Remote sensing involves the collection and analysis of data acquired by specialized electronic devices operated from field vehicles, aircraft or satellites. Students specializing in remote sensing learn about the fundamental physical concepts of remote sensing, the many different types of sensors, how to process and analyze digital image data and the many varied applications of the technology.

The School of Natural Resources is housed in the newly renovated Hardin Hall on UNL’s East Campus. The building has excellent laboratory, office and classroom facilities to support research, teaching and outreach in natural resources. In addition, students have access to the most modern hardware and software for geospatial data processing, including ERDAS Imagine, ENVI, ArcGIS and related software. Instruction and research in remote sensing is carried out in collaboration with the UNL Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies (CALMIT).

Resources include:

  • A field research facility located at UNL’s Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead, Neb.
  • A complete field remote sensing capability, including vehicles with boom-mounted sensor packages that allow measurements to be acquired from the ultraviolet through the microwave parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as a pontoon boat for collecting spectral and other data in lakes, ponds and reservoirs;
  • An indoor spectroscopy laboratory; and
  • A Piper Saratoga aircraft equipped with an AISA hyperspectral scanner and other sensors. This allows for easily scheduled data collection in near real-time.
Faculty Point-of-Contact

If you are interested in the Remote Sensing graduate specialization, please feel free to contact the following SNR faculty member:

Dr. Donald Rundquist

Advising Faculty

Example Courses

  • Applications of Remote Sensing in Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Digital Image Analysis
  • Field Techniques in Remote Sensing
  • Introduction to Remote Sensing
  • Quantitative Remote Sensing of Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems
  • Solar Radiation Interactions at the Earth's Surface

Supportive coursework in image processing, GIS, cartography and spatial statistics is available in SNR and the departments of Anthropology and Geography, Community and Regional Planning, Computer Science and Engineering, and Statistics. We also offer a Ph. D. option.

Admission Requirements

All potential SNR M.S. graduate students must meet the following minimum requirements or provide the requested information:

  • A bachelor’s degree with a background that includes at least one course in each of the following disciplines with a minimum of eight courses total:
    • Mathematics (must include one semester of Calculus)
    • Physics
    • Chemistry
    • Life Sciences (Agronomy, Biology, Ecology, Forestry, Wetlands, etc.)
    • Earth Sciences (Geology, Meteorology, Oceanography, Soils, etc.)
  • GRE with minimum recommended scores of 1120 for Verbal and Quantitative copmbined and 4.0 for Analytical Writing.
  • TOEFL score of 550 paper-, 213 computer- or 79 web-based (applies only to international applicants for whom English is not the first language)
  • GPA of 3.0 (on a 4-point system)
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of purpose

Many opportunities in government and in the private sector with government contractors and consulting firms.

Natural Resource
Sciences Program
Specializations