Environmental Drone Remote Sensing

Entry requirements

Normally a 2:1 degree in an approved subject.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This MSc programme teaches the knowledge, skills and understanding to create and utilise high resolution remote sensing data for real world, practical applications, using sensors flown on drone platforms.

You will gain the skills, experience and knowledge to operate a drone safely and within current Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulations. This will comprise theoretical and practical flight training and assessment. This component will be taught in part by an external CAA accredited training provider and you will graduate with the additional CAA drone/UAV remote pilot competency accreditation: General Visual line of sight Certificate (GVC).

Building on these skills, you will learn the complete workflow required to capture and analyse remote sensing data from a drone platform, with a focus on environmental needs. This will include the knowledge and understanding for high quality image capture, flight design and planning, data collection and image processing.

Why Environmental Drone Remote Sensing at Swansea?

• Top 250-300 in the World for Environmental Sciences (QS World University Rankings 2026)
• 90% of our research outputs have been recognised as world-leading and internationally excellent - Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021
• 100% of the environment was rated as world-leading and internationally excellent - Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

Your Environmental Drone Remote Sensing Experience

Our Global Environmental Modelling and Earth Observation (GEMEO) Research Group welcomes students to come and study with us.

We have a strong interest in the data-collection potential of drones, which complements our long-standing expertise in airborne and satellite remote sensing.

The Geography Department at Swansea University, based at Singleton Park Campus, is large and diverse, covering all aspects of Geography both in its teaching and research. This programme is built on a student-centred philosophy that places you at the centre of your educational journey. Teaching is delivered to encourage independent thinking, intellectual curiosity, and personal growth to empower you to take ownership of your projects. Experiential learning is encouraged on this course to motivate you to learn through first-hand experiences, this interactive environment allows you to feel part of a community of learners.

Fees and funding

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.

If you're a UK or EU student starting a master’s degree at Swansea University, you may be eligible to apply for Government funding to help towards the cost of your studies. To find out more, please visit our postgraduate loans page.

To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page.