Drone (UAS) Certificate | Academics

The mission of the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)-Drone Applications Certificate is to prepare students to become Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified small Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Remote Drone Pilots, who are trained to conduct safe, legal, and effective aerial flight operations within the National Airspace System. The core courses supporting this certificate are designed to instruct Remote Drone Pilots in how to fly mission driven and incident-free sorties, and effectively capture/record and post-process aerial imagery.

Locations & Learning Options

Online
Parkville
Cherry Point Campus Center

FAA Requirements for becoming a certified Drone Pilot are listed https://www.faa.gov/uas/. Students already in possession of a valid FAA Drone Remote Pilot Certification, may substitute the UAS107 course for another Park University 3cr course with permission from the Criminal Justice Department Chair or the Criminal Justice Program Coordinator.

This course curriculum requires the student own or have access to a Small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) Drone that meets or exceeds the following minimum standards:

The sUAS Drone must be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) [https://www.faa.gov/uas/] prior to any flight operations. This is a legal requirement in order to operate within the National Air Space.
The sUAS Drone must include the following safety features; object avoidance, emergency Return to Home (RTH) function, low battery/low power indicator.
The sUAS Drone must include the following operational features; display screen, battery flight time in excess of 15 minutes, gimbal enabled 12 mega pixel camera able to capture photographs and record 2K video, downloadable or transferable to external media.
The sUAS Drone must be able to perform level flight operations at less than 400 feet Above Ground Level (AGL); take-off and landing on solid or grass surfaces; maintain safe operations throughout the sortie.
The sUAS Drone must have a means of recording flight telemetry. Flight telemetry is necessary to validate the remote Pilot in Command (PIC) flight operations and progress.

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Dr. James Vanderleeuw

Department Chair and Director, HSPA, Department of Politics & Administration
Professor of Public Administration
james.vanderleeuw@park.edu

Dr. Eugene Matthews

Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
eugene.matthews@park.edu

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Park’s unmanned aerial system drone application certificate will address the need for professionally trained and licensed individuals who are versed in regulations and multidimensional skills required to successfully and safely complete aerial missions using small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) or ‘drones. This certificate will prepare students to conduct safe, legal, and effective aerial flight operations within the National Airspace System.

Featured Faculty

Dr. Matthews is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and the Program Coordinator for the Criminal Justice Department and teaches undergraduate and graduate students across a variety of course offerings.

Dr. Matthews is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 107 certified sUAS remote/drone pilot. He is also certified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as an sUAS Test Methods Proctor, has completed the NIST Basic Proficiency Evaluation for Remote Pilots (BPERP), and is a member of the FAA UAS Collegiate Training Initiative (FAA UASCTI) and the Airborne Public Safety Association (APSA).

As the Chief Pilot for CW3 Drones, LLC, Dr. Matthews has extensive experience operating sUAS drones in a variety of venues including construction progression, roof assessments, solar panel assessments, and commercial real estate photography.

drone certification

Students who successfully complete the UAS107 Commercial Drone Pilot Certification Training will be prepared to sit for the FAA Part 107 UAS Remote Pilot Certification Exam, which is the accepted certification for small UAS-Drone Commercial and Municipal Operations.

In addition to the documented hours of flight time and their digital portfolio, students will have a functional understanding of the three general sectors of current sUAS Drone operations – Public Safety, Public Service, and Commercial and Private Business Verticals.

Below is a sample of program minors which a UAS Drone Application Certificate could complement: