Drone Technology

This program will prepare students to become remote pilots or entrepreneurs in fields that currently deploy Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in their operations. These fields include environmental science and management, real estate, journalism, search and rescue, agriculture, disaster response and management, and cultural resource management among others. This program will provide students with skills in UAS operations as well as the knowledge necessary to plan, create, and develop a UAS based business. Students interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or Management can also take advantage of the articulation agreements and transfer pathways jointly developed by Palomar College and National University faculty members.

Required Courses Year 1: 2018-2019 Year 2: 2019-2020 Course Number Course Title Annual # Sections Annual Enrollment Total Annual # Sections Annual Enrollment Total BMGT 153 Small Business Entrepreneurship 2 84 2 84 GEOG 110 Meteorology: Weather and Climate 2 64 2 64 GEOG 120 Digital Earth: An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 6 180 6 180 GEOG 140 Introduction to Remote Sensing 1 30 1 30 GEOG/GCIP/GEOL 158 Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Procedures and Regulations (new course under development) 2 84 2 84 GCIP 168 Digital Imaging with Drones I 6 120 6 120 GCIP 268 Digital Imaging with Drones II 2 48 2 48 CE 100 Cooperative Education 1 30 1 30 Projected Students/Annual Completers Year 1: 2020-2021 Year 2: 2021-2022 Course Number Course Title Annual # Sections Annual Enrollment Total Annual # Sections Annual Enrollment Total BMGT 153 Small Business Entrepreneurship 2 84 2 84 GEOG 110 Meteorology: Weather and Climate 2 64 2 64 GEOG 120 Digital Earth: An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 6 180 6 180 GEOG 140 Introduction to Remote Sensing 1 30 1 30 GEOG/GCIP/GEOL 158 Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Procedures and Regulations 2 84 2 84 GCIP 168 Digital Imaging with Drones I 6 120 6 120 GCIP 268 Digital Imaging with Drones II 2 48 2 48 CE 100 Cooperative Education 2 60 2 60 Enrollment Justification is based on historical completion rates by academic year according to the Palomar College Institutional Research and Planning Office. Given that the occupations associated with UAS are expected to experience growth in the range of 6.7% to 46.7% for the San Diego region (see previous section), we believe that this is a strong program with plenty of room for growth.

The Drone Technology program provides students with skills to gain employment or launch entrepreneurial endeavors in fields that employ images and videos collected with Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or Drones. The Drone Technology degree covers the theories and techniques necessary in the responsible gathering, processing, dissemination, and integration of UAS data. Students enrolled in the program will be prepared to take the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Small Unmanned Aircraft Regulations (Part 107) aeronautical knowledge test for commercial operation of drones. The program prepares students for entry level positions such as aerial photographer and videographer, mapping technician, and precision agricultural science technician. Since UAS has broad applications in a number of fields, the positions listed above are only a small sample of the career pathways that graduates will qualify for. In particular, the occupations listed are based on the leading industries within California that have applied for commercial UAS exemption with the Federal Aviation Administration according to the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (http://www.auvsi.org/advocacy/exemptions70). The associate’s degree program focuses on: i. Understanding federal, state, and local regulations governing safe and responsible operation, licensing and registration requirements, and privacy concerns. ii. Describing the functions and limitations of various UAS hardware components (e.g. battery, gimbal, GPS module, flight controller, frame, sensor), and identifying the appropriate components for particular applications. iii. Designing, implementing, evaluating, revising, and communicating manual and automated flight plans to meet different client requirements. iv. Demonstrating the ability to apply, communicate, and implement crew resource management principles and risk mitigation strategies. v. Analyzing technical problems within the UAS and identifying appropriate solutions. vi. Processing and disseminating data gathered from UAS using a variety of third party software packages. vii. Understanding the social, economic, and legal implications of UAS on individuals, organizations, and society. viii. Evaluating the financial, marketing, legal, human resource, operations, and general management skills that are essential to successfully launch and operate a successful new venture; ix. Identifying and evaluating approaches of entering an entrepreneurship venture – including but not limited to starting a new venture, buying an existing business, or becoming a franchisee. x. Students will have a base of applied knowledge to transfer in to a bachelor degree program in Business.

Required Courses BMGT 153* Small Business Entrepreneurship 3 GEOG 110 Meteorology: Weather and Climate 3 GEOG 120 Digital Earth: An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 4 GEOG 140 Introduction to Remote Sensing 1 GEOG/GCIP/GEOL 158 Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Procedures and Regulations 1 GCIP 168 Digital Imaging with Drones I 3 GCIP 268 Digital Imaging with Drones II 3 CE 100 Cooperative Education 1 - 4 Select two courses: ENGR 126 Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering 4 GCMW 165 Digital Video Design 3 GCMW 197A Topics in Internet 1 – 5 GCMW 205 Digital Video for Multimedia 3 GEOG 197 Geography Topics 1 - 4 BUS 152 Social Media for Business 3 Total Units 21 - 31