You have a lot of freedom to customise your master's in Geo-information Science and Earth Observation.
Within the Master’s in Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, you build expertise in either general spatial data science or a specific thematic application area, centred around technologies (Geo-AI), the natural environment (Resources Security), or society (Urban and Land Futures and Disaster Resilience). In addition, you can tailor your Master’s to your interests and ambitions by choosing elective courses. The freedom to customise your programme will ensure you become the geo-information specialist you want to be.
“In my home country, Sri Lanka, there is an erosion problem on the coast and the government has implemented a lot of projects to save the coast. In my research, I used satellite imagery to investigate if these projects were effective. This specialisation is a good fit for me because I love geology and want to learn to use the latest remote sensing technologies.”
“I love that we not only use geo-information but also learn to apply it to real-life cases. For example, I learned to use databases of landslides and data about the characteristics of a given geographic area to predict where landslide could occur and what the effects would be for the community there.”
“I am interested in the application of AI for geo-information science and Earth observation. I have taken courses in Python and R and now I can apply my programming skills by using different geo-information tools. In my master’s research, I am developing a deep-learning model that will help drones detect an opening in a building for urban search and rescue.”
“Cities are growing rapidly. However, not everyone can benefit from this rapid urbanisation. One example of this could be the development of slum areas. During my master's degree, I used satellite imagery to identify slums and their characteristics. Such analyses could help stakeholders make better decisions on addressing issues facing slums and slum dwellers.”
“I chose this specialisation because I wanted to study water quality from space: to use satellite images and remote sensing data to get information about the water quality of lakes or coasts. So, in my research I have developed an index that detects waste water contamination.”
“I am trying to come up with a geo-information based solution for community leaders and members in Sudan to better document their tenure relations. Especially in cases when internally displaced people come back to their villages and claim access to their land.”
For the Master’s programme, you will need to complete a total of 120 credits in 2 years. Each academic year is divided into four quartiles. Each quartile has 10 course weeks, in line with the University's academic calendar. Our courses are each 5 EC, with a few at 2.5 EC. The start and end dates of all 5 EC courses in a quartile are the same. Within each week of a quartile, the study load per course can vary. However, the average weekly study load is around 42 hours.
In brief, our Master’s is broken down into 4 parts so that you develop the technical and theoretical GI-science skills, along with specific skills in an area of interest through the specialisations, while also further developing the professional skills needed in the workplace.
During the foundation courses, you will learn the essential geospatial skills. These are designed to ensure that all participants develop the necessary geospatial skills to be successful for the remainder of the programme. Even if you already have some of these skills, during these courses you will be able to dive deeper, further refine, and build on the knowledge you already have. We teach our programme ‘software neutral’, but you get the opportunity to explore many different packages.
QGIS is the key tool for mastering geospatial concepts through hands-on learning. Successfully completing the foundation courses grants you an official QGIS certificate, a valuable boost to your CV and career in geo-information.
We offer specialisations that are centred around technological developments in geoinformatics (Geo-AI), the natural environment (Resource Security), and society (Urban and Land Futures and Disaster Resilience).
The research courses (40 EC) include the thesis research project proposal course, where you develop a project proposal. During this phase, you will be able to apply what you have learned throughout the programme to a research project of your choice.
We offer a range of electives that will enable you to further advance your technical skills and either broaden or focus your areas of interest. The electives offered each year may change from year to year depending on availability and demand. 10 EC of elective courses you choose in your first year.
As part of your second year elective courses (20EC), it is possible to do an (optional) Internship (15EC), where you can apply what you have learned before you graduate, to gain work experience and explore different industries. You can do an internship at a consulting company, government agency, research institute, or a non-governmental organisation in the Netherlands or anywhere in the world. The choice is yours. To help you choose, we have an internship coordinator who organises Internship Fairs and will help you with setting up an internship.
We offer a set of courses to help you develop professional skills that are appreciated in the workplace. These courses are essential to let you meet the additional demands of the labour market that go beyond technical skills and domain knowledge. These often called ‘soft skills’ will enhance your chances of securing a job after graduation. As part of this Master’s programme, you must choose at least 5 ECs of these courses (2 x 2.5 EC courses).
We offer a Master’s programme in which you can choose a pathway aligned with your career goals and background interests, and you will need to select a specialisation.
The master’s Geo-information Science and Earth Observation offers five specialisations. The purpose of these specialisations is to provide students with further depth into an application domain. These are centered around the research strengths and expertise of the Faculty so that you are learning from leaders in the field. These are:
Each specialisation represents the future challenges, technologies, and solutions for the sustainability of our Earth’s resources and society. Within each specialisation, you can further refine your learning pathway. It is possible, after discussion with your study adviser, to mix specialisation courses to suit your personal goals.
During the first year, you will meet many ITC faculty members and be introduced to the wide variety of ongoing research and innovations here. We cannot fit everything into our curriculum, but we have integrated different topics into the courses, giving you opportunities to learn more about how geospatial information and technologies are being used, as well as providing you with opportunities to start to explore potential research topics that you can develop further as part of your MSc research.
For your Master’s thesis, you can contribute to an ongoing research project or develop your topic that falls within a research theme at ITC. Together with your supervisors, you develop the focus of the topic of your master's thesis research.
To help you further develop your geospatial competencies we offer a variety of elective courses that will enable you to further advance your technical skills, broaden your areas of interest by gaining additional experience through an internship as well as enhancing your professional skills.
Professional Skills (5EC). We have developed a set of elective courses to help you develop professional skills that are appreciated in the workplace. These courses are essential to let you meet the additional demands of the labour market that go beyond technical skills and domain knowledge. These often called ‘soft skills’ will enhance your chances of securing a job after graduation. We encourage you to take 5 ECs of these courses (2 x 2.5 EC courses).
Internship (15EC). In the second year, you can choose to do an internship where you can apply what you have learned before you graduate, gain additional work experience and explore different industries. You can do an internship at a consulting company, government agency, research institute, or a non-governmental organisation in the Netherlands or anywhere in the world. The choice is yours. To help you choose, we have an internship coordinator who organises Internship Fairs and will help you with setting up an internship.
As part of the Master’s, you can gain both academic expertise and career skills through a career fair, choosing an internship, joining study trips, and industry engagement.
By interacting with leading research institutes, government agencies, and private companies, students explore career opportunities across the Netherlands, Europe, and beyond. Interactive video conferences with global experts provide additional professional insights.
These experiences help students build valuable connections and prepare for internships, jobs, and long-term careers in geo-information and earth observation.
Join us on a journey as we follow two Master's students, Carolina Pereira Marghidan and John Ifejube, during their internships. Get ready to witness the impactful work they're doing in their respective placements and gain a glimpse into the future that awaits you as a prospective student.
Are you interested in this Master’s and do you want to know more about your study programme and how to compose it? For example, are you curious about the choice of topics or the learning outcomes? You can find out all about it in our Study Guide*.
* You are looking at the Study Guide for the current academic year. We always strive for improvement. Therefore, the course structure is subject to change.