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Program Curriculum
The international GEM program is offered every six months and begins each semester.
It spans four semesters and is structured to provide students with a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical expertise in environmental monitoring through geomatics.
The first three semesters involve lectures, lab exercises, and integrated projects, while the fourth semester is dedicated to the Master's thesis. The entire program is taught in English, including the thesis.
During the first three semesters, students complete a total of 15 modules. The program includes 7 mandatory modules and 8 electives, allowing students to customize their learning experience by selecting specialized courses from 3 different categories (–Geomatics, –Mapping,–Environment) that align with their individual interests and career goals in environmental monitoring and geomatics.
All courses conform to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).
The lecture series is opened with a compact pre-course on German Language and Culture (6 credit points (CP)). It conveys a basic knowledge of the German language as well as introducing into German culture and history.
The other mandatory modules focus on advanced topics such as:
- Geodesy (6CP)
- Remote Sensing (6 CP)
- Statistics and Adjustment Calculus (6 CP)
- Geo-Monitoring (6 CP)
- Satellite Navigation (6CP)
These core subjects equip students with the fundamentals in geomatics necessary for environmental monitoring.
Besides this, a course between the second and third semester the students attend a 10 days:
- Integrated Field Training (6 CP)
During the second semester, students participate in an Integrated Project, which brings together theoretical knowledge and practical experience. This fieldwork is often multidisciplinary, enabling students to work on real-world Geomatics challenges and to solve those tasks and problems with engineering approaching an autonomous way, allowing students to gain hands-on experience in analyzing and solving complex environmental monitoring problems. The fieldwork is realized at variable places in the vicinity of Stuttgart.
In the second semester, students complete 12 CP of mandatory courses and have the option to choose 18 CP from elective modules. They can select from a pool of 9 elective modules from 3 different categories (Containers):
- Environmental Cartography (6CP) (Geomatics module)
- Satellite Geodesy (6 CP) (Geomatics module)
- Computer Vision for 3D Mapping (6CP) (Mapping module)
- Hydrogeodesy (6CP) (Mapping module)
- Mapping from Space (6CP) (Mapping module)
- Stochastical Modeling & Geostatistics (6CP) (Environment module)
- Modeling of Hydrosystems (6CP) (Environment module)
- Geohydrology and Geoengineering (6CP) (Environment module)
- Integrated Watershed Mondelling (6CP) (Environment module)
Students have the flexibility to select the modules that best align with their interests.
The third semester consists entirely of elective modules, with 30 CP dedicated to elective choices. Students can pick from 7 available elective modules also from 3 different categories (Containers):
- Geoinformatics (6CP)(Geomatics module)
- Geo-Mobility (6CP) (Geomatics module)
- Terrestrial Multi-sensor Systems (6CP) (Geomatics module)
- Pattern Recognition (6CP) (Mapping module)
- Space Geod.Atm. Water Vapor (6CP) (Mapping module)
- Regional and Urban Planning I (6CP) (Environment module)
- Structural Engineering of Hydraulic Structure (6CP) (Environment module)
At the end of the program, students take the Master of Science Examination, which includes assessments based on their coursework and individual study plans. Upon successful completion, students earn 120 CP, fulfilling the requirements for the Master of Science degree in Geomatics for Environmental Monitoring.
