Thursday, Aug 08, 2024 • Brian Lopez : contact

This fall, The University of Texas at Arlington will launch a new course where students can gain a license to operate commercial drones—adding another skill to their arsenal as they enter the workforce.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) selected UTA to offer the “Drones and Advanced Construction Technology” course as part of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems Collegiate Training Initiative aimed at expanding the future aviation workforce. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are more commonly referred to as drones.

“To fly a drone commercially, you need an FAA license, and we hope this course will give our students a competitive edge as they enter the job market,” said Zhe Yin, an assistant professor of instruction in the Department of Civil Engineering and the instructor for the new class. “This is also an effort to seamlessly connect our students with what industry is doing.”

The goal of the class is to see students licensed for flying commercial drones, which are much larger than those not requiring a license to operate. For the time being, only civil and architectural engineers can enroll.

Construction companies and civil engineering firms are using these drones as a much faster, safer and more cost-effective way to do construction work. However, many of these companies don’t have anyone on staff licensed to fly commercial UAS, so they must hire third-party operators.

Dr. Yin believes this incentivizes companies to instead hire graduates with a commercial drone license. Another added benefit for the employer is that the license-holder doesn’t have to be the one operating the drone—a different team member can handle the drone work under their supervision.

While students will have to complete classroom work for the course, they will also operate the drones at the Maverick Activities Center throughout the fall semester, Yin said. The curriculum will cover various aspects of UAS training required by the FAA and the knowledge areas needed for students to pass the FAA’s Part 107–Initial Aeronautical Knowledge Exam.

Passing the exam means receiving a license; additionally, upon completing a minimum of 15 hours of flying time, students will receive a Construction Drone Professional certificate by the department.

“I’m excited for this course to get underway,” Yin said. “We always strive to give our students unique opportunities that align with current trends seen in our industry.”