Southeast drone program to start this fall

Remember when microwaves, treadmills and flying objects were mere figments of the imagination found on "The Jetsons"? Add drones to the list of amazing inventions, and you have the latest science fiction-turned-Bachelor of Science degree at Southeast Missouri State University. Yes, students may major in drones now.

Embracing progress, beginning in the fall, Southeast will expand its curriculum and offer classes and degrees in various technology fields that will appeal to those in the thick of modernity. It will offer degrees in drones, technically called unmanned aircraft systems, as well as "industrial distribution and industrial and systems engineering, and geographic-information systems," as reported by the Southeast Missourian's Tyler Graef.

It takes a while for the world to catch up with technology, said Brad Deken, who is the chairman of Southeast's Department of Polytechnic Studies and also helped create the drone curriculum. No doubt, that's true, but Southeast has not done bad at all. Rolling out a drone curriculum when many have never held one and some don't even know what one does is a big deal.

The university will be the sole Missouri school offering a bachelor's degree in this field.

Deken said the program aims to take "interesting tools that are just a toy in some people's minds and [get] good, practical use out of them."

Part of that practical use is making money. Let's face it: As much as we tell young people contemplating college to consider their passion rather than their pocketbooks, it's easier to be passionate about something that pays well! John Kraemer, biology and environmental science teacher at Southeast, expects students taking advantage of this degree to, as they say, "get paid." Kraemer, who assisted in developing the geographic-information science program, stated, "I think the national market for these folks is going to be huge, and they should make a pretty good salary after they get out of school."

"Students will learn application techniques as well as coding to use or edit software." The curriculum delves into computer language, environment, biology, even crime statistics.

Already, students are registering for the drone program, and if it's anything like the cybersecurity program that began five years ago, it will do well; that program just won its fifth consecutive state championship. We have no reason to expect anything less than success from this curriculum expansion also.

Growing times are exciting times. We look forward to seeing how the drone addition takes off.