EPFL Minor in Space Technologies

To foster and promote the awareness of space technologies and applications among students, EPFL offers since 2005 a Minor in Space Technologies. The course is hosted by the Electrical Engineering and Electronics Section (SEL) but open to the entire EPFL student community.

The main goals of the Minor in Space Technologies are:

  • To offer students the possibility to strengthen their knowledge of space related research
  • To promote space applications, technology and science based on the large interest raised by space
  • To foster a strong educational platform in the space sector, in parallel to the development of academic and research projects at EPFL (e.g. SwissCube, Cleanspace)

guidelines

Who is eligible to register for the Minor in Space Technologies?

The Minor may be taken by EPFL students, but specifically by STI students (EL, MX, MT, GM) and the students from the Physics Section (PH). Students from other sections are more than welcome but prior authorisation from their Sections should be obtained.

The Minor is only open to Master students who have selected a Master programme with at least 90 ETCS (European Credit Transfer System).

A minimum of 30 ETCS are necessary to obtain the Minor, usually corresponding to one semester of study.

All the requirements for the Minor should be completed before the student starts his/her Master thesis (usually in the 4th semester of his/her Master studies).

What are the requirements to register for the Minor?

In order to obtain the Minor, a student will have to get at least 30 ETCS (European Credit Transfer System) made out of at least:

  • 18 ETCS for courses (to be selected out of a list of 94 ETCS)
  • 12 ETCS for a project

It should be noted that the classes taken by a student in the frame of the Minor are considered as a “group”. Hence the student has to obtain a mark of at least 4.0 for each of them.

When can I enroll in the Minor in Space Technologies?

The student’s choice to select the Minor should be announced no later than two weeks after the beginning of the first semester of his/her Master studies. The student’s choice should be confirmed before the end of the first semester of his/her Master studies.

What happens if I decide not to continue with the Minor course?

A student is allowed to give up the Minor after being enrolled. However, in order to obtain his/her Master degree, the student will still have to satisfy the rules relative to the Master diploma determined by the “ordonnance du Contrôle des études” as well as those applicable to his/her section.

In addition, the credits (ETCS) earned in the frame of the Minor may be transferred to the necessary requirements to earn the Master degree as long as the student’s Section allows for it. The credits earned in the frame of the Minor which are not valid for the requirements to earn the Master degree will be lost.

list of courses

important

Please note the following information concerning classes:

ENV-542 Advanced satellite positioning : will not happen in 2022-2023
ENV-548 Sensor orientation : as of 2022-2023, the class will be given during Spring Semester (week P.)
epfl official study plan

A list of all the courses offered in the frame of the Minor is shown on the registration form for the Minor in Space Technologies 2021-2022

Students should be mindful that some classes have a weekly repetition cycle (2 hours/week) but a few will be given only biweekly (4 hours every other week) in order to fit the schedule of the external lecturers.

Students will have to choose among a list of courses which are strongly recommended due to the fact they are entirely dedicated to space (shown in blue in the document) and a list of existing EPFL courses which will be slightly adapted to emphasise space-related aspects. Students need to select lectures yielding a total of at least 18 ETCS from the choice available.

Note: some classes are marked as “mandatory” for students who follow them in their major. In the case of the Minor in Space Technologies, these classes are optional. 

projects

Each student planning to take the Minor will have to select a project equivalent to 12 ETCS. A list of topics will be made available by eSpace at the beginning of the term or could be proposed by a lab (as long as the project is space related).

It is highly recommended to take the project after the classes, i.e. in the third semester of Master. Once the title of the project has been selected and agreed with project supervisors, the student needs to register for the project on IS-Academia and should inform us about their project via this form: Minor project

For eSpace related projects, please visit the open projects page.

enrolment

  1. The student should register on IS-Academia for the minor and corresponding classes.
  2. They should ensure that the selected classes equal at least 18 ECTS in the frame of the minor, as well as a potential project that fulfills the required 12 credits (online form to also be completed and submitted)
  3. The student fills the registration form for the Minor in Space Technologies 2021-2022 and selects the classes they wish to follow
  4. This form should be sent by email to Candice Norhadian.
  5. Deadline to register: before the end of the first semester of each students’ Master studies

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