Earth Remote Sensing, M.S.

Earth remote sensing is the science, engineering and art of quantitative measurement from satellites, aircraft, marine vehicles, buoys and moorings, radar and other platforms removed from the target. It includes understanding the instrumentation, software, radiative transfer, hydroacoustics and principles of systems designed to acquire, process and interpret information about Earth for application to vital contemporary problems in agriculture, coastal zone management, ecology, engineering, environmental science and resource management, forestry, land use, meteorology, natural hazards, oceanography, urban planning and other issues.

Admission Requirements

Students applying for admission to the Earth remote sensing program should have undergraduate majors in the physical or life sciences with strong backgrounds in computer science. Students with bachelor’s degrees in other scientific or engineering fields may need to complete certain preparatory coursework before starting the master of science program, and completion of such courses may require additional time. Any such requirements will be determined by the program chair and graduate faculty before admission. The prospective student will be advised of these requirements prior to acceptance. Applicants must submit GRE General Test scores for evaluation, a statement of interests, a résumé and three letters of recommendation.

General admission requirements and the process for applying are presented in the Academic Overview  section.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Science in Earth Remote Sensing is offered with thesis and nonthesis options. The thesis option requires the satisfactory completion of a minimum of 30 credit hours of required and elective credits (includes six credit hours of thesis) and the nonthesis option requires a minimum of 33 credits hours (includes a written final program examination), based on an approved program plan developed in conjunction with the faculty advisor. Included in the total are at least nine credit hours of core remote sensing courses as listed below.