Program Overview

If you want to be the specialist who can procure and use cutting-edge systems to help save lives and cut disaster losses, this Professional Certificate provides the foundational knowledge you need when working with autonomous vehicles as well as unmanned aircraft systems and real-time, line-of-sight aerial or underwater vehicles.

Taught by instructors with decades of experience in drone technology applications in combat and civilian operations, systems design, and emergency management planning, this Professional Certificate will equip analysts and operational associates with the technical and planning know-how for emergency planning.

Additionally, those who have interest in drones, be it casual or in-depth, can use this course to gain insight into the basic elements of commercial off the shelf drone systems that are used in civilian missions and to gain insight into artificial intelligence applications and the emergency management, first responder, homeland security, and intelligence fields.

What you will learn

• Learn classifications of drones (UAVs) according to technology focus and use.
• Gain an understanding of the commercial and research capabilities of drones including sensors, platforms, navigation, power source, propulsion, payloads, command, communication and control, range, altitude, speed, wide area surveillance.
• Develop a crucial systems view of drones with hardware and software including data collection, storage, and analytical requirements, and systems life cycle with needs and purpose: assessment, goals/objectives, requirements, testing and training.
• Compare US Federal government airspace policy and regulations with other nations.
• Establish expertise in risk factors and counter technologies including cyber and physical threats to drone systems and the ethical use of drones.
• Apply insights to forecasting, command and control, disaster relief operations, structural analysis, recovery, delivery of supplies, according to disaster types and hazard origin – natural, (storms, earthquakes, wildfires, etc.); etc.

Certificate you will receive

UMGC and USMx’s Drones and Autonomous Systems Professional Certificate

Job outlook

• A recent report released by a trade group, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, projected more than 100,000 new jobs in unmanned aircraft by 2025.
• Analysts at PricewaterhouseCoopers predicted last year that the global market for commercial applications of drone technology could reach $127 million by 2020.
• Use of drones is predicted to inject $13.6 billion in the U.S. economy over the next three years.
• Imaging analyst, drone forensics analyst, data analyst, drone mapping technician, aerial videographer and photographer, law enforcement officer, storm tracking researcher, wildlife protection specialist, real estate and property monitoring specialist;
• Structural inspector, environmental services specialist, tourism specialist, drone designer, drone operator, disaster recovery specialist, journalist and news reporter, sensor operator, sensor and system researcher, drone software developer, etc.