Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Uncrewed Systems Applications | Washington D.C. & Maryland Area

Earn a doctorate degree in Uncrewed Systems Applications, advance both scholarly research and your career

The Doctor of Philosophy in Uncrewed Systems Applications provides students with the opportunity to conduct extensive and sustained original research in uncrewed systems.

This degree program prepares students to take on roles as leaders, become researchers, or enter higher education as teaching professionals.Graduates will contribute significantly to their fields through the creation of new knowledge and ideas. Further, through this research-based doctorate, students engage quickly in research and publishing without the need to navigate the limitations inherent in traditional coursework models.

Students enter the program with a research idea and at least a Committee Chair. Students begin their path to success at Capitol Technology University by working with their research committee to further develop their research proposal. Under the guidance of the committee, students work independently to produce a meaningful body of original research of publishable quality. The program will equip students with knowledge of the legal, political, ethical, and social dimensions of their field of research.

Capitol Technology University has assembled a network of our nation’s top experts to educate you—the new generation of aviation and uncrewed systems planners, architects, designers, engineers, and operators. This network includes the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), a British organization dedicated to the global aerospace community and the professional development of its members. As a corporate partner of RAeS, the university is able to provide the opportunity for international networking, debate, resources, and professional development.

Why Capitol?

Expert guidance in doctoral research

The Baltimore/Washington D.C. area has one of the largest concentrations of high-tech companies, defense contractors, and government agencies in the United States, making it easier to find internships and high-paying jobs.

Learn around your busy schedule

Program is 100% online, with no on-campus classes or residencies required, allowing you the flexibility needed to balance your studies and career.

Our classes are taught by working professionals

Capitol’s faculty are working professionals in the field – subject matter experts who apply their knowledge on a daily basis and are up to speed on emerging developments.

Career Opportunities

Market demand for uncrewed systems applications

Get the advanced education needed to become a UAS program analyst, business development manager, risk manager or policy specialist.

The UAS and Maryland Accountability document reports these jobs will be in demand.

A degree that is relevant to any and every organization

Graduates will contribute significantly to their fields in uncrewed systems applications through the creation of new knowledge and ideas.

Degree Details

This program may be completed with a minimum of 60 credit hours, but may require additional credit hours, depending on the time required to complete the dissertation/publication research. Students who are not prepared to defend after completion of the 60 credits will be required to enroll in RSC-899, a one-credit, eight-week continuation course. Students are required to be continuously enrolled/registered in the RSC-899 course until they successfully complete their dissertation defense/exegesis.

The student will produce, present, and defend a doctoral dissertation after receiving the required approvals from the student’s Committee and the PhD Review Boards.

Curriculum

Doctor of Philosophy - 60 credits

TEC-800 Writing the Doctoral Proposal I	6
TEC-810 Writing the Doctoral Proposal II (Prerequisite: TEC-800)	6
TEC-820 Writing the Doctoral Proposal III (Prerequisite: TEC-810)	6
TEC-830 Writing the Doctoral Proposal IV (Prerequisite: TEC-820)	6
TEC-840 Doctoral Proposal Oral Defense (Prerequisite: TEC-830)	6
TEC-900 Doctoral Research Preparation I (Prerequisite: TEC-840)	6
TEC-910 Doctoral Research Preparation II (Prerequisite: TEC-900)	6
TEC-920 Doctoral Research Preparation III (Prerequisite: TEC-910)	6
TEC-930 Doctoral Research Preparation IV (Prerequisite: TEC-920)	6
TEC-950 Doctoral Presentation and Oral Defense (Prerequisite: TEC-930)	6

Please check with an Academic Advisor to confirm degree requirements and program electives.

Educational Objectives:
1. Prepare students to critically analyze problems in Unmanned Systems at the highest level and to identify relevant and useful information to move the field forward and support the attainment of desired outcomes.
2. Prepare students to think critically by drawing appropriate conclusions from examining the output of methodological applications in the technological environment within unmanned and autonomous systems.
3. Prepare students to conceptualize, apply and integrate effective qualitative and quantitative research strategies and to develop new information effectively.
4. Prepare students to take a leadership role in a field of unmanned systems while employing the highest levels of ethics, analytics, decision analysis, data visualization.
Learning Outcomes:

Upon graduation:
1. Graduates will be able produce comprehensive research at the highest level within unmanned systems that is of publishable quality in peer-reviewed scholarly publications of the highest level.
2. Graduates will be able to demonstrate a mastery of an area of unmanned systems research, ethics of research, the stages of the research process, conceptualization and operationalization of research questions, data collection techniques, analytics, qualitative and quantitative methods, measurement, program evaluation research, and research proposal development.
3. Graduates will be able to demonstrate and apply in-depth knowledge of the main research designs used in qualitative and quantitative research, conceptual and epistemological issues associated with qualitative and quantitative research design, and advanced qualitative research and quantitative techniques.
4. Graduates will be able to demonstrate a mastery of the understanding and ability to evaluate the possible economic, social, legal, ethical, and environmental impacts of their technological solutions within unmanned and autonomous systems.
5. Graduate will be able to demonstrate a mastery of the concepts of probability, common distributions, statistical methods, data analysis, analysis of contingency tables, generalized linear models, linking logit and log-linear methods with generalized linear model, and analysis of discrete data using SAS, R, and Python.
6. Graduates will demonstrate a mastery of data visualization techniques.

Tuition & Fees

Tuition rates are subject to change.

The following rates are in effect for the 2024-2025 academic year, beginning in Fall 2024 and continuing through Summer 2025:

The application fee is $100
The per-credit charge for doctorate courses is $950. This is the same for in-state and out-of-state students.
Retired military receive a $50 per credit hour tuition discount
Active duty military receive a $100 per credit hour tuition discount for doctorate level coursework.
Information technology fee $40 per credit hour.
High School and Community College full-time faculty and full-time staff receive a 20% discount on tuition for doctoral programs.

Find additional information for 2024-2025 doctorate tuition and fees.

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