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Geospatial Sciences (Geographic Information Science and Computing) MSc

London, Bloomsbury

This one-year MSc will launch your career in geospatial sciences. With its focus on GIS and computing, you’ll gain a broad understanding of topics ranging from spatial analysis and geocomputation to programming, machine learning, data science, and app development.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2026/27)
£21,500
£10,750
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
£42,700
£21,350
Duration
1 academic year
2 academic years
Programme starts
September 2026
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 26 Jun 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline (such as engineering, architecture, geography, urban planning, mathematics, surveying, marine and earth sciences, computer science) from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Normally only candidates with either a first or upper second-class degree will be accepted, although applicants with a lower second-class degree supported by extensive work experience will also be considered.

The English language level for this course is: Level 1

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree



If you’re looking for a specialist Master’s in geospatial sciences with a focus on geographic information science and computing, there is no better place to study than here at UCL.

Bringing together the relevant theory with extensive project-based experience, the course covers the diverse facets of geospatial sciences – from acquiring, processing, and analysing geospatial data to geographic information science, geocomputation, programming, machine learning, data science, and web/app development.

In addition to excellent teaching and insights into current research and theory, you’ll gain practical skills and learn specialist software tools like ArcMap, Cyclone, PhotoScan, QGIS, FME, Revit, and PostGIS.

You’ll also learn soft transferable skills like communication, project management and critical thinking – which, when coupled with your technical expertise, will make you highly sought after for jobs in industry, commerce, government and non-governmental bodies. 

Who this course is for

This programme is ideal for students with academic or professional experience in GIS who are looking to enhance their technical skills and deepen their theoretical knowledge. Applicants should be numerate and enthusiastic about programming. We welcome candidates from diverse academic backgrounds, including geography, engineering, environmental studies, mathematics/statistics, earth sciences, architecture, archaeology, and physical or computational sciences. We also encourage applications from those with relevant work experience in Geographic Information Science or related industries. 

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

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 2026), 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.
  • UCL’s Bloomsbury campus is in the heart of a London district famous for its cultural and educational institutions. 
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

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. According to the latest Graduate Outcomes Survey Data (2017-22), 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.

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. Outside these sessions, students are expected to engage in significant self-directed study and complete assessments of around 20-25 hours per 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.

A Postgraduate Diploma, consisting of six compulsory modules (90 credits) and two optional modules (30 credits), is also offered.

Modules

1-year (FT) mode: 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.

2-year (PT) mode: you will study 2 modules per term over the 2-year period. The individual project may be started after Year 1 and is completed at the end of Year 2.

The programme structure for modular/flexible students encompasses a total of 180 credits over the course of their studies. 

Compulsory modules









Optional modules



Drone-based Digital Twins


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. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

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.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27) £21,500 £10,750
Tuition fees (2026/27) £42,700 £21,350

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

There is no fee deposit required for PG Dip and PG Cert applicants.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

The costs associated with fieldwork are covered by the department.

Please note that you may incur some expenses based on your chosen summer research project. Each project is different, so these costs could range from between approximately £10 - £200. The department provides some funding for project expenses, on application.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme (CSSS)

Deadline: 9 December 2025
Value: Full fees, flights, stipend, and other allowances (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

UCL East London Scholarship

Deadline: 25 June 2026
Value: Tuition fees plus £17,096 stipend ()
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this course of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study geospatial sciences at graduate level
  • why you want to study geospatial sciences at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver. 

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2026-2027

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering

cege-pg-admissions@ucl.ac.uk

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