The advanced Master of Space Studies at KU Leuven and Ghent University: Trends and tendencies in the program demographics

Abstract

Organized by KU Leuven and Ghent University, two leading Belgian universities, the Master of Space Studies is an interdisciplinary post-master program that aims to equip students with the skills they need to initiate a career in the space sector. Beyond the deepening of their initial expertise, the program exposes the participating students to a broad range of topics, from human science (space law and policy, international organizations, project management, ...), to technical science (space missions, spacecraft and payload engineering, satellite telecommunications, ...), and exact sciences (Earth and Space observations, medical sciences, human explorations, ...) with the aim to provide the students with a broad overview of the interdisciplinary expertise required by many space projects. Initiated in the late 2000s, the program has served as a gateway into the space sector for over 100 students since its creation. After a brief introduction to the program, we present a programmatic analysis, based on quantitative and qualitative surveys of students and alumni. We present the demographic, career tracks and current professional situations of students in the last 10 years, allowing us to identify trends that affects tertiary education to space sector. We conclude by briefly highlighting other ongoing space education activities, from the Belgian antenna of ESERO to the involvement of students in CubeSpec, a 6U CubeSat platform selected as ESA in-flight demonstrator to enable low-cost versatile spectroscopy of astronomical targets