MSc Space Science & Technology
Dublin, Ireland
MSc
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Fast-track counseling
By contacting the school, you'll get access to free priority counselling for any study and application questions.
Key Summary
This course is ideal for graduates of Physics, Engineering and closely related disciplines, who want to transfer their expertise to the fast-growing global space sector. Ireland is a member of the European Space Agency (ESA) and dozens of Irish companies and researchers are involved in major international space missions.
UCD students and staff have built Ireland’s first satellite, EIRSAT-1, a 2U CubeSat that launched on a Falcon 9 rocket on 1 December 2023. EIRSAT-1 was developed within ESA’s ‘Fly Your Satellite’ programme and contains payloads developed in UCD. The spacecraft is being operated from UCD.
- Open to all graduates of physics and engineering
- Tailor your curriculum via 'options' modules
- Workshop sessions with senior industry practitioners
Who should apply?
Full-Time option suitable for:
- Domestic (EEA) applicants: Yes
- International (Non-EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region: Yes
This programme is suitable for graduates of physics or engineering who want to apply their undergraduate expertise in the space sector.
Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please contact our Admissions team!
A full list of modules is available for the MSc Space Science & Technology. Modules are subject to change and are not guaranteed by UCD.
- Describe the state-of-the-art knowledge in the field of space science and technology.
- Apply acquired knowledge and skills to an individual internship on a topic relevant to space.
- Work independently in multi-disciplinary, international teams on paper studies and laboratory projects.
- Engage actively in professional networking within the field.
- Draw on a suite of discipline-specific professional skills, such as space project management, bid writing, and technical documentation for space mission development.
- Draw on a suite of transferable skills, such as critical thinking, reflection, problem-solving, scientific report writing, teamwork and presentation skills.
- Participate responsibly and professionally within a team through active engagement and collaboration.
- Apply a systems engineering approach to the full life cycle of a space project, from preliminary design through to critical design and implementation, and including the preparation of appropriate documentation.
- Synthesise knowledge, awareness and experience gained from across the programme to continue developing their career.
- Conduct a set of physics-based laboratory measurements related to space detectors and analyse the data using Python.
- Describe the state-of-the-art knowledge and skills in the field.
- Apply acquired knowledge and skills to an individual research project in the field.
- Work in cross-disciplinary, international teams on paper studies and laboratory projects.
- Draw on a suite of professional skills specific to the field, such as project management, proposal writing, and space science communication skills.
- Draw on a suite of transferrable skills, such as problem-solving, scientific report writing, and presentation skills.
- Participate responsibly and professionally within a team through active engagement and collaboration on an assignment or task.
- Apply a systems engineering approach to the full life cycle of a space project, from preliminary design through to critical design and implementation and including the preparation of appropriate documentation.
Careers & Employability
The programme is space industry-focused, while also preparing graduates to pursue careers in related sectors, and in research. Satellite operator, test engineer, mission specialist, payload scientist and systems engineer are all roles that are in demand globally. Earth observation and environmental monitoring (especially to meet sustainable development goals), navigation, telecommunications and meteorology are application areas that rely heavily on graduates with satellite expertise.
Prospective employers include: Spire, ESA, DLR, ISISPACE, EUMETSAT, Réaltra, Ericsson, InnaLabs, Icon Group, Mindseed, Skytek, Eire Composites etc. The MSc can act as a stepping stone to PhD research in areas such as atmospheric physics, space physics, aeronautics, propulsion and astrophysics, and to traineeships at European Space Agency establishments.