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Remote sensing specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a remote sensing specialist. Remote sensing specialists usually study geography, environmental science, or geology. 59% of remote sensing specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 103 real remote sensing specialist resumes to see exactly what remote sensing specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for remote sensing specialists are the Radford University and the Radford University.

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

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

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

The most common degree for remote sensing specialists is bachelor's degree, with 59% of remote sensing specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 26% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 59%
  • Master's, 26%
  • High School Diploma, 7%
  • Associate, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

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

You should major in geography to become a remote sensing specialist. 21% of remote sensing specialists major in geography. Other common majors for a remote sensing specialist include environmental science and geology.

Most common colleges for remote sensing specialists

Remote sensing specialists often get their degrees at Radford University, University of Idaho, and Colorado State University. Here are the most common colleges for remote sensing specialists in the US based on their resumes.
Remote sensing specialist common collegePercentages
Radford University7.69%
University of Idaho7.69%
Colorado State University7.69%
University of New Hampshire7.69%
University of Utah7.69%

Best majors for remote sensing specialists

RankMajorPercentages
1Geography20.9%
2Environmental Science17.9%
3Geology11.9%
4Business7.5%
5Biology6.0%

Best colleges for remote sensing specialists

The best colleges for remote sensing specialists are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A remote sensing specialist 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 specialists. 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 specialists.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

10. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

20 best online courses for remote sensing specialists

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1. Remote Sensing Image Acquisition, Analysis and Applications

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4. Complete Remote Sensing Image Analysis with ENVI Software

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

5. Fundamentals of Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis

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

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

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

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

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

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19. Qlik Sense Masterclass for Data Science and BI

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20. Fundamentals of Data Analysis for Big Data

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

Top 10 most affordable universities for remote sensing specialists

The most affordable schools for remote sensing specialists are SUNY Farmingdale, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for remote sensing specialists 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 specialists.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for remote sensing specialists

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

Some great schools for remote sensing specialists 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 specialists 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,488

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

The easiest schools for remote sensing specialists to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a remote sensing specialist 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 specialists.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

7. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

8. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

Average remote sensing specialist salary by education level

According to our data, remote sensing specialists with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $79,190 annually. Remote sensing specialists with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $70,777.
Remote sensing specialist education levelRemote sensing specialist salary
Master's Degree$70,777
Bachelor's Degree$67,580
Doctorate Degree$79,190

Remote sensing specialist 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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