Bachelor of Science in
Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Embry-Riddle is one of just a few universities in the country to offer a bachelor’s degree in Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Because Embry-Riddle is the nexus of aviation education, students benefit from much more than prestige; they learn from experienced faculty who share firsthand knowledge in aviation and who are at the forefront in the developing field of unmanned aircraft. Currently, there are few UAS professionals because this field is so new. Used primarily in military, firefighting, disaster relief, and law enforcement applications, the future of this field has seemingly limitless potential.

The Bachelor of Science in Unmanned Aircraft Systems program provides graduates with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to become industry leaders in a variety of Unmanned Aircraft Systems related fields, including UAS pilots, sensor operators, mission planners and ground technicians. Students study the spectrum of the industry including hazardous operations, government regulations, surveillance, data collection, and even the engineering aspects of Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

DETAILS

About Unmanned Aircraft Systems at the Prescott, AZ Campus

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is proud to introduce our Bachelor of Science degree in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). This exciting degree, certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a UAS-Collegiate Training Initiative Program, has evolved into one of the most hands-on degree programs offered at Embry-Riddle and prepares graduates to enter a rapidly growing and changing industry. The FAA predicts that the fleet of commercial small UASs in the United States will approach 800,000 by the year 2024. Consequently, tens of thousands of UAS professionals will be needed who are capable of safely planning and executing UAS missions and effectively delivering the end products to their customers.

Focusing on commercial and civil applications, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems degree empowers graduates to meet current and future employment demands. The degree qualifies students from all nationalities as subject matter experts in data collection, retrieval, editing, display, and delivery. For example, refer to the video on this page which shows a three-dimensional model of the Hazy Library created using our UAS equipment and software. Models such as these are very useful for a variety of industries because they enable the calculation of important surveying parameters such as surface area, volume, height, width, coordinates, etc.

Through supporting course work, Unmanned Aircraft Systems majors also gain a broad understanding of business, aviation regulations, technology, meteorology, and security issues associated with the industry. All students in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems program train at our on-campus airfield and earn their FAA Remote

Pilot In-Command (RPIC) certificate. They learn to fly a variety of both fixed-wing and rotary-wing UASs and learn to use a variety of useful software suites. Moreover, the UAS program is working with several local commercial partners to enable students to obtain hands-on experience planning and executing actual UAS missions. Enroll in our Unmanned Aircraft Systems program and help shape a new and evolving industry!

The Bachelor of Science in Unmanned Aircraft Systems degree is housed in the Department of Applied Aviation Sciences in the College of Aviation.

Learn more about the Prescott, AZ Campus

B.S. in Unmanned Aircraft Systems

U.S. and foreign governments are continually releasing new rules allowing more and more commercial “drone” operations (also known as unmanned aircraft systems or UAS). These commercial drones are capable of obtaining high-resolution imagery and rich data sets for a variety of applications, from real estate surveys, utility and construction site surveys, and agricultural applications to forestry and law enforcement jobs. The UAS industry is growing extremely rapidly! Tens of thousands of UAS professionals will be needed who are capable of planning and executing UAS missions and delivering the end products to their customers.

Focusing on commercial and civil applications, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems degree empowers graduates to meet current and future employment demands. The UAS degree qualifies students as subject matter experts in UAS data collection, retrieval, editing, display, and delivery. Students also gain a broad understanding of business, aviation regulations, technology, meteorology, and security associated with the UAS industry. All students in the UAS program become trained and licensed small UAS (sUAS) operators by ERAU UAS Flight Instructors and earn their Remote Pilot In-Command (RPIC) certificate. They learn to fly a variety of both fixed-wing and rotary-wing UAS and learn to use a variety of useful software suites. The UAS program is working with several commercial partners to enable students to obtain hands-on experience planning and executing actual UAS missions and learning from the industry.

Admission Requirements

Students entering this program should have a basic background in math and physics. Students wishing to strengthen their background in math and the basic sciences before enrolling in the prescribed courses should contact the department chair or the program coordinator for guidance. We welcome students from all nationalities to join the B.S. in Unmanned Aircraft Systems degree.

Degree Requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Unmanned Aircraft Systems may be attained in eight semesters. To earn the degree, successful completion of 120 credit hours is required.

Program Mission Statement

The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) degree will provide the essential aeronautical, business, and legal knowledge and skills to obtain a successful career in the UAS industry. Graduates will be prepared for successful careers as Remote Pilots in Command (PICs), observers, payload operators, and/or operational managers of governmental and private sector UAS applications. Experience will be gained in aerial data collection, secure operations, long duration operations, highly detailed operations, and autonomous operations. Graduates will be prepared to meet current industry requirements with an emphasis on future industry developments such as Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) operations and the use of multiple small UAS at the same time.

Program Requirements

General Education (37-38 Credits)

COM 122	English Composition	3
COM 219	Speech	3
COM 221	Technical Report Writing	3
or COM 222	Business Communication
or COM 223	Intelligence Writing
CS 118	Fundamentals of Computer Programming	3
EC 200	An Economic Survey (OR Economics, Psychology, or Social Science Lower-Level Elective)	3
or EC 210	Microeconomics
or EC 211	Macroeconomics
Humanities Lower-Level Elective		3
MA 111	Pre-Calculus for Aviation	3
or MA 120	Quantitative Methods I
or MA 140	College Algebra
MA 112	Applied Calculus for Aviation	3-4
or MA 220	Quantitative Methods II
or MA 241	Calculus and Analytical Geometry I
PS 113	Introductory Physics I	3
PSY 222	Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology (OR Humanities or Social Science Lower-Level Elective)	3
PSY 326	Group and Team Behavior (OR Humanities or Social Science Upper-Level Elective)	3
or PSY 345	Training and Development
WX 201	Survey of Meteorology	3
WX 203L	Survey of Meteorology Laboratory	1
or PS 113L	Introductory Physics I Laboratory

Unmanned Aircraft Systems Core (64-66 Credits)

AS 121	Private Pilot Operations	3-5
or AS 125	Private and UAS Pilot Operations
AS 220	Unmanned Aircraft Systems	3
AS 235	Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operation and Cross-Country Data Entry	3
AS 309	Aerodynamics	3
AS 310	Aircraft Performance	3
AS 322	Operational and Industrial Aspects of UAS	3
AS 323	Crew Resource Management for UAS	3
AS 324	Global Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Regulations	3
AS 325	Dronealism and Cinematography	3
AS 403	Unmanned Sensing Systems	3
AS 405	Aviation Law	3
AS 473	UAS Flight Simulation	3
AS 475	UAS Mission Execution	3
AS 495W	Advanced UAS Videography	3
AT 200	Air Traffic Basics I	3
BA 201	Principles of Management	3
CI 310	Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance	3
GEO 210	Introduction to Geographic Information Systems	3
GEO 310	Advanced Geographic Information Systems	3
SF 210	Introduction to Aerospace Safety	3
UNIV 101	College Success	1
WX 301	Aviation Weather	3

* The UAS Capstone (AS475) is intended to be a culminating experience for the Bachelor of Science in Unmanned Aircraft Systems degree, and therefore will be the last course taken in the UAS core after completing AS 473 UAS Flight Simulation.

Specified Electives (12 Credits)

Choose a total of 4 courses from the list of courses below:

AT 305	Introduction to Terminal Radar Operations	3
AT 401	Advanced Terminal Radar Operations	3
BA 308	Public Administration	3
BA 311	Marketing	3
BA 328	Professional Consulting	3
BA 337	Entrepreneurship	3
BA 421	Small Business Management	3
SF 320	Human Factors in Aviation Safety	3
SIS 315	Studies in Global Intelligence I	3
SIS 323	Intelligence and Technology	3
SIS 420	Aviation Security and Technology	3
SIS 422	Homeland Security and Technology	3
SIS 430	Emergency Management and Contingency Planning	3
WX 270	Weather Information Systems	3
WX 364	Weather for Aircrews	3
WX 365	Satellite and Radar Weather Interpretation	3

Open Electives (4-7)

Open Electives

4-7

Total Credits

120

Unmanned Aircraft Systems - General

Freshman Year
		Credits
AS 121	Private Pilot Operations	3-5
or AS 125	Private and UAS Pilot Operations
BA 201	Principles of Management	3
COM 122	English Composition	3
CS 118	Fundamentals of Computer Programming	3
MA 111	Pre-Calculus for Aviation	3
or MA 120	Quantitative Methods I
or MA 140	College Algebra
MA 112	Applied Calculus for Aviation	3-4
or MA 220	Quantitative Methods II
or MA 241	Calculus and Analytical Geometry I
SF 210	Introduction to Aerospace Safety	3
UNIV 101	College Success	1
WX 201	Survey of Meteorology	3
WX 203L	Survey of Meteorology Laboratory	1
or PS 113L	Introductory Physics I Laboratory
	Humanities Lower-Level Elective	3
	Credits Subtotal	29.0-32.0
Sophomore Year
AS 220	Unmanned Aircraft Systems	3
AS 235	Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operation and Cross-Country Data Entry	3
AS 309	Aerodynamics	3
AT 200	Air Traffic Basics I	3
COM 219	Speech	3
COM 221	Technical Report Writing	3
or COM 222	Business Communication
or COM 223	Intelligence Writing
GEO 210	Introduction to Geographic Information Systems	3
PS 113	Introductory Physics I	3
WX 301	Aviation Weather	3
	Open Elective	3
	Credits Subtotal	30.0
Junior Year
AS 310	Aircraft Performance	3
AS 322	Operational and Industrial Aspects of UAS	3
AS 323	Crew Resource Management for UAS	3
AS 325	Dronealism and Cinematography	3
AS 403	Unmanned Sensing Systems	3
AS 405	Aviation Law	3
AS 495W	Advanced UAS Videography	3
GEO 310	Advanced Geographic Information Systems	3
PSY 222	Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology (OR Humanities or Social Science Lower-Level Elective)	3
	Specified Elective	6
	Credits Subtotal	33.0
Senior Year
AS 324	Global Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Regulations	3
AS 473	UAS Flight Simulation	3
AS 475	UAS Mission Execution	3
CI 310	Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance	3
EC 200	An Economic Survey (OR Economics, Psychology, or Social Science Lower-Level Elective)	3
or EC 210	Microeconomics
or EC 211	Macroeconomics
PSY 326	Group and Team Behavior (OR Humanities or Social Science Upper-Level Elective)	3
or PSY 345	Training and Development
	Open Electives	1-4
	Specified Electives	6
	Credits Subtotal	25.0-28.0
	Credits Total:	120

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Summary

120 Credits

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Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Prescott, AZ Campus

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