Drone Certificate: Summer 2026 Start

This document contains information on the courses for Harper’s drone certificates (Drone Essentials Certificate and the Drone Technology and Applications Certificate) and suggested course sequences for each certificate program.

Overall Course List and Modalities Summary

The table below lists all courses and provides information on course modalities (face-to-face, blended, or online), plus the time and day of the week courses are offered.

A summary of the Drone classes available
	Course Name	Modality	Day of Week/Time*
Required
DRO 100	Drone Pilot Ground School	Online	Not applicable. Online assignments will be provided weekly.
DRO 101	Mastering Drone Flight Skills	Blended or Hybrid. Combination of in-person and online instruction	Saturday mornings. 9am to 1pm or Saturday afternoons. 2pm to 6pm
DRO 102	Drone Data Acquisition and Analysis	Blended or Hybrid. Combination of in-person and online instruction	Saturday mornings. 9am to 1pm
GIS 100	Introduction to Geospatial Technologies	Online	Not applicable. Online assignments will be provided weekly
ART 250	Fine Art Photography	Online, Blended, In-Person	1. Blended section meets Mondays F2F from 12:30pm-3:10pm 2. Online section will be a late start 8-week class
ART 251	Intermediate Photographic Art	Online, Blended, In-Person	Blended meets Wednesdays F2F from 6:00pm-8:40pm
Electives
GIS 200	Introduction to Remote Sensing	Online	Not applicable. Online assignments will be provided weekly
MCM 210	Video Editing and Video Post-Production	In-person	1. Tuesday/Thursday. 9:30am to 10:45am 2. Monday/Wednesday. 6pm to 8:30pm
MCM 212	Multi-Camera Production	In-person	1. Monday/Wednesday 12:30pm to 1:45pm

*Confirm meeting dates/time with the Program Coordinator because the actual dates/times might differ from what you see in this table.

Drone Essentials Certificate

A summary of the classes required to earn the Drone certifcate.
	Course Name	Credit Hours	Prerequisites
Required
DRO 100	Drone Pilot Ground School	1	None
DRO 101	Mastering Drone Flight Skills	3	None
DRO 102	Drone Data Acquisition and Analysis	3	“C” or better in DRO 101

Summer 2026 Start – Drone Essentials Certificate

Summer 2026
- DRO 100: Drone Pilot Ground School. 6-weeks. 100% online
Fall 2026
- DRO 101: Mastering Drone Flight Skills. Blended. Saturday morning classes at Harper and nearby sites. 6 weeks.
- DRO 102: Drone Data Acquisition and Analysis. Blended. Saturday morning classes at Harper and nearby sites. 6 weeks. Starts immediately after DRO 101

Drone Technology and Applications Certificate (16-credit hours) Classes and Prerequisites

A summary of the classes required to earn the Drone certifcate.
	Course Name	Credit Hours	Prerequisites
Required
DRO 100	Drone Pilot Ground School	1	None
DRO 101	Mastering Drone Flight Skills	3	None
DRO 102	Drone Data Acquisition and Analysis	3	“C” or better in DRO 101
ART 250	Fine Art Photography	3	None
Pick one of the two required courses below:
GIS 100	Introduction to Geospatial Technologies	3	None
ART 251	Intermediate Photographic Art	3	None
Electives (Pick One)
GIS 200	Introduction to Remote Sensing	3	“C” or better in GIS 100
MCM 210	Video Editing and Video Post-Production	3	None
MCM 212	Multi-Camera Production	3	None

Advice For Choosing Required Courses and Electives

Choosing Between GIS 100 and ART 251

If your interests require skills in mapping, data analysis, remote sensing, or GIS (Geographic information Systems) take GIS 100
If your interests require skills in photography, video editing and related software skills take ART 251

Choosing Electives

If your interests require skills in mapping, remote sensing, or GIS (Geographic information Systems) take GIS 200
If your interests require skills in video editing and related software skills take MCM 210. If your interests require skills in video production skills and the use of related software take MCM 212

Course Sequences for the Drone Technology and Applications Certificate

Summer 2026 Start – Photography and Video Applications for Drone Technology

Summer 2026 (2 courses)
- DRO 100: Drone Pilot Ground School. 8-weeks. 100% online
- ART 250: Fine Art Photography. Online (8-weeks) or Blended (16-weeks)
Fall 2025 (2 courses)
- DRO 101: Mastering Drone Flight Skills. Blended. Saturday morning classes at Harper and nearby sites. 6-weeks.
- DRO 102: Drone Data Acquisition and Analysis. Blended. Saturday morning classes at Harper and nearby sites. 6-weeks. Starts immediately after DRO 101

Spring 2027 (2 courses):
- ART 251: Intermediate Photographic Art. Blended.
- Elective (pick one):
  - MCM 210: Video Editing and Video Post-Production. Face-to-face.
  - MCM 212: Multi-Camera Production. Face-to-face.

Summer 2026 Start – Mapping and Remote Sensing Applications for Drone Technology

Summer 2026 (2 courses)
- DRO 100: Drone Pilot Ground School. 8-weeks. 100% online
- GIS 100: Introduction to Geospatial Technologies. Online (16-weeks). This class can be taken during other semesters
- ART 250: Fine Art Photography. Online (8-weeks) or Blended (16-weeks). This class can be taken during other semesters
Fall 2026 (4 courses)
- DRO 101: Mastering Drone Flight Skills. Blended. Saturday morning classes at Harper and nearby sites. 6-weeks.
- DRO 102: Drone Data Acquisition and Analysis. Blended. Saturday morning classes at Harper and nearby sites. 6-weeks. Starts immediately after DRO 101
- GIS 200: Introduction to Remote Sensing. 16-weeks. 100% online

Notes

Classes may be rescheduled to a subsequent semester due to low enrollment.
Register as early as possible for MCM 210, which is a very popular course.
Some students who only wish to study for the FAA Remote Pilot Certificate and to learn the fundamentals of flying drones elect to only take DRO 100 and DRO 101 without completing any certificate.
Students who complete the certificate with an interest in photography/videography may later take geospatial technology courses for mapping (GIS 100 and GIS 200). Students with an interest in geospatial technology courses may later take photography/videography courses (ART 251, MCM 210, and MCM 212)