Students Can Now Receive A UAV Associates Degree

Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, WA has received accreditation for its UAS program from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The accreditation means that students can receive an Associates Degree of Applied Sciences in the program beginning in January.

The Columbia Basin Herald reports that the college was notified of the accreditation last week. It also means students can qualify to receive financial aid for their classes, according to program director Pat Ford.

The BBCC program uses both fixed-wing and rotary UAVs, and teaches system programming and troubleshooting along with flight operations.

According to the school's course catalog, the curriculum includes an introduction to UAS, Part 107 Commercial Remote Pilot training, ground school, flight training, mission planning, laws and policies, and other topics.

Ford said that the field is wide open, and at least one retiree has enrolled. The coursework is designed so that it will be attractive to a wide range of students, from those working towards engineering degrees to people retraining for new careers.

FMI: Original Report