Drone Design and Application Concentration Program
Overview / نظرة عامة
This interdisciplinary program develops the design and build of fixed-wing and multi-rotor drones at several levels of autonomy, from remote-controlled to human-supervised, to fully autonomous. Topics include the physics of flight, fuselage design, rotor design, drone dynamics, performance and stability, control systems, guidance and navigation, mission payloads, ground control systems, and autonomous systems. Students conceive, design, fabricate (in 3D prototype), and apply drones.
This program also covers drone swarms, regulations, security, AI, and machine learning, and touches on emerging anti-drone solutions. Applications of this field are universal and have become omnipresent in most industries. The program emphasizes the applications of drones in the new digital economy by highlighting case studies of the utilization of drones in industries such as like oil and gas, logistics, environment, security, etc.
يهدف هذا التخصص إلى تطوير تصميم وبناء الطائرات بدون طيار ذات الأجنحة الثابتة والمتعددة المراوح بمستويات مختلفة من الاستقلالية، بدءًا من التحكم عن بُعد إلى الإشراف البشري وصولاً إلى التشغيل الذاتي الكامل. تشمل الموضوعات في البرنامج فيزياء الطيران، تصميم الهيكل، تصميم المراوح، ديناميكا الطائرات بدون طيار، الأداء والاستقرار، أنظمة التحكم، التوجيه والملاحة، حمولات المهام، أنظمة التحكم الأرضية، والأنظمة الذاتية. كما يقوم الطلاب بتصميم وتصنيع (نماذج أولية ثلاثية الأبعاد) وتطبيق الطائرات بدون طيار.
يتناول البرنامج أيضًا دراسة أسراب الطائرات بدون طيار، اللوائح التنظيمية، الأمن، الذكاء الاصطناعي، وتعلم الآلة، مع التركيز على الحلول الناشئة لمكافحة الطائرات بدون طيار. يتميز هذا المجال بتطبيقاته الواسعة التي أصبحت جزءًا لا يتجزأ من العديد من الصناعات. يركز البرنامج على تطبيقات الطائرات بدون طيار في الاقتصاد الرقمي الجديد، مع إبراز استخدامها في صناعات مثل النفط والغاز، والخدمات اللوجستية، والبيئة، والأمن، وغيرها.
Application for the Concentration Program
Eligibility Criteria
Requirements:
- Minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for all BSc KFUPM students.
- Students with applied major cannot enroll in concentrations.
- Students who completed (79 – 115 hours).
- Students who finished all junior-level courses of the specific majors are eligible to enroll in the concentration after completing the prerequisites.
Timeline:
- Applications open at the end of the first semester of the Junior year ( around November ) till the middle of the following semester ( around February)
- Applications are reviewed at the end of the second semester or early summer.
Hosting Department:
- Aerospace Engineering
For more information about concentration programs, visit the general information page.
To apply for the concentration program, please visit the official application page provided by the university.
Offered To:
| Major | Pre/Co-requisites | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering (ME) | MATH 208 and PHYS 102 | - |
| Electrical Engineering (EE) | MATH 208 and PHYS 102 | - |
| Control and Instrumentation Engineering (CIE) | MATH 208 and PHYS 102 | - |
| Aerospace Engineering (AE) | MATH 208 and PHYS 102 | - |
Courses in the Concentration
| Course | Course Title | Brief Description | Pre-requisites | Instructors | Average GPA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIE 483 | Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Robots | This course explores AI and ML for autonomous robotics. | Senior Standing | Dr. Khaled Alshehri, Prof. AbdulWahid AlSaif, Dr. Ali Nasir, Dr. Ramy Rashad | - | |
| CIE 482 | Path Planning and Navigation for Mobile Robot | This course covers robot motion, navigation, and UAV trajectory design. | CIE 480 or AE 449 | Dr. Mohammed Mysorewala, Dr. Muhammad Emzir | - | |
| AE 449 | Fundamentals of Unmanned Aerial Systems | This course covers UAV design, modeling, control, and applications. | MATH 208 and PHYS 102 | Dr. Ayman Abdallah, Mr. Mohammed Muqeeth, Dr. Syed Saad Azhar Ali | - | |
| AE 454 | UAS Design and Integration | This course covers UAS design, sensors, and optimization. | Senior Standing | Dr. Ayman Abdallah, Mr. Mohammed Muqeeth, Dr. Mohamed Ismail | - | - |
| Semester | Course 1 | Course 2 |
|---|---|---|
| First Semester (Fall) | CIE 483 | AE 449 |
| Second Semester (Spring) | CIE 482 | AE 454 |
Special Benefits
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Hands-on Experience:
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Industry Relevance:
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Additional Courses/ Short Courses/ Professional Certifications Taken or Obtained Through the Program:
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Expos/ Conferences/ Competitions for individuals involved in the program:
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Softwares and Applications Utilized:
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Other Benefits:
Resources
- For courses’ study materials click here
Instructors
| Photo | Name | Courses | Office Number | Telephone | Office Hours | Department | Specialization | Taqeem Post | Coordinator | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Ayman Abdallah | AE 449 & AE 454 | Building 75 Room 101 | aymanma@kfupm.edu.sa | 966-13-860 4657 | - | Aerospace Engineering | Flight Dynamics and Control | Taqeem Post |  Program Coordinator |
|
| Dr. Syed Saad Azhar Ali | AE 449 | Building 75 Room 110 | Syed.Ali@kfupm.edu.sa | 966-13-860 2390 | - | Aerospace Engineering | Control | Taqeem Post | ||
| Dr. Mohamed Ismail | AE 454 | Building 26 Room 251 | mohamed.ismail@kfupm.edu.sa | 966-13-860 5683 | - | Aerospace Engineering | Flight Control | Taqeem Post | ||
| Mr. Mohammed Abdul Muqeeth | AE 449 & AE 454 | Building 75 Room 126-1 | muqeeth.abdul@kfupm.edu.sa | 966-13-860 2726 | - | Aerospace Engineering | Drones & Autonomous Systems | Taqeem Post | ||
| Prof. AbdulWahid AlSaif | CIE 483 | Building 22 Room 437 | awsaif@kfupm.edu.sa | 966-13-860 2407 | - | Control and Instrumentation Engineering | Robust Control | Taqeem Post | ||
| Dr. Muhammad Faizan Mysorewala | CIE 482 | Building 22 Room 425 | mysorewala@kfupm.edu.sa | 966-13-860 7786 | - | Control and Instrumentation Engineering | Mobile Robotics | Taqeem Post | ||
| Dr. Muhammad Emzir | CIE 482 | Building 22 Room 226 | muhammad.emzir@kfupm.edu.sa | 966-13-860 1079 | - | Control and Instrumentation Engineering | Quantum Filtering and Control | Taqeem Post | ||
| Dr. Ali Nasir | CIE 483 | Building 22 Room 239 | ali.nasir@kfupm.edu.sa | 966-13-860 7876 | - | Control and Instrumentation Engineering | Nonlinear Control & Estimation | Taqeem Post | ||
| Dr. Ramy Rashad | CIE 483 | Building 23 Room 058 | ramy.rashad@kfupm.edu.sa | 966-13-860 5847 | - | Control and Instrumentation Engineering | Mechatronics Engineering | Taqeem Post | ||
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Dr. Khaled AlShehri | CIE 483 | - | - | - | - | Control and Instrumentation Engineering | AI and ML | Taqeem Post |
Miscellaneous Information
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Number of Students in a Single Batch:
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Information about Previous Batches:
First batch started the program in 201 with the start of the CX programs -
Former/Current Students in the Program Contact Information:
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Interested Companies/ Organizations:
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