Drone Studies: Applied Drone Operation

The Drone Studies: Applied Drone Operation Certificate is designed to give students a well-rounded education on drone usage, along with an introduction to one of the many fields in which drones are playing a larger part.

10-15 per year

1. Safely operate common Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) (drones). 

2. Utilize drones to complete projects. 

3. Understand how drones can be used in a workplace setting. 

4. Apply sound project planning principles to drone-related projects.

The use of drones in industry is growing rapidly, and there is need for a trained workforce to fill these needs. These workers need to know the technical requirements for drone usage, how to do proper project planning, and have at least a basic understanding of the field in which they will be working. Students completing this program will learn essential workplace skills, including project planning, as well as an introduction to a specific field in which drones will continue to play a larger role. This will help open up career opportunities for the students.

6 units of required courses and 3 units of elective courses for a total of 9 units. Elective course options: ANTHRO 3 Introduction to Archaeology; BMK 50 Marketing; ESHIP 106 Venture Launch; ESHIP 101 Innovation; AJ 21 Introduction to Administration of Justice; AGRI 20 Introduction to Plant Science; ART 82 Beginning Digital Photography; CS 70.11A Adobe Photoshop 1; CS 74.22 Digital Video Postproduction; CONS 70A Introduction to Project Organization and Management; ENVS 12 Introduction to Environmental Science; FIRE 71 Fire Protection Organization; GEOL 20 Natural Disasters; GIS 40 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS); HORT 184 Introduction to Arboriculture; JOUR 1 Introduction to Journalism; MEDIA 20 Introduction to Digital Filmmaking; SURV 60 Introduction to Plane Surveying

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
CS 76.11	Commercial Drone Imaging	3.0	Y1
CS 176.12	Applied Drone Projects	3.0	Y1
Elective	various - see narrative	3.0	Y1

The Drone Studies: Commercial Drone Certificate is only one class, CS 76.11, which maps directly to the standard FAA certification for drone pilots. The Drone Studies: Applied Drone Operation Certificate builds upon the current certificate by incorporating a drone projects class and one industry-specific course. This allows students to work on projects related to the specific discipline of interest.

Neither College of Marin, Napa Valley Community College, nor Mendocino College offer a similar program.