UT Arlington expands unmanned vehicle systems certification program to graduate level
Coursework includes building UVS
The University of Texas at Arlington will start a new, graduate-level unmanned vehicle systems certification this fall in anticipation a growing need for engineers in that quickly emerging field.
The program expands upon an April 2014 announcement that offers an undergraduate certification in unmanned vehicle systems this fall to degree-seeking students.
Both programs are a collaboration between the College of Engineering and the UT Arlington Research Institute, which won Federal Aviation Administration approval early this year for unmanned aircraft system test flights at the Institute’s Fort Worth campus.
Engineering Dean Khosrow Behbehani said the certificate will help meet industry demand for highly educated employees in the areas of unmanned air, ground and water vehicles.
He said faculty and students already are working on these systems. He said the certifications help measure the knowledge the students gain.
“Unmanned vehicle systems have all kinds of applications. It’s not just in the military field anymore,” Behbehani said. “There is growing use of unmanned vehicle systems in the consumer delivery, photography, medical, security and transportation sectors. What we teach now in these new certification programs will help these sectors continue to develop.”
The graduate-level certification calls upon expertise from four different departments in the College of Engineering: electrical, computer science, mechanical and aerospace, and industrial manufacturing and systems. It will focus on the design and building of unmanned vehicle systems.
Brian Huff from industrial manufacturing and systems engineering, Manfred Huber from computer science and engineering, Dan Popa of electrical engineering, and Attila Dogan and Kamesh Subbarao from mechanical and aerospace engineering will teach the introductory course. But a portfolio of additional faculty from these participating departments are involved in teaching different aspects of the UVS program. Visit this website for more information.
The certification curriculum requires six hours of common coursework and nine hours chosen from a portfolio identified in each program, depending on the student’s focus area.
The UT Arlington Research Institute is part of a Texas team named by the Federal Aviation Administration as one of six major test sites for unmanned aircraft systems. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International has projected the industry will create 100,000 jobs and generate $82 billion in economic activity in the decade after the aircraft are allowed in general airspace.
UTARI secured the FAA Certificate of Authorization because it is one of the many entities on the Texas team that were tabbed by the FAA to take unmanned aerial systems research to the next level.
About UT Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research institution and the second largest institution in The University of Texas System. The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked UT Arlington as the seventh fastest-growing public research university in 2013. U.S. News & World Report ranks UT Arlington fifth in the nation for undergraduate diversity. Visit www.uta.edu to learn more. Follow #UTAdna on Twitter.
Herb Booth, hbooth@uta.edu, 817-272-7075
The University of Texas at Arlington, www.uta.edu
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