College Offers State Higher Ed System’s First Drone Program

Look, up in the sky. Is it a bird? A plane? Nope, but it could be your next career move.

We’re talking about drones, and now you can earn a certificate to fly one by enrolling in Salt Lake Community College’s new drone program. SLCC’s path toward earning a certificate of proficiency to become a commercial drone pilot is the first of its kind within the Utah System of Higher Education. SLCC instructor and geosciences coordinator Adam Dastrup is credited with starting the program.

“I want people from all around to be able to take these core drone courses we have created that teach them how to fly and get FAA certified,” Dastrup says. “If you’re making any money off of drones working for a company or a nonprofit, you have to be licensed as a commercial pilot by the FAA.”

Adam Dastrup.

The college began offering the program in 2019. Courses include Digital Imaging with Drones, Fundamentals of Drones and Photogrammetry. Dastrup points out that drone technology is a new and quickly growing industry that has multiple interdisciplinary career opportunities for students. Some four-year institutions, he adds, have drone resources but that they are typically reserved for grad students to study subjects like glaciers and climate change. SLCC’s program is directly related to career and technical education.

Students at SLCC can learn about how to use drones for photography, videography, making commercials, photojournalism, criminal justice, environmental science and disaster response, such as monitoring wildfires. With photography and videography alone, Dastrup says students will learn about composition, lighting, the “rule of thirds” and all things that apply to creating great videos and still images. His goal is to work with departments across the college to incorporate drone technology in as many relevant programs as possible.

The certificate of proficiency is designed to be a one-year program, with 23 credits required for completion. The program’s official name in the college's catalog is Small Unmanned Aerial Systems. More information can be found here.

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