Overview specialisations

Become a high-skilled geospatial professional

WHICH OF OUR specialisation SUITS YOU BEST?

Are you ready to dive into a world of exciting possibilities? The master’s programme in Geo-information Science and Earth Observation offers four specialisations tailored to your unique background and career interests. Each specialisation is designed to help you apply your newly gained knowledge and skills in real-world contexts.

Specialisations

  • Disaster resilience Shutterstock
    Disaster Resilience

    The Disaster Resilience specialisation offers exciting learning paths for students eager to focus on disaster risk reduction, preparedness, response, and resilience - especially in the context of climate change. You’ll gain invaluable skills and knowledge tailored for various disaster resilience-related career opportunities.

    This specialisation allows you to concentrate your studies and research on critical disaster-related topics, including monitoring, prediction, emergency response, and decision-making. You’ll have the flexibility to combine modules from the other specialisations, enriching your learning experience.

    Moreover, you’ll benefit from ongoing interaction with real-world educational activities, alongside active investments and projects related to natural hazards and risk management. You’ll also have the chance to collaborate with ITC’s Center for Disaster Resilience (CDR), ensuring that your education is aligned with current industry needs and challenges.

    Join the Disaster Resilience specialisation and empower yourself to make a meaningful impact in creating safer communities and a more resilient world!

    2 yearsFull-time100% English2 Joint programmes
  • GeoAI image by Bing AI
    Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI)

    GeoAI, or Geospatial Artificial Intelligence, is an exciting fusion of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning techniques with geographic information systems (GIS) and geospatial data. If you’re passionate about harnessing the power of technology to automate the analysis and interpretation of large and complex spatial datasets—like satellite images, UAV data, and local sensor data—then GeoAI is the perfect theme for you.

    This field enables you to extract meaningful patterns, trends, and insights, enhancing decision-making across various domains such as urban planning, environmental monitoring, climate change, and disaster management. By leveraging AI's capability to process vast amounts of data alongside GIS's spatial analysis functions, GeoAI allows for more efficient processing of geospatial data, better predictions, and the discovery of new spatial relationships that traditional methods might overlook.

    In the GeoAI programme, you will develop essential programming knowledge and skills to acquire, clean, and explore diverse geospatial datasets.

    You’ll learn how to create maps, models, systems, and graphics that empower stakeholders to make better-informed decisions. Embrace the future of geospatial analysis and transform your career with GeoAI!

    2 yearsFull-time100% English3 Joint programmes
  • Resource security Shutterstock
    Resource Security

    The Resource Security specialisation is designed to equip you with the skills needed to address critical global challenges in the sustainable management of natural resources. You'll dive into areas like water resources, energy sustainability, ecosystem conservation, and critical raw materials management. With flexible learning pathways, this programme is tailored to suit your academic background and career aspirations.

    By enrolling, you’ll gain the expertise needed to pursue a successful career in fields such as public policy, environmental consultancy, scientific research, and industry. You can specialise in key areas like water management, environmental conservation, geological surveys, mining & exploration, and natural resource monitoring. Throughout the course, you’ll develop advanced skills in remote sensing, resource modelling, and impact management, positioning yourself for roles as a hydrologist, environmental geoscientist, water and health specialist, or remote sensing geologist.

    2 yearsFull-time100% English2 Joint programmes
  • Point cloud of the Campus
    Spatial Data Science

    The Spatial Data Science specialisation is designed for students who would like a bit more flexibility can create their own learning pathway to achieve their career goals with the help of a adviser.

    2 yearsFull-time
  • Urban land futures by Bing AI
    Urban and Land Future

    The Urban and Land Futures specialisation is designed for students like you who are passionate about tackling social, environmental, economic, and land tenure challenges in urban and regional areas. Here, you will acquire the knowledge and skills needed to understand and address these complex issues effectively.


    Your focus will be on applying innovative geospatial solutions, including city digital twins, to develop people-centric and digitally informed strategies. These strategies will support the transition towards safe, healthy, livable, resilient, and equitable urban futures.


    Join the Urban and Land Futures specialisation and be part of a movement that aims to create vibrant communities where everyone can thrive. Your journey towards making a meaningful impact in urban planning and development starts here!

    2 yearsFull-time100% English2 Joint programmes

Spatial Data Science For students who do not want to be restricted to a single theme but develop the necessary skills while tailoring their learning to achieve their career goals. You can only develop your thematic line with the help of your study adviser

Tailored for diverse career paths

Choose from the following themes: GeoAIResources SecurityDisaster Resilience, and Urban & Land Futures. Each represents the future challenges, technologies, and solutions essential for the sustainability of our planet and society. These specialisations not only provide clarity on your career trajectory but also focus your studies on the latest developments in your chosen field.

A clear pathway to your career goals

Within each specialisation, all courses are thoughtfully organised to equip you with the most current knowledge and skills. This structure offers dedicated learning pathways to support your specific career goals. Depending on your chosen pathway, some elective courses may become mandatory, ensuring you gain comprehensive expertise. Plus, you have the flexibility to design your learning pathway, perfectly aligned with your career ambitions, in collaboration with your study adviser.

Personalising Your Programme

In the first quartile of the programme, you’ll have the opportunity to select the specialisation and learning path that resonates with you the most. This personalised approach allows you to develop distinct expertise and positions you at the forefront of the geo-information and spatial data science domain you aspire to enter.

Justine Blanford, Programme Director

Embark on this journey with us and shape the future of our world!

Justine Blanford, Programme Director