Overview
Drones (aka Unmanned Aerial Vehicle/UAV) are an essential tool in contemporary archaeological practice. Drones help locate and document sites, increasing site recording effectiveness and saving time and money. Flying a drone is relatively simple and it takes little time to learn how to do it. This field school does teach the basics of drone flying, but spends significantly more time teaching students how to effectively and legally use this tool for archaeological research. Students will learn, and fly, different types of drones with a range of sensors. Students will also learn the legal restrictions of flying a drone in the U.S., over different types of public and private lands. Finaly, students will spend a full week learning how best to record, analyze and interpret drone-born data.
This field school is intensive and designed to provide students with basic skills and knowledge needed to become professional UAV operators – in Academia or Cultural Resource Management. By the end of this program, students will be able to take the FAA Part 107 certification test and become legal & licensed operators that can conduct safe and responsible UAV fieldwork.
Please Note: Anyone flying a drone/UAV for commercial purposes needs a license, officially known as a Part 107 certificate, from the FAA. For recreational flying, you don’t need a license, but you must pass the Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) and register your drone with the FAA if it weighs over 250 grams.
ARC Image US AZ Drones (2)
Preparing to fly a ‘blue’ drone
ARC Image US AZ Drones (3)
Landscape at Deadman Wash archaeological complex (AZ)
ARC Image US AZ Drones (8)
Computer image analysis of drone data
ARC Image US AZ Drones (4)
Data interpretation in the lab
ARC Image US AZ Drones (1)
Controlling a drone in flight
ARC Image US AZ Drones (5)
Analyzing data in the lab
ARC Image US AZ Drones (6)
Tracking UAV flight path
ARC Image US AZ Drones (7)
Sites at Deadman Wash (AZ)
Instructor(s)
All field school directors are experts in their field and passionate about their work. To discuss the suitability of this program for your career goals – whether within or outside academia – you are invited to contact the directors directly. For a broader discussion which ARC program to choose, you are welcome to contact our staff directly – you can do that through our “Contact Us” page.
Testimonials & Program evaluation
Student Fees (Tuition)
What is Covered
- DEPOSIT IS PART OF TOTAL TUITION COST
- Costs of Instruction
- Cost of Academic Credit Units
- Cost of Drones & Computer Time
- Liability & Accident Insurance
Read Before You Pay
- Application: You must apply online for this program – application is free
- Deposit: A $300 nonrefundable deposit (part of the total tuition cost) is required to secure a space in the program
- Credit Card Fee: Payments with credits cards incur 3% processing fee
- Late Fee: A $100 Late Fee will be added to the program costs if tuition is not paid in full by payment deadline
- Cancellation Policy: Carefully read our Cancellation Policy before committing to attending our programs
- Trip Cancellation Insurance: Trip cancellation insurance is not provided by ARC. Such policies have changed due to Covid 19. If you wish to purchase an insurance policy that covers pandemic contingencies, explore Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) plans. Insuremytrip or Travel Guard are possible websites where you may explore different insurance policies.
Accommodations
This program does not provide accomedations. Flagstaff is a major tourist destination with many accommodations options, from short term room sharing rentals (Airbnb, etc.) to boutique hotels. A list of on and off-campus accommodation will be provided during the online orientation.
Diet
This program does not provide food for attending students. Flagstaff is a major tourist destination with a wide variety of restaurants, grocery stores and delis. Several restaurants are within walking distance from our lab space on NAU campus. A list of on and off-campus accommodation will be provided during the online orientation.
Travel Information
We suggest you hold off purchasing your airline ticket until six (6) weeks before the program begins. Natural disasters, political changes, weather conditions & a range of other factors may require the cancellation of a field school. ARC typically makes a final Go/No Go decision six weeks before program begins. To protect students from potential financial loss, we urge you to purchase airline tickets only six weeks prior to a program beginning.
Students will meet with project staff members on Sunday, the first day of the field school, at 12:00pm at Northern Arizona University, Digital Archaeology Laboratory. The laboratory is located in Building #52, Bilby Research Center.
Visa Information
This is a domestic program, and no visa is needed for U.S. Citizens.
Non-US Citizens are asked to check the United States embassy website at their home country for specific visa requirements.
Meeting Point
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| May 18, 2026 | 8:30am | Digital Archaeology Laboratory, NAU Building #52 (Bilby Research Center) |
If you missed your connection or your flight is delayed, please call, text or email project director(s) immediately. A local emergency cell phone number will be provided to all enrolled students.
Safety
Our primary mission is student education. Traveling and conducting field work involves risk and students interested in participating in any field schools must weigh whether the potential risk is worth the value of education earned. While risk is inherent in everything we do, we do not take risk lightly. We engage in intensive review of each field school location prior to approval and continue to monitor conditions on the ground to ensure a safe and wholesome education experience.
Students attending our international programs are covered by a comprehensive Health Insurance Policy that covers physical illness or injury, mental or chronic conditions and medical evacuation – if needed. This insurance policy has no deductibles and 100% of the costs are covered up to $250,000 (for more, see here). In addition, we provide Political & Natural Disaster Evacuation policy, which allows us to remove students from program location if conditions change.
Students attending our domestic programs (within the US) must have their own health insurance. Program directors are familiar with local authorities and if in need of evacuation, local emergency services and/or law enforcement will be notified and activated.
We have an explicit and robust Harassment & Discrimination Policy, outlined on our Health & Safety page. If students feel they cannot discuss personal safety issues with program staff, they are welcome to call the ARC emergency hotline and talk directly with an ARC staff member.
Call (+1 323 740-1805) or email (admin@anthroctr.org) if you have questions about the safety of any program.