Elizabeth City State University, the historically Black educational institution in North Carolina, has announced that it will be offering a new bachelor’s degree program in unmanned aerial vehicles or drones. According to the university, the new bachelor’s degree program will be the only one in the field in the University of North Carolina System and one of only four such programs in the United States east of the Mississippi River.
Vann Newkirk, provost at Elizabeth City State University, explains that “drones have a big impact. There are a lot of jobs out there.” The technology is being incorporated in a number of areas including law enforcement, agriculture, emergency management, wildlife resource management, marine science, infrastructure inspection, real estate, media, construction and geomatics.
The university already has drone training in its aviation department. But upgrading to a degree program will bring the on-campus technology up to par with current military training standards.
