Bridging Education and Employment Career Trajectories of CDE Graduates in Earth Observation and Geoinformatics

The Copernicus Digital Earth (CDE) Master’s programme is designed to equip students with advanced expertise in EarthObservation (EO) and Geoinformatics along with GeoData Science or GeoVisualisation, depending on the specialisation track. It is designed to address the growing demand for skilled professionals in these fields. Despite the increasing availability of EO and geospatial data and technologies, there remains a gap in structured academic pathways that effectively bridge higher education and industry requirements. The CDE programme aims to fill this gap by offering a comprehensive curriculum, combining theoretical foundations with practical training, research-driven education, and industry collaborations. This paper presents a career trajectory overview of CDE graduates, providing statistics on employment sectors and job roles. The findings highlight the programme’s success in preparing graduates for diverse career opportunities, demonstrating its impact on the EO job market.