About the Program

Dates: August 25, 2026
Format: Asynchronous online coursework plus a two-day bootcamp in St. Louis for each course, typically held at approximately 75% course completion. The bootcamp emphasizes in-person demonstrations, scenarios, exercises, interaction, and applied learning. Students who are unable to attend in person will complete an equivalent online version, though in-person participation is strongly encouraged.

Courses (4 total):

• Introduction to Position Navigation and Timing (Geophysics 6401 - EE 6401)
  
  • This graduate-level course provides a comprehensive introduction to Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems with an emphasis on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). Students develop a foundational understanding of positioning principles, coordinate systems, signal structure, and error sources, followed by more advanced topics including carrier-phase measurements, ambiguity resolution, PPP and RTK techniques, and estimation methods. The course integrates concepts from signal processing, geometry, and system modeling to analyze GNSS performance under real-world conditions such as noise, multipath, and interference. Applications in modern PNT systems and emerging trends in resilient navigation and multi-sensor integration are also explored..
  • Starts: August 25th, 2026 (Weeks 1-8)
  • Bootcamp (in person, St. Louis): Dates TBD
  • 3 Credit Hours | Online + 2-day bootcamp

• Remote Sensing Technology (Geo Eng 5144 - Geology 4310)
  • This under-graduate-level course provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles and applications of remote sensing within a geospatial framework, progressing from foundational electromagnetic theory, scale, and resolution to modern data acquisition platforms including satellites, aircraft, UAVs, and LiDAR systems. The course explores both passive and active sensing methods, including spectral indices, radar (SAR and InSAR), and photogrammetry, with an emphasis on data interpretation, environmental monitoring, and land cover classification. Students develop hands-on skills through labs involving image processing, spatial analysis, and AI-assisted workflows, while applying these techniques to real-world problems. The course culminates in a term project where students design and execute a complete remote sensing workflow, integrating data sources and analytical methods to address a geospatial research question.
  • Starts: August 25th, 2026 (Weeks 1-8)
  • Bootcamp (in person, St. Louis): Dates TBD
  • 3 Credit Hours | Online + 2-day bootcamp

• Applications of GIS (Geo Eng 5146 - Geology 4821)
  • This under-graduate-level course is an applied, project-based course that explores advanced geospatial analysis techniques for environmental and hazard-related problem solving using modern GIS platforms. Students develop practical skills in land cover mapping, flood detection using SAR and deep learning, landslide and infrastructure risk analysis, species distribution modeling, hydrologic modeling, and forest change detection, while also learning spatial statistics and automation workflows through tools such as ArcGIS, QGIS, and cloud-based systems like Earth Engine. The course emphasizes both low-code and no-code analytical approaches, raster automation, and reproducible workflows, culminating in a term project where students design, implement, and present a complete geospatial analysis addressing a real-world research question.
  • Starts: October 20, 2026 (Weeks 9-16)
  • Bootcamp (in person, St. Louis): Dates TBD
  • 3 Credit Hours | Online + 2-day bootcamp

• Introduction to Satellite Geodesy (Geo Eng 6232)
  • This graduate-level course introduces students to satellite geodesy and geodetic remote sensing methods used to measure the shape, position, motion, gravity field, and surface changes of the Earth. Topics include geodetic datums and reference frames, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), satellite gravity, RADAR, Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR), Interferometric SAR (InSAR), and LiDAR. Students will learn how to access, process, analyze, and interpret geodetic datasets for applications in geotechnical, hydrologic, and geophysical studies. Example applications include crustal deformation related to faults and volcanoes, landslides, subsidence, groundwater pumping, flooding, relative sea-level rise, ice-cap mass changes, and high-resolution topographic analysis. The course emphasizes quantitative, computational, and modeling-based approaches, and students will complete a final project using one or more geodetic methods covered in the course.
  • Starts: October 20, 2026 (Weeks 9-16)
  • Bootcamp (in person, St. Louis): Dates TBD
  • 3 Credit Hours | Online + 2-day bootcamp

Learn more