WORCESTER, MA — Clark University is launching what it calls the world’s first professional doctorate in geospatial technology, a field used across industries including climate monitoring, transportation, insurance, agriculture and urban planning.
The two-year, low-residency Executive Doctor of Geospatial Leadership program is set to begin in summer 2027 through Clark’s School of Climate, Environment, and Society and School of Business. Applications will open in fall 2026, according to Clark University.
The program is designed for mid- to senior-career professionals with at least seven years of experience in geospatial observation, GIS, remote sensing or GeoAI, according to Clark. Students will take 48 credits over six semesters, including summer, fall and spring terms.
Clark said the program will be delivered primarily online through synchronous and asynchronous courses. Students will also attend two one-week residencies each year on Clark’s Worcester campus, plus a three-day in-person orientation at the start of the program.
The new degree was developed in collaboration with the World Geospatial Industry Council and in consultation with geospatial industry leaders. The council represents more than 50 member organizations, including Esri, Oracle, Amazon Web Services, TomTom and Hexagon, according to Clark.
The program aims to address a leadership gap in the geospatial industry as the sector expands and longtime executives retire, according to Clark. The university said graduates will be prepared to lead organizations using geospatial technology in areas such as climate risk, business, insurance, logistics, environmental monitoring and land-use planning.
Students in the program will study geospatial technologies along with executive leadership, finance and enterprise strategy. Clark said the curriculum will include topics such as AI-driven geospatial analytics, cloud-native systems, Earth observation, digital twins, data platforms, geospatial strategy, product leadership and strategic finance.
The program will also include an applied leadership capstone project focused on a real organizational or industry challenge, according to Clark. Employers and industry partners are expected to participate through guest lectures, applied case studies, sponsored students and residency-week innovation labs.
Clark announced the new degree June 2 at Horizons 2026, the World Geospatial Industry Council’s annual event in London.
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