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Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have become popular in the past two decades because of their key role in numerous military applications, which range from aerial support of troops involved on the battlefield to surveillance and border patrol. The versatility of UAS platforms make it extremely appealing for several civilian applications, and considerable cost reduction for critical components has made this technology a powerful resource for private operators. In this paper we present a collaborative effort with the objective of establishing a competitive UAS educational program at the Rose State College (RSC, a two-year institute) and creating a pipeline to develop a UAS workforce in Oklahoma. The approach modified freshman and sophomore aerospace and mechanical engineering courses at RSC to incorporate UAS design into applicable courses. Experiential learning opportunities involving UAS are included through class projects. Modifying the “Introduction to Aerospace Engineering” course at the University of Oklahoma (OU, 4-year institute) and applying the theoretical concepts learned in class to real examples involving UAS. UAS platforms are not considered as mere special cases, but will be given proper attention both in class and through dedicated homework assignments and projects. We also investigate pipeline of students from RSC to OU. Many of the RSC students attending selected undergraduate classes at OU decide to continue their education by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in engineering. This positive trend is encouraged by providing UAS students at RSC to perform undergraduate (UG) research at OU. This paper presents different activities to establish curriculum and collaboration between the two institutions to support Oklahoma’s workforce.