This program will give students a deep background in science and engineering complemented by courses in economics, policy, and management to foster their understanding of how each of these areas contributes to the design and organization of space and related technology and engineering projects. The coursework of 39 credit hours and the required internship will provide them with research, study skills and professional skills to enable them to develop strategies for managing complex engineering projects and to understand the connections between programmatic/scientific objectives and their implementation. The program can be completed in 3 semesters, i.e. between 16 - 22 months depending on the length of the internship.

Cohort Courses

Students must complete the following 12 credit hours

Required Cohort Courses	Credits
NSCI 501 Professional Science Master's Seminar	1
NSCI 502 Space Studies Seminar	1
NSCI 511 Science Policy and Ethics	3
NSCI 512 Professional Master’s Project NSCI 515 Project and Product Management	1 3
NSCI 610 Management for Science and Engineering	3

Required Core Courses

Technical Core Courses

Students must complete the following 9 credit hours

Courses	Credits
ASTR 570 Solar System Physics	3
STAT 605 R For Data Science	3
MECH 578 Orbital Mechanics and Mission Design	3

Science & Engineering Core Courses

Students must select 6 credit hours from the following:

Courses	Credits
ASTR 554 Astrophysics of the Sun	3
CHBE 640 Metabolic Engineering	3
BIOS 524 Microbiology and Biotechnology	3
MECH 554/BIOE/CEVE 554	3
MECH 592 Design for Aerospace Environments	3
PHYS 510 Magnetospheric Physics	3
PHYS 517 Computational Physics	3

Data Science & Computation Core Courses

Students must select 3 credit hours from the following:

Courses	Credits
CAAM 550 Numerical Analysis I	3
CEVE 528 / Engi 528 Engineering Economics	3
DSCI 535 Data Science Projects	3
EEPS 586 Data Science Methods and Management	3
EEPS 636 GIS for Scientists	3
MECH 554 Computational Fluid Mechanics	3
STAT 502 Neural Machine Learning I	3
PHYS 517 Computational Physics	3

Focus Areas

Engineering

Students who select Engineering as their focus area must select a minimum of 9 credit hours from the following

Courses	Credits
CEVE 504 Atmospheric Particulate Matter	3
CEVE 511 Atmospheric Processes	3
MECH 576 Structural Dynamic Systems	3
MECH 550 Robotics Algorithm	3
MECH 554 Computational Fluid Mechanics MECH 574 Turbulence	3 3
MECH 590 Aerospace Propulsion	3
MECH 591 Gas Dynamics	3
MECH 592 Design for Aerospace Environments	3
MECH 594 Introduction to Aeronautics	3
MECH 596 Introduction to Flight Mechanics MECH 598 introduction to Robotics	3 3
MECH 691 Introduction to Hypersonic Aerodynamics	3
ENGI 515 Leading Teams and Innovation	3
ENGI 614 Learning How to Innovate	3

Sciences (AstroScience/Earth Science/Life Sciences)

Students who select Sciences as their focus area must select a minimum of 9 credit hours from the following

Courses	Credits
ASTR 542 Nebular Astrophysics	3
ASTR 555 Protostars and Planets	3
ASTR 565 Compact Objects	3
BIOS 524 Microbiology & Biotechnology	3
BIOS 543 Developmental Neurobiology	3
BIOS 570 Computation with Biological Data	3
EEPS 540 Cryosphere	3
EEPS 636 GIS for Scientists	3
EEPS 667 Geomechanics	3
EEPS 672 Earth Systems Modeling: Numerical Techniques and Applications	3
MGMT 633 Life Science Entrepreneurship	3
PHYS 510 Magnetospheric Physics	3
PHYS 541 Radiative Processes	3
PHYS 580 Introduction to Plasma Physics	3

Management & Entrepreneurship

Students who select Management & Entrepreneurship as their focus area must select a minimum of 9 credit hours from the following

Courses	Credits
ENGI 515 Leading Teams and Innovation	3
ENGI 614 Learning How to Innovate	3
MGMT 601 Financial Statement Analysis	3
MGMT 618 Complexities of People and Organizations	3
MGMT 619 Corporate Governance	3
MGMT 629 Business Plan Development	3
MGMT 633 Life Science Entrepreneurship	3
MGMT 658 Applied Risk Management	3
MGMT 734 Technology Entrepreneurship	3

Interdisciplinary Interest Electives

Select 3 courses (9 credit hours) from any of the three focus area electives listed in the areas above (with faculty advisor approval)

Required Internship

Three to six-month internship: Practical experience is offered via a three to six month full-time work immersion. The internship will be under the guidance of a host company, government agency, or non-profit organization. With approval of the advising faculty, a capstone project, independent study, or a research project can be used to fulfill the internship requirement. At the conclusion of the internship (or the conclusion of the capstone project, independent study, or research project), students must present a summary of their project in both oral and written form for the cohort course Professional Master's Project (NSCI 512). Part-time students who already work in their area of study may fulfill the internship requirements by working on an approved project with their current employer.

Visit the GA for the Space Studies most up-to-date curriculum here

NOTE: Not all listed courses are offered every year, but other courses can be used to fulfill requirements with permission of faculty advisor

Students enrolled in the Space Studies program can take advantage of the Inter-Institutional Graduate Program Agreement

NOTE: Rice University and NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) have strategic partnerships in many areas of mutual interest. Senior leadership from Rice and NASA JSC’s Mission Operations Directorate have developed a special curriculum enhancing the educational experience of NASA scientists and engineers. For more information, please contact Dagmar Beck at dkbeck@rice.edu