Eligibility criteria

University admission criteria for postgraduate degrees, and programme-specific eligibility criteria, which specify and add information to the academic qualification. Candidates must meet all criteria to be considered eligible.

The Selection Committee values documented basic Earth Observation and Geographic Information subjects covering the premises and foundations required for an EO*GI Master of Science, and/or working experience in the geospatial field, programming/software development experience, level of English, grades as documented in transcript of studies, cover and motivation letters. Extra weight is attached to publications, conference presentations, teaching experience, no prior international scholarship awards, and involvement in outreach and community services. Student selection is not based on a single criterion, we evaluate various aspects, the overall portfolio, of each applicant.

University admission

Prove your academic qualification

In order to be admitted to the postgraduate programme, students must hold a Bachelor’s degree in a GEOSPATIAL discipline or from an equivalent programme at an internationally recognised tertiary educational institution, corresponding to at least 180 ECTS (6 semesters) and the admission by the CDE Erasmus Mundus consortium.

Submitted graduation documents must be a certified copy. This is a duplicated version of an original document verified by an authorized individual from the university or certified by a local translators and/or reputable individuals recommended by the Austrian representation authorities (Embassy).

Current students

European applicants in their final year of a Bachelor’s degree may apply when candidates will have completed the undergraduate degree (bachelor’s or equivalent) prior to July and a copy of the official degree certificate can be sent by July 30 at the latest.

International applicants in their final year of a Bachelor’s degree may apply when candidates will have completed the undergraduate degree (bachelor’s or equivalent) prior to May and a copy of the official degree certificate can be sent by May 31 at the latest.

Geospatial discipline

Geography, Geoinformatics, Geology, Geosciences, Geospatial Information Science, Geomatics & Geodetic Engineering, (Spatial) Data Science, Cartography, Remote Sensing, Ecology & Conservation, Surveying & Mapping, Geodesy & Cadastre, Geophysical Engineering, Applied Physics, Agriculture, Resource Management, Meteorology & Climate Science, Urban Planning, Regional Planning, Landscape Planning, Spatial Planning, Public Administration, Infrastructure Management, Civil Engineering, Forestry & Environment, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Wildlife Conservation & Zoo Biology, Marine Science, Architecture & Town Planning, Geomedia, etc.

Indicative list for illustration what we do understand by a GEOSPATIAL discipline; completed coursework must be documented in transcript of records or certificates.

Other disciplines

Candidates with a Bachelor or Master’s degree from any other discipline, e.g. Computer Science, must have gained competencies in the field of Earth Observation, Geoinformatics through work experience or completed courses to be eligible; supporting documents are e.g. transcript of records or certificates.

Proof of English language proficiency

We accept two different types of confirmation:

  1. English test language certificates/results not older than 2 years, C1 or B2 levels equivalent.
  2. Confirmation from a recognized post-secondary educational institution – English as a medium of instruction for the degree programme – at least four semesters.

Programme criteria

Proof of geospatial & computational academic expertise

The curriculum of the Bachelor’s programme or previous degree has to include basic subjects covering the premises and foundations required for an EO*GI MSc. Further requirements ensure to have Geospatial and computational academic expertise for admission to CDE’s specialization tracks; applicants shall have basic knowledge in programming and experience of GIS software with visualisation techniques.

GeoData Science

  • Proficiency of at least one programming language, and interest in programming. You should have already used at least one programming language (and implemented some algorithms), and eager to learn more about it.
  • Essential knowledge in basic statistics, linear algebra and differential calculus (usually studied in first year of scientific university curriculum). If not, it will be required to follow such courses through MOOC before entering the MSc programme.
  • Completed introductory courses in Earth observation, remote sensing.

GeoVisualisation & Geocommunication

  • Experience of GIS software with visualisation modules.
  • Interest in Graphics or Infographics.
  • Further knowledge and skills in JavaScript.
  • Completed introductory courses in Geographic Information Science/Systems, cartography, GIS visualisation.

Completed application

Only applicants who will complete the online application form and submit all required documents will be eligible for consideration. Applicants must submit a completed online application form and upload all requested documents. The online application form provides many spaces to showcase your skills, e.g. cover and motivation letters, CV, prior knowledge, and finally the online interview. The Selection Committee will assess the academic merits and prospects of candidates based on the submitted documentation.

Student selection is made by the Selection Committee on the basis of academic qualifications and merits shown in the application documents. Applicants who do not meet both the university admission requirements and the programme-specific eligibility criteria will not be selected. Please note that not all eligible applicants can be admitted; the number of eligible (short-listed) applicants per cohort exceeds the number of students that can be accepted.

Erasmus+ scholarship regulations

To E+ scholarship applicants specific Erasmus+ scholarship eligibility rules, set by EACEA:

  • Students who have already obtained a EMJM scholarship or an Erasmus Mundus Master Course/Joint Doctorate scholarship are not eligible to apply for an additional scholarship under EMJM.
  • EMJM scholarship holders cannot benefit from another EU funded scholarship scheme to follow the same EM course and this for the entire period of the course.
  • Applicants with more than one nationality must state with their application under which one they are willing to apply.
  • The student, Erasmus+ scholarship holder, shall repay any financial support in case of fraud or false declaration.
  • No more than 10% of the total number of scholarships are awarded to students from the same nationality (this rule does not apply to the additional scholarships for targeted regions of the world).

The CDE consortium, in its award of EMJM scholarships, complies fully with the EACEA requirements for project implementation.

EMJM programme regulations for funded Erasmus+ projects

  • All students spend at least two study periods in two countries which are different from the country of residence of the student at enrolment and of which at least one country is an Erasmus Programme Country.
  • Each of the two mandatory study periods must correspond to a workload of at least one academic semester (30 ECTS credits or equivalent); compulsory mobility periods cannot be replaced by virtual mobility (distance learning).
  • Study periods under the master course shall take place in full partner higher education institutions (partner HEIs), or under their direct supervision.
latest update: November 11, 2024