Drone Piloting (and Data Analysis) Graduate Certificate

With a current shortage of professional Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS) pilots, market research indicates a projected global growth of over 50% in demand for UAS services by 2027.

The 9-credit graduate certificate provides a comprehensive curriculum designed to prepare students for a wide range of application areas, including infrastructure inspection, traffic flow analysis, energy loss analysis in buildings, emergency response, natural resource assessment and management, agriculture management, and more.

Successful completion of the Graduate Certificate in Unoccupied Aerial Systems Piloting prepares students to sit for the initial aeronautical knowledge test, Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG), required for FAA Remote Pilot Certification.

• FAA Piloting License Preparation (ECO/GEO/CEE 650, 1 credit, online)
• Piloting UAS (ECO/GEO/CEE 651, 2 credits, in person available at both UMass Amherst and Mt Ida)
• Safety Management for UAS (ECO/GEO/CEE 652, 3 credits, online)
• Applications in UAS – a capstone course where students design and fly their own mission (ECO/GEO/CEE 653, 3 credits, in person, offered at both UMass Amherst and Mt Ida).

• The underlying science and physics around UAS flight.
• Public policies, regulations and ethical considerations that are required to operate UAS properly and needed to  successfully test for a remote pilot license.
• The skills to operate and safely control a vehicle at launch, flight and landing.
• The human factors critical for safe flying.
• How to identify and mitigate risk.
• How to develop a comprehensive organizational UAS safety management system for themselves and/or their organization.
• The processing of acquired true-color (RGB) imagery via photogrammetry to produce ortho mosaic imagery, digital surface models, and 3D models for use in management decision-making.