Curators approve Missouri S&T to offer nation’s first master’s degree in geospatial engineering
Dr. Xinzhe Yuan, a Missouri S&T alumnus, adjusts a drone in an S&T lab when he was a student in 2021. Photo by Michael Pierce/Missouri S&T.
ROLLA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Board of Curators voted unanimously today (Thursday, April 17) to approve a new master’s degree program in geospatial engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology.
“We appreciate the curators recognizing Missouri S&T’s wealth of expertise in this area and that we are well-positioned to launch this exciting new program,” says Dr. David Borrok, vice provost and dean of the College of Engineering and Computing.
“While other universities tend to offer programs focused on geographic information systems or geography, ours will stand apart with its emphasis on advanced positioning technologies, geodesy and remote sensing — equipping our students with the specialized skills needed to drive innovations in fields like autonomous systems, sustainable agriculture and precision navigation.”
Labor market analytics show that demand for geospatial professionals is expected to grow by more than 10% annually, with positioning technologies, including GPS and autonomous navigation, playing a key role in that growth.
Missouri S&T’s interdisciplinary program will be offered online and on campus and be 30 credit hours. It will include project-based coursework, but students will not be required to complete a thesis.
Emphasis areas for students to select will include remote sensing and earth observation, autonomous systems and geodetic systems.
“Many industry players and federal and state agencies have made it clear that this type of program will be essential for their workforce needs,” says Dr. Jeremy Maurer, an assistant professor of earth sciences and engineering who will coordinate the program. “They need more highly skilled geospatial engineers, remote sensing and geophysics experts, and positioning specialists, and our degree program will meet that demand and prepare students to integrate geospatial technologies into a wide range of practical applications.”
The next step in the approval process will be for the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) to review S&T’s proposal. Pending CBHE approval, the university aims to admit students into this new major starting in fall 2025.
For more information about the geospatial engineering program, visit ese.mst.edu/academic-programs/geospatial-engineering.
About Missouri S&T
Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.
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Dr. Xinzhe Yuan, a Missouri S&T alumnus, adjusts a drone in an S&T lab when he was a student in 2021. Photo by Michael Pierce/Missouri S&T. ROLLA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Board of Curators voted unanimously today (Thursday, April 17) to approve a new master’s degree program in geospatial engineering at Missouri…