Drone Technology Certificate

Quest Innovation Fair 2022 (Ron Essex Photography)

Career Opportunities

The goal of the program is to offer low-cost and experiential based training for individuals who represent a wide range of industry interests. Given that drone technology is cost prohibitive, and FAA requires certification for commercial use, this program would provide an equitable alternative to other fee-based instruction.

The objective of the program is to prepare students to successful pass the FAA certification exam and train students in real life scenarios that reflect industry trends and applications that our existing academic programs represent.

(Photo by Kseniya Bulavko 2022)

Certificate of Completion (Noncredit CDCP)

Drone Photography, Mapping, and Piloting

A Certificate of Completion is a noncredit certificate intended for students who do not need credit for transfer but who wish to obtain the knowledge and preparation of skills needed for entry level positions in the workforce or obtain short-term vocational skills needed for immediate employment.

Students will earn a Certificate of Completion when they complete the following three courses:

• NAVI 201 Orientation to Drones and Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS)                27 hours
• NAVI 202 Drone Aerial Survey, Photography and Videography                                     27 hours
• NAVI 203 FAA Remote Pilot Certificate Exam Preparation                                               27 hours

Total hours: 81

COURSE DETAILS

NAVI 201 - Orientation to Drones and Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS)

This is a four-week course designed for students who are seeking an opportunity to gain experience using a UAV. It will benefit a range of experience levels since it has a structured content and varying degrees of difficulty. It will have both a lecture and a lab component with the lecture content delivered online via the Canvas interface. There will be three lab session that will give students hands-on training in five-hour Saturday blocks. This short term and hybrid format will minimize mid-week scheduling conflicts and allow flexibility for full-time workers.

Lecture Hours 12

Lab Hours: 15 (Four Saturday sessions, each 4 hours in length)

Letter or P/NP

NAVI 202 - Drone Aerial Survey, Photography and Videography

This course is an introduction to using drones to capture and process a wide array of remote sensing data and digital imagery. It will cover pre-flight planning, in-flight chorography, and post processing stages. An emphasis is developing post-processing skills for commercial applications with exposure to the craft of report writing, cartography, and desktop stills/video editing. This is a creative starting point to using drones in multiple disciplines and careers.

Lecture Hours 12

Lab Hours: 15 (Four Saturday sessions, each 4 hours in length)

Letter or P/NP

NAVI 203 - FAA Remote Pilot Certificate Exam Preparation

This course prepares students to pass the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate exam. It will focus on the main sections of the exam including: the basic flight operations, the legal and ethical frameworks, safety considerations, airspace classification, operating requirements, flight restrictions and the effects of weather on a Drone's Performance.

Lecture Hours 12 (Online)

Letter or P/NP

SHORT TERM

These courses are 4-weeks in length.

• NAVI 201/202 are HYBRID with an online lecture (12 hours) and in-person lab (15 hours) component that would be taught in three five-hour Saturday sessions.
• NAVI 203 is completely online.