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Remote sensing scientist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a remote sensing scientist. Remote sensing scientists usually study geography, computer science, or chemistry. 46% of remote sensing scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 31% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 30 real remote sensing scientist resumes to see exactly what remote sensing scientist education sections show.

The most common colleges for remote sensing scientists are the Eastern Michigan University and the Eastern Michigan University.

There are also many online remote sensing scientist courses to help get the education required to be a remote sensing scientist.

What education do you need to become a remote sensing scientist?

What degree do you need to be a remote sensing scientist?

The most common degree for remote sensing scientists is bachelor's degree, with 46% of remote sensing scientists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 31% and master's degree degree at 19%.
  • Bachelor's, 46%
  • Master's, 31%
  • Doctorate, 19%
  • Associate, 4%

What should I major in to become a remote sensing scientist?

You should major in geography to become a remote sensing scientist. 20% of remote sensing scientists major in geography. Other common majors for a remote sensing scientist include computer science and chemistry.

Most common colleges for remote sensing scientists

Remote sensing scientists often get their degrees at Eastern Michigan University, University of Arizona, and Purdue University. Here are the most common colleges for remote sensing scientists in the US based on their resumes.
Remote sensing scientist common collegePercentages
Eastern Michigan University10.53%
University of Arizona10.53%
Purdue University5.26%
George Mason University5.26%
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville5.26%

Best majors for remote sensing scientists

Best colleges for remote sensing scientists

The best colleges for remote sensing scientists are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University.

A remote sensing scientist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for remote sensing scientists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become remote sensing scientists.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

4. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

9. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

20 best online courses for remote sensing scientists

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1. Remote Sensing Image Acquisition, Analysis and Applications

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Welcome to Remote Sensing Image Acquisition, Analysis and Applications, in which we explore the nature of imaging the earth's surface from space or from airborne vehicles. This course covers the fundamental nature of remote sensing and the platforms and sensor types used. It also provides an in-depth treatment of the computational algorithms employed in image understanding, ranging from the earliest historically important techniques to more recent approaches based on deep learning. It assumes...

2. Databases for Data Scientists

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Whether you are a beginning programmer with an interest in Data Science, a data scientist working closely with content experts, or a software developer seeking to learn about the database layer of the stack this specialization is for you! We focus on the relational database which is the most widely used type of database. Relational databases have dominated the database software marketplace for nearly four decades and form a core, foundational part of software development. In this specialization...

3. Complete Google Earth Engine for Remote Sensing & GIS

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Harness the Power of Google Earth Engine for GIS Spatial Data Analysis & Remote Sensing...

4. Satellite Remote Sensing Data Bootcamp With Opensource Tools

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Pre-process and Analyze Satellite Remote Sensing Data With Free Software...

5. Sensory Science: Measuring the Senses

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The brain is the most sophisticated sensory interpreter that we know of. Our brain is like a very powerful computer, but no engineered computer exists that can mimic our human sensory capabilities. This course will explore sensory science by examining how the senses are connected to the brain and how the brain makes meaning of the signals it receives. Various types of testing, scales, and measurements are described that allow scientists to quantify senses and the brain’s experience of senses...

6. Fundamentals of Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis

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Become proficient in satellite remote sensing, spatial analysis principles, methods, applications, sensors, and GIS!...

7. Geospatial Analyses & Remote Sensing: from Beginner to Pro

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4.1
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Learn Remote Sensing, QGIS & GIS , main concepts, machine learning, QGIS classification, change detection, Earth Engine...

8. Machine Learning in GIS and Remote Sensing: 5 Courses in 1

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4.5
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Understand & apply machine learning and deep learning for geospatial tasks (GIS and Remote Sensing) in QGIS and Arc GIS...

9. The Google Earth Engine Mega Course: Remote Sensing & GIS

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4.2
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Become a Google Earth Engine expert just in one course. Remote Sensing, GIS, Java Script, Machine Learning...

10. Complete Remote Sensing Image Analysis with ENVI Software

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4.8
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Learn basic to advanced remote sensing image processing, spatial analysis, and GIS techniques using ENVI software...

11. Certificate in Qlik Sense Analytics Development

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Real world data scenarios for Qlik Sense app development...

12. Core Spatial Data Analysis: Introductory GIS with R and QGIS

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13. Qlik Sense Masterclass for Data Science and BI

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Become a Qlik Sense Master - Step-by-step with Real World Challenges. Learn by Doing!...

14. Qlik Sense for Data Science and BI

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Learn Qlik Sense step-by-step with Real World Challenges - Learn by Doing!...

15. Fundamentals of Data Analysis for Big Data

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This course prepares participants to begin running data analysis on databases...

16. Practical SQL Bootcamp for Data Analysts and Data Scientists

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Master One of the Most In-Demand Skills for Data Analysts in 2020!...

17. Essential Non Technical Skills of Effective Data Scientists

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Boost your Data Science Career by developing these crucial Non Technical Skills & become a Successful Data Scientist...

18. Learn Data Science & Machine Learning with R from A-Z

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Become a professional Data Scientist with R and learn Machine Learning, Data Analysis + Visualization, Web Apps + more!...

19. R Level 1 - Data Analytics with R

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Use R for Data Analytics and Data Mining...

20. [Intermediate] Spatial Data Analysis with R, QGIS & More

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Become an Open source GIS Guru and Tackle Spatial Data Analysis Using R, QGIS, GRASS & GOOGLE EARTH...

Top 10 most affordable universities for remote sensing scientists

The most affordable schools for remote sensing scientists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for remote sensing scientists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for remote sensing scientists.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for remote sensing scientists

The hardest universities for remote sensing scientists to get into are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University.

Some great schools for remote sensing scientists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for remote sensing scientists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

10. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,488

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for remote sensing scientists

The easiest schools for remote sensing scientists to get into are Barry University, cardinal stritch university, and san francisco state university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a remote sensing scientist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for remote sensing scientists.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

3. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

4. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

5. Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,072

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

8. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

9. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

10. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

Average remote sensing scientist salary by education level

According to our data, remote sensing scientists with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $93,584 annually. Remote sensing scientists with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $82,413.
Remote sensing scientist education levelRemote sensing scientist salary
Master's Degree$82,413
Bachelor's Degree$78,213
Doctorate Degree$93,584

Remote sensing scientist education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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