Launch Your Drone Career with Dallas College + USI
Dallas College, in partnership with the Unmanned Safety Institute (USI), offers a comprehensive drone pilot training program designed for aspiring professionals in the unmanned aviation industry. With the drone market projected to grow rapidly, this program equips students with the certifications and hands-on experience needed to succeed.
Courses are delivered in a hybrid format, combining online learning with in-person flight residencies. With over 450,000 drone pilots needed in the next decade, Dallas College prepares you to meet industry demand and lead in fields like delivery, construction, public safety, and cinematography.
Drone Technology at a Glance
8 weeks to complete1
$5,400 tuition2
- Brookhaven3
What Can I Study?
I Want to Go to Work
Can I Get a Job?
Dallas College offers a variety of certificates and degrees to help you gain the skills you need to start working right away.
- These credentials are often considered Career and Technical Education (CTE).
- These credentials are established with the assistance and cooperation of representatives from local business, to meet local and regional employment needs.
- Higher level certificates and degrees will typically lead to a higher salary in the workforce.
- Workforce (CE) Certificates can often be completed faster than traditional credit certificates but typically do not offer college credit.
- Level 1, Level 2, Enhanced Skills certificates and others, offer college credit and are often stackable to help you build skills as you work towards an Associate Degree.
- Workforce credentials may give you college credit at Dallas College, but they may not transfer to other colleges or universities.
If you're unsure if this is the right path for you, you can talk to a Pathway Specialist for advice.
Pathway Specialist
- 972-669-6400
- PathwaySpecialist@DallasCollege.edu
What Can I Earn? Will There Be Plenty of Jobs?
Completing the Drone Pilot Operations and Safety Program can open doors to various career opportunities in fields such as drone operations, aerial photography and videography, geospatial data collection, environmental monitoring, surveying, and mapping. Completers may find roles that involve operating and maintaining drones, capturing aerial imagery for creative or commercial use, and using drone technology to support planning, construction, and geographic information systems projects.
Electro-Mechanical Technicians
$34/hr
Median Salary
24
Job Openings
+14%
Projected Outlook
Top Skills:
- Operations Monitoring
- Troubleshooting
- Monitoring
- Repairing
- Quality Control Analysis
- Critical Thinking
- Operation and Control
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Reading Comprehension
- Complex Problem Solving
Remote Sensing Technicians
$23/hr
Median Salary
282
Job Openings
+16%
Projected Outlook
Top Skills:
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Mathematics
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Systems Analysis
- Writing
- Complex Problem Solving
Surveying and Mapping Technicians
$24/hr
Median Salary
248
Job Openings
+15%
Projected Outlook
Top Skills:
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Active Listening
- Complex Problem Solving
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Coordination
Television, Video, and Motion Picture Camera Operators
$27/hr
Median Salary
105
Job Openings
+20%
Projected Outlook
Top Skills:
- Active Listening
- Coordination
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Critical Thinking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Monitoring
- Time Management
- Complex Problem Solving
All jobs data gathered for Dallas/Fort Worth. Source: Dallas College Labor Market Intelligence and Lightcast4.
“I recently completed the USI Dallas College Drone Workshop and gained valuable hands-on experience in just a few days. Mr. Hill’s expertise and passion made the training especially impactful.” Read Vassil Doudov's story.
Get Started Today
Email DroneTechnology@DallasCollege.edu or complete the Drone Technology Program request form to receive information about cohort options and the enrollment process.
Find Out More About Drone Technology
Sign up to receive additional information about Drone Technology or call 972-669-6400.
School of Manufacturing and Industrial Technology
- 214-378-1560
- AskMIT@DallasCollege.edu
Dallas College
- 972-669-6400
- Text College to 214-978-6457
- StudentHelp@DallasCollege.edu
1Length of time is based on catalog degree plans. Prerequisites may be required, which are not included in this estimate. For most programs, full-time student status is assumed, a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester.
2Cost is based on tuition rates for program hours for Dallas County residents. The price of most required learning materials (books, software, supplies, etc.) is included with the price of tuition. Visit our Paying for College site to learn more about cost, financial aid, scholarships and more.
3Each location offers a unique combination of certificate and degree options. Not all degree and certificate offerings are available for admission/start at all campuses every semester.
4A portion of Lightcast’s data comes from O*NET Online by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Lightcast has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.