Drone Program and Certificates
A proud member of the FAA's UAS Collegiate Training Initiative
We offer two stackable certificates that provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary to pass the FAA's Part 107 exam and to effectively use Small Uncrewed Aerial Systems (sUAS or drones) in variety of business and public sector domains working as pilots, drone image specialists, data technicians, or remote sensing technicians.
Our certificates are: 1. Drone Essentials Certificate (7-Credit Hours). 2. Drone Technology and Applications Certificate (16-Credit Hours). Course listings are provided on this page.
Drone flight classes (GEG 161, GEG 162) are conveniently scheduled on Saturdays to accomodate typical working schedules.
Students are provided with drones and software (Pix4DMapper, ArcGIS Pro, Zephyr Drone Simulator, and Office 365) to use in the classroom. Our drones include systems from DJI, Autel Robotics, and senseFly.
Field Diversity
Drone technology is used in fields as diverse as the following:
- Agriculture
- Utilities Inspection
- Public Safety
- Search and Rescue
- Mapping and Surveying
- Insurance
- Mining
- Real Estate
- Cinematography
Program Outcomes
Upon completing this program students should be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of multi-rotor and fixed-wing sUAS
- Demonstrate a foundational understanding of photography and camera systems
- Apply sUAS operational best practices to mission planning and execution
- Demonstrate flight proficiency and the use of pre and post flight checklists
- Utilize software tools to create basic drone imagery products
- Have the requisite knowledge to take the Part 107 FAA Exam
Drone Essentials Certificate Courses:
Required (7 hours)
- GEG 160: Drone Pilot Ground School (1 credit hour)
- GEG 161: Mastering Drone Flight Skills (3 credit hour)
- GEG 162: Drone Data Acquisition and Analysis (3 credit hour)
- Drone Course Pathways (click here)
Drone Technology and Applications Certificate Courses:
Required (13 hours)
- All classes listed below, except GEG 160, are 3 credit hours
- GEG 160: Drone Pilot Ground School (1 credit hour)
- GEG 161: Mastering Drone Flight Skills
- GEG 162: Drone Data Acquisition and Analysis
- ART 250: Introduction to Photographic Art
- GEG 150: Introduction to Geospatial Technologies OR
- ART 251: Intermediate Photographic Art
- Drone Course Pathways (click here)
Electives (3 hours)
- All classes listed below are 3 credit hours
- GEG 250: Introduction to Remote Sensing
- MCM 210: Video Editing and Video Post-Production
- MCM 212: Multi-Camera Production
News and Information:
Contact
For more information contact Mukila Maitha, Associate Professor, GIS and Drone Program Coordinator, Geography Department, at mmaitha@harpercollege.edu or 847.925.6521.
In The News
Please see the links below to read more about how the drone program has taken flight here at Harper College.
- Harper News (8/22/2023) Harper receives National Science Foundation grant for expanding drone technology education
- Savvy Entrepreneur podcast with Mukila Maitha (May 5th 2022)
- Chicago Tribune (11/2/2021) - US Rep Casten tours Harper College drone program
- Harper News (8/11/2021) - Harper's drone program selected for FAA initiative
- Harper News (12/2/2020) - Harper launches new drone technology program
- Harper charts new course with drone program