M.Sc. in Geo-information Science and Earth Observation
(Specialisation/ Domain: Geoinformatics)
Course Setting
The Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Geo-information Science and Earth Observation (specialisation/domain: Geoinformatics) is offered within the framework of Joint Education Programme (JEP) of the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) and the Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) of the University of Twente (UT), The Netherlands.
The course is of 2 years duration having eight quartiles. Students follow part of the course at IIRS and a part at the Faculty ITC, The Netherlands. The first year will be taught at IIRS. Upon successful completion of the course students receive a Master’s degree from UT-ITC. The UT-ITC degree has the name ‘Master of Science degree in Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation’. The diploma will be accompanied by a Diploma Supplement (DS) that describes the nature, level, context, content, specialization and status of the Master’s degree and the grades obtained for the courses and thesis.
Programme Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course, participants are able to:
- Identify and explain principles, concepts, methods and techniques relevant for geoinformation processing and earth observation.
- Analyse problems and cases from a (geo-)spatial perspective.
- Use and design models to simulate (or: study) processes in the system earth with a spatial component.
- Apply principles, concepts, methods and techniques in the context of system earth, the user and an application domain to solve scientific and practical problems.
- Analyse issues in an academic manner and formulate judgments based on this.
- Analyse scientific and practical domain problems in a systematic manner and develop scientifically valid solutions for these problems in a societal context.
- Communicate both orally and in writing on findings of research work to specialists and non-specialists.
- Explore the temporal and social context of geo-information science and technology and be able to integrate these insights in the scientific work.
- Explain and contrast cultural and contextual differences that influence the collection, classification and visualization of spatial information.
- Operate professionally and ethically in a multi-cultural environment.
- Critically reflect on own and other's work.
- Study in a manner that is largely self-directed and autonomous.
Credit and Grades
The courses offered at ITC adhere to a European Credit Transfer System for accredited Master’s programmes. Table 1, shows the overall structure of the course (session 2020-2022). In Table 1 the EC per study unit is given. In total the Master’s programme consists of 120 EC needed to get the UT-ITC Master’s degree. A minimum amount of 30 EC should be obtained at ITC.
Table 1: Overall structure of M.Sc. course in Geoinformatics.
| Year | Quartile | EC | Course | Location | Start date | End date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Q1 | 14 | Core | IIRS | Sept 2020 | Nov 2020 |
| 1 | Academic Skills | IIRS | ||||
| 1 | Q2 | 7 | Track: Scientific Geocomputing | IIRS | Nov 2020 | Feb 2021 |
| 7 | Track: Acquisition and Exploration of Geospatial Data | IIRS | ||||
| 1 | Academic Skills | IIRS | ||||
| 1 | Q3 | 7 | Track: Extraction, Analysis and Dissemination of Geospatial Information | IIRS | Feb 2021 | May 2021 |
| 7 | Elective Course | IIRS | ||||
| 1 | Academic Skills | IIRS | ||||
| 1 | Q4 | 7 | Global Challenges, Local Action | IIRS | Mar 2021 | Jun 2021 |
| 7 | Elective course | IIRS | ||||
| 1 | Academic Skills | IIRS | ||||
| Summer break | ||||||
| 2 | Q5 | 5 | MSc Research (proposal) | ITC | Sep 2021 | Nov 2021 |
| 2 | Q5 | 10 | Individual study programme (e.g. elective courses, internship) | ITC | Sep 2021 | Nov 2021 |
| 2 | Q6 | 5 | Individual study programme (e.g. elective courses) | ITC | ||
| 2 | Q6 | 10 | MSc Research | ITC | Nov 2021 | Jan 2022 |
| 2 | Q7-8 | 30 | MSc Research | IIRS | Feb 2022 | Jul 2022 |
| 2 | Q8 | Submission Thesis Defence IIRS/ Thesis Defence ITC Graduation | IIRS | July 2022 | ||
The courses in quartiles 1 and 2 and the Track course in quartile 3 mirror the courses offered at UT-ITC. In principle, the major part of the Master’s research will be done at IIRS. ITC and IIRS will jointly organize the final examination of the thesis. For the defence the procedure as described in the Education and Examination Rules will be followed.
Education programme at ITC
Participation in the ITC component will take place in the second year of ITC’s 2-year Master’s programme. During the summer break students will arrive to ITC and participate in a part of the programme, equivalent to at least 30 EC, combining course and research work, including research training and preparation, assessment of the research proposal and the initial phase of the research. The research plan has to be prepared through frequent exchanges between the IIRS and ITC supervisors to guarantee both quality and feasibility of the plan, once the student returns to IIRS for the last phase of the curriculum. The research plan will be assessed by a Proposal Assessment Board, which must include both the ITC and the IIRS supervisors. A successful defence leads to admission into the research phase. If a student fails to produce a satisfactory proposal or defence they have the opportunity to resubmit and re-defend it. The resubmission should normally take place within two weeks (although this may be extended if there are interruptions to the study period). Students that fail to produce a satisfactory proposal and defence at the second attempt do not have the right to proceed to the research phase. They may qualify for a postgraduate diploma if they complete a PGD Assignment project in the same academic year. Part of the actual research (quartile 6) will be carried out at ITC and supervised by an IIRS and an ITC supervisor, each taking an equal supervision role. The students then travel to IIRS where they follow quartiles 7-8. These quartiles are dedicated to MSc research. The submission and MSc defence take place at IIRS. Students can opt for an extended stay at ITC. This must be discussed with the course coordinators at the both partner institutes. When the period of stay in ITC is extended, additional expenses will be borne by the student.
Eligibility Criteria and Admission Process
The candidates applying for the course should have the following qualification for Intermediate/Pre-University and UG/PG levels:
UG/PG level
- M.Sc./M.Sc.(Tech.)/M.Tech. in Phy./ Appl. Phy./ Electron./ Maths/ Appl. Maths/ Stat./ IT/ Comp. Sci./ Geol. / Geophy./ Geo-Engg./ Agriculture/ Horticult./ Forestry/ Env. Sci. or equivalent (OR)
- B.E./B.Tech in Civil/ ECE/ Electron./ Comp. Sci./ IT/ Electrical/ Geoinform./ Agri. Engg./ Geosci./ Petrol. Engg./ Mining Engg./ Agri. Inform./ Forest Inform. or equivalent (OR)
- B.Arch./ B.Plan./ M.Arch./ M.Plan. (OR)
- Master’s in Geography (OR)
- Govt. officials having B.Sc. degree
Intermediate/ Pre-University Level
Science stream (with Maths as essential subject and any one subject out of Physics/ Chemistry/ Statistics/ Biology/ Comp. Science). Selection for admission to M,Sc. in Geoinformatics (MS-GI) is based on Entrance Test (computer-based exam). Govt.-sponsored candidates are exempted from entrance test. Foreign nationals are also exempted from entrance test but they have to appear for interview through online platforms. Other candidates must appear in the entrance test. Entrance Test is common for P.G. Diploma in Geoinformatics (D-GI) as well as M.Sc. in Geoinformatics (MS-GI).
Important Dates, No. of Seats and Course Fee
Refer Academic Calendar and other announcements in the institute’s website (www.iirs.gov.in ).
