This is a ranking of the 15 Best Drone Training Colleges
in America. A Drone, also known as an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) or
an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), is an unmanned aircraft that is flown
remotely, and ranges from small personal aircrafts that can be lifted by
one person and cost a few hundred dollars, to military surveillance and
attack aircrafts that cost over $21 million, can have up to 130 foot
wingspan, and can be equipped with missiles.
Factors that were considered in the
ranking were academic reputation, hands-on drone training in
piloting/engineering, variety of courses, and accreditation. As always
at Successful Student, this ranking was considered from the student’s
point of view. The terms “Drone”, “UAV” and “UAS” are used
interchangeably.
The commercial and military impact UAV’s
will have in the coming years is very significant, creating more than
100,000 new jobs by 2025, with an economic impact of $82 billion,
according to a 2013 report by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (a
group representing 7,500 individual members and 600 corporations). The
U.S. budget for drone warfare has increased from $667 million in 2002 to
more than $3.9 billion, according to the Congressional Research Service. And the number of drones in military service has increased from 167 to nearly 7,500.
Career opportunities for students with
drone training include military drone pilot, firefighter, disaster
relief, search and rescue, law enforcement, oil and gas operations,
seismic study, border patrol, traffic reporting, storm chasing,
agriculture, package delivery, forestry, engineering, computer science,
commercial contractors, film, and other industries. Companies that hire
drone engineers and pilots include aerospace and defense companies
Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, and aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
NASA is currently working on an air traffic control system for drones,
and online retail giant Amazon is ready to deliver packages via drones.
As of June, 2016, the FAA released the guidelines
for commercial use of drones. The rules apply to drones weighing less
than 55 pounds. These rules specify operations below 400 feet (unless
within 400 feet of a structure), within the line-of-sight of the
operator, and during daylight hours and twilight (30 minutes before
sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset, with unit-collision lighting), and a
maximum groundspeed of 100 mph. The FAA requires a certificate for
operations: “A person operating a small UAS must either hold a remote
pilot airman certificate with a small UAS rating or be under the direct
supervision of a person who does hold a remote pilot certificate (remote
pilot in command).”
Colleges across America are meeting the
demand for drone training by offering certificates, bachelor’s,
master’s, and doctoral degrees on piloting, engineering, and repairing
drones.
1. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, FL)
2. Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK)
3. Indiana State University (Terre Haute, IN)
4. Kansas State University, Salina (Salina, KS)
5. University of North Dakota (Grand Forks, ND)
6. Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA)
7. Troy University (Troy, AL)
8. Lewis University (Romeoville, IL)
9. University of Louisiana at Monroe (Monroe, LA)
10. Northwestern Michigan College (Traverse City, MI)
11. University of Nevada, Reno (Reno, NV)
12. Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro, TN)
13. Unmanned Vehicle University (Phoenix, AZ)
14. Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology (Tulsa, OK)
15. SKYOP (Canandaigua, NY)
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