The minor offers two options for students.  

Students completing option 1 of the minor will take classes for Pilot Ground School and Flight Training leading up to a solo flight. In addition, students will study aspects of aviation from systems engineering of air traffic control, design of airports, human factors and psychology, and financial planning and management. Students will be trained for required government licensing exams such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Knowledge Test and FAA Flight tests. Special fees to cover flight training costs will apply. Students are responsible for meeting all eligibility requirements.

Students completing option 2 of the minor will take classes that prepares them for the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification exam, focusing on key knowledge areas such as FAA regulations (general operating rules, remote pilot certification, waivers, remote identification), airspace classification and operational requirements (controlled and uncontrolled airspace, restrictions, compliance standards), weather and performance considerations (meteorological sources, weather effects on sUAS, flight performance related to weight and balance), operational procedures (radio communication, airport operations, emergency protocols, aeronautical decision-making, physiological factors affecting remote pilots), and maintenance and inspection procedures to ensure pre-flight and post-flight safety protocols. In addition, students will study aspects of aviation from systems engineering of air traffic control, design of airports, human factors and psychology, and financial planning and management. 

Policies

Eight credits of coursework must be unique to the minor and students must complete all coursework with a minimum GPA of 2.00. For policies governing all minors, see AP.5.3.4 Minors.

Banner Code: AVIM

Minor Requirements

Total credits: 15

Required SEOR Courses

Option 1: Private Pilot License12
SYST 460
Introduction to Air Traffic Control
SYST 461
Air Transportation System Engineering
SYST 462
Flight Training Lab I (Lab fees to cover flight training costs apply) 1
SYST 463
Flight Training Lab II (Lab fees to cover flight training costs apply) 1
Option 2: Drone Pilot License9
SYST 460
Introduction to Air Traffic Control
SYST 461
Air Transportation System Engineering
SYST 464
Commercial Drone Pilot Training (Lab fees to cover drone simulation training costs apply)
1

To be eligible, students must have passed a mandatory FAA Medical Exam and the security background check. This course cannot provide testing accommodations under an Individualized Education Program (IEP). 

Additional Courses

For option 1, select one course from the following. For option 2, select 2 courses from the following. The minor requires 15 credits in total.3-6
SYST 370
Systems Project Management 2
or SYST 371
 Systems Engineering Management
SYST 420
Network Analysis
SYST 440
Digital Twin for Systems and Industrial Engineering
SYST 468
Applied Predictive Analytics
SYST 469
Human Computer Interaction 3
or SYST 470
 Human Factors Engineering
PSYC 317
Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 333
Psychology in the Workplace (Mason Core)
HIST 378
History of Aviation (Mason Core)
MIS 303
Introduction to Business Information Systems (Mason Core)
MBUS 305
Introduction to International Business (Mason Core)
ECON 471
Airline Economics
ME 475
Aeronautics I
ME 476
Aeronautics II
ME 477
Aircraft Propulsion
Total Credits3-6
2

Credit cannot be received for both SYST 370 and SYST 371.

3

Credit cannot be received for both SYST 469 and SYST 470.

Prerequisites

Some of the courses listed above have additional prerequisites. Students should pay careful attention to prerequisites when selecting courses.