, general maintenance and repair, the use of a small UAS for the collection of and pre and post-processing of aerial images and videos, and geospatial data collection.

Students are required to sit for, and pass a federal aviation administration aeronautical knowledge examination. Passing the examination leads to the earning of The Federal Aviation Administration’s Remote Pilot Certificate with a Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Rating. The RPC grants the holder the rights and privileges to safely operate for commercial purposes for less than 55 lbs. drone in the National Airspace System. This program requires off campus fieldtrips and fieldwork. Students are required to develop a portfolio containing examples of completed projects and selected examples of coursework.

Upon completion of this program students will be able to:

• Earn a Federal Aviation Remote Pilot Certificate with a Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Rating;
• Safely execute the rights and privileges of a remote pilot in command of a less than 55 pound small unmanned aircraft system;
• Safely maintain and repair a small unmanned aircraft system;
• Perform safety inspections and explain the benefits of recordkeeping;
• Effectively support the collection of various types of data and process that data into actionable intelligence.

For additional information, please contact faculty advisor, Anthony Esposito, or department chair, Dr. Otto Hernandez.

Degree Requirements

 (SUAS) EFFECTIVE   FALL 2022

Recommended Sequence of classes

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1801014.