Cougarflight: an associate degree program to train uncrewed aircraft systems pilots

Redlands Community College received a $450,000 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) awarded on October 1, 2025, with completion targeted for September 30, 2028. The CougarFlight project develops a comprehensive Associate degree program in Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) pilot training to address the critical workforce shortage in commercial drone operations. The program delivers approximately 30 credit hours of specialized UAS coursework integrated with general education requirements, leveraging industry partnerships and industry-standard hardware and software to produce workforce-ready pilots certified to FAA standards. Key deliverables include curriculum development in UAS operations and autonomous aircraft systems, faculty professional development, and acquisition and training in industry-standard equipment.

The project addresses a documented market opportunity, with the commercial drone market projected to exceed $44 billion by 2027 and commercial drone registrations exceeding 850,000 units as of late 2023. The program's four primary objectives encompass addressing the need for licensed UAS pilots, expanding curricular offerings, providing faculty professional development, and implementing industry-standard hardware and software training. Through structured evaluation activities throughout the project timeline, Redlands Community College will demonstrate program quality while contributing to workforce development and establishing drones as operational tools rather than consumer products in the Central Oklahoma region.

Abstract

According to the FAA, the number of commercial drones in the US grew from 42,000 units to almost 400,000 in 2023, and in late 2023 over 850,000 drones had been registered. Forecasts suggest an increase of over $44B in the commercial drone market by 2027. As a result, the need for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) pilots has been significantly increasing across a variety of industries as drone use is becoming mainstream. The goal of this project is to develop a degree program in UAS that will provide the academic and technical skills necessary for students to become certified UAS pilots. The program will leverage industry partnerships, integrate critical skillsets, knowledge, and proficiency with industry-standard hardware resulting in the production of students capable of addressing a critical workforce need in the central oklahoma region. The project will focus on four major objectives: 1) addressing need for licensed/certified UAS pilots; 2) expanding curricular offerings to include a full degree program in uncrewed and autonomous aircraft systems; 3) providing professional development to program faculty; and 4) acquisition and training in the use of industry-standards hardware and software applications. The project will provide workforce-ready employees, provide a perception shift from drones as a toy to drones as a tool, and contribute to efficiency and sustainability efforts. Key deliverables will include approximately 30 credit hours of course content in the major domain to be coupled with more traditional general education requirements. Evaluation activities conducted throughout the life of the project will ensure the quality of the program and will lead to a better understanding of how to achieve the desired outcomes of the project. This project is funded by the advanced technological education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.