University College London (UCL)
Geospatial Sciences (Geographic Information Science and Computing) MSc
London, United Kingdom
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
This MSc program offers a comprehensive overview of geospatial sciences, focusing on how geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, cartography, and data analysis come together. Students learn to collect, analyze, and interpret spatial data to solve real-world problems. The curriculum covers core technical skills like GIS software, spatial data management, and programming, alongside exploring practical applications across areas like urban planning, environmental monitoring, and transportation.
The course is designed to develop both theoretical understanding and practical skills, with opportunities for hands-on projects and industry engagement. It prepares students to work in roles that require spatial data analysis and mapping, often in multidisciplinary teams. The program emphasizes contemporary challenges in geospatial sciences, encouraging students to think critically about how spatial data impacts decision-making and policy. Overall, it aims to equip students with a strong foundation to pursue careers or further research in the growing field of geographic information science and computing.
UCL Scholarships
There are a number of scholarships available to postgraduate students, including our UCL Masters Bursary for UK students and our UCL Global Masters Scholarship for international students. You can click the link below to search via the scholarships finder for awards that you might be eligible for. Your academic department will also be able to provide you with more information about funding.
External Scholarships
Online aggregators like Postgraduate Studentships, Scholarship Search, Postgraduate Funding and International Financial Aid and College Scholarship Search contain information on a variety of external schemes.
If you have specific circumstances or ethnic or religious background it is worth searching for scholarships/bursaries/grants that relate to those things. Some schemes are very specific.
Funding for disabled students
Master's students who have a disability may be able to get extra funding for additional costs they incur to study.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, computer sessions, seminars and field classes. For your research project, you may expect to run practical experiments, computational experiments, user studies, or field work, depending on your project's specific requirements.
Assessment is via coursework (individual and group), presentations, written examinations and the dissertation.
Full-time students can expect 12-16 hours of contact time per teaching week. The exact number of contact hours, composition, and assessment varies throughout the terms, and depends on the module choices of the student.
This is a full-time course, which means students should expect a working schedule of approximately 35-40 hours a week.
Modules
Full-time
The 4 modules of Term 1 give you a foundation in geospatial science and programming and in the computational and statistical processes that are appropriate to your chosen specialism. The 4 modules of Term 2 focus on the specialist application areas. Over the period from May to September you will carry out an individual project. Some routes may involve practical field work integrated within the modules. All modules involve a mixture of lectures, practical work, seminars and visits to government or private geospatial organisations.
Part-time
You will study 2 modules per term over the 2-year period. The individual project may be started after the first year and is completed at the end of the second year.
Flexible
The programme structure for modular/flexible students encompasses a total of 180 credits over the course of their studies.
Compulsory modules
- Spatial-Temporal Data Analysis and Data Mining (STDM)
- Web and Mobile GIS - Apps and Programming
- Research Project
- Spatial Databases and Data Management
- Geospatial Science
- Geospatial Programming
- Spatial Analysis and Geocomputation
Optional modules
- Machine Learning for Data Science
- Applied Building Information Modelling
- Sensors and Location
Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Geospatial Sciences (Geographic Information Science and Computing). Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in Geospatial Sciences (Geographic Information Science and Computing).
Fieldwork
Some modules may contain an element of fieldwork using specialist equipment in an applied setting.
What this course will give you
This degree offers you the following opportunities and benefits:
- A postgraduate degree from a top-ranked university. UCL is consistently ranked among the best universities globally (ranked 9th in the latest QS World University Rankings 2025), providing you with a prestigious qualification that is highly regarded by employers worldwide.
- Work with our expert academics and researchers from UCL Geomatics, including geospatial data analytics, geo-BIM, location technology, reality capture, spatio-temporal big data, machine learning and more.
- Gain practical experience with a range of data acquisition tools and software, including 3D modelling, GIS analysis, programming languages like Python and software development frameworks.
- Enjoy a transformative curriculum designed to help you tailor the programme to fit your academic goals and build a successful career in the geospatial industry.
- Take advantage of our research and industry links, including attending our industrial and research seminar series and learn from industry leaders.
- Build strong collaborative skills, working alongside experts from UCL Geomatics and carrying out research projects with one of our industrial partners.
- Study in the world's best city for university students (QS Best Student Cities 2025). UCL’s Bloomsbury campus is in the heart of a London district famous for its cultural and educational institutions.
The foundation of your career
Graduates with a degree in Geospatial Sciences (Geographic Information Science and Computing) are equipped for a diverse range of roles, including GIS professional/officer, data scientist, geospatial software developer and consultant. Graduates go on to work for a variety of organisations including engineering consultancies, GIS software companies and national mapping agencies. Our students establish strong links with industry through the industrial seminar series and industrial research projects.
Additionally, many graduates from our programmes go on to PhD research at UCL or elsewhere
Employability
Our programme offers a combination of theory, practice, and innovation that will give you the strong technical and contextual foundation you need to progress into a geospatial science career in either industry or research.
Networking
You’ll have regular opportunities to connect, collaborate, and build professional contacts during your Master’s, enriching your learning experience and establishing a valuable network that can shape your future in the Geospatial field.
- Engage with peers, industry experts and faculty members all united in their desire to help shape the future of geospatial sciences and engineering.
- Take part in collaborative group projects, seminars, site visits, fieldtrips, case studies, and workshops with the UCL Geomatics and industry partners.
- Get insights into real-world engineering challenges and learn from industry leaders.
- Access UCL Careers for a variety of resources and events to support your career development, including workshops, employer fairs, and one-to-one guidance.Accreditation
The Geospatial Sciences (GIS and Computing) MSc is accredited by RICS. RICS works in partnership with universities to ensure that their accredited degree courses are relevant to industry. This means that when you study on an accredited degree this will be recognised by employers as the benchmark of quality.