Our Vision
Twelve Schools. One University. One Career. Here's Why It Had to Happen.
Named the #1 Most Innovative University by U.S. News & World Report every year since the ranking was introduced
This program is designed for America’s most innovative university to bring twelve schools — 18 professor seats across six classes — to a single mission: building the leaders the $1.8 trillion space economy demands.
The Opportunity
Twelve ASU Schools by Design. Three in Every Classroom. A Cross-School Architecture Built for One Industry.
Getting one department to launch a new program is routine. Getting twelve schools to co-invest faculty, curriculum, and institutional resources into a single cross-disciplinary degree is unusual. In the proposed structure, every class is co-taught by a Lead school plus two rotating Guest schools — 3 schools per class × 6 classes = 12 ASU schools and 18 professor seats. Six Lead schools each anchor a module -- Fulton (engineering), W. P. Carey (business), SCAI (AI), SESE (planetary science), Herberger (design), and SFIS (policy & innovation) -- while Guest seats rotate in from schools such as Cronkite, Sandra Day O’Connor Law, Thunderbird, the School of Sustainability, the School of Politics & Global Studies, and the College of Health Solutions. Under the proposed structure, SFIS in the Rob Walton College of Global Futures would issue the Graduate Certificate and MicroMasters, house the Master’s degree, and provide the interdisciplinary framework. The design is intended so that no single department owns the program and every school participates. That design is what makes the architecture resilient enough to weather leadership changes.
Fulton Engineering
Engineering
SESE
Planetary Science
W. P. Carey
Business
SCAI
Computing & AI
Herberger
Design
SFIS
Degree Home & Policy
The six module Lead schools. Each class also seats two rotating Guest Professors, drawing from twelve ASU schools in all — 18 professor seats across the six-class sequence.
Academic Home
The School for the Future of Innovation in Society: Neutral Ground for Cross-Disciplinary Innovation
In the proposed structure, SFIS would be the academic home of the full pathway -- issuing the Graduate Certificate and MicroMasters and housing the MSTS Master’s degree. SFIS exists at the intersection of technology, policy, and society -- making it the ideal host for a degree that draws from every corner of the university.
Because SFIS is interdisciplinary by design, the proposed structure has no single department own this program. Every contributing school is designed to participate as an equal partner, which means your curriculum would reflect the best thinking across all twelve contributing schools -- not the priorities of just one.
Why SFIS?
- Part of the Rob Walton College of Global Futures
- No departmental bias toward a single discipline
- Built for programs that defy traditional academic boundaries
- Faculty culture of systems thinking and responsible innovation
- Administrative infrastructure for interdisciplinary degrees
NewSpace Delivers
- Program operations and day-to-day coordination
- Industry connections across the commercial space sector
- Immersion logistics at launch sites, agencies, and companies
- Guest speaker pipeline from active space professionals
- Bridge between academic rigor and industry relevance
Operational Backbone
ASU NewSpace Initiative: Where Theory Meets Industry
The ASU NewSpace Initiative is designed to serve as the program’s operational backbone. While SFIS would issue the Graduate Certificate and MicroMasters and house the Master’s degree, NewSpace would connect the program to the commercial space industry -- handling operations, industry partnerships, and the immersion experiences that distinguish this program.
NewSpace brings the relationships, the launch site access, the agency connections, and the real-world context that transforms classroom learning into professional readiness.
Optional Add-On Certificate
Thunderbird's #1-Ranked International Trade Program Powers This Optional Certificate
Thunderbird School of Global Management is ranked #1 in the world for international trade by QS, with 50,000+ alumni in leadership positions across 150 countries. In the proposed structure, that strength supports one optional standalone credential: a 9-credit Graduate Certificate in International Space Commerce, built on the program’s export-controls (ITAR/USML), cross-jurisdictional-commerce, and spectrum/ITU content.
It is a separate option from the MSTS ladder -- not a rung on it -- designed for students who want to deepen the cross-border dimension of the space business and open access to the Thunderbird alumni network.
The Optional Certificate Brings
- 9-credit standalone Graduate Certificate in International Space Commerce
- Issued by Thunderbird School of Global Management
- Built on export-controls (ITAR/USML), cross-jurisdictional commerce, and spectrum/ITU content
- Ranked #1 in the world for international trade by QS
- Access to the Thunderbird alumni network of 50,000+ global leaders
- A separate option, not a rung on the MSTS ladder
Institutional Architecture
Twelve Schools Back This Program — No Single One Can Break It
The program is designed to be backed by twelve schools, not one. That is intended to mean more resources, more faculty expertise, and a more stable foundation than any single-department offering can provide.
Designed Against a Single Point of Failure
The architecture is designed so that if one dean leaves, others remain, and if one department pivots, the rest keep going -- spreading the program across institutions rather than resting it on one.
Shared Governance
Designed to be hosted by SFIS and supported by faculty from across the university. This shared governance model is intended so your curriculum draws from the best of every school, not just one.
Roots in Every School
As each school deepens its contribution, the program evolves with the industry. New faculty, new research, and new industry connections flow in from twelve directions simultaneously.
Six Lead schools anchor the modules; twelve ASU schools contribute in all — 18 professor seats by design. One unified program. An architecture designed to reduce reliance on any single department.
Industry Governance
The Advisory Board Will Keep Your Curriculum and Capstones Tied to Industry
The Industry Advisory Board will include senior executives from defense primes, commercial space operators, government agencies, and space-focused venture capital firms. Board members will be announced as partner approvals and governance agreements are finalized.
Curriculum Review
Board members will review curriculum against current industry needs, helping ensure graduates possess the skills employers require.
Capstone Project Sourcing
Advisory board organizations will provide real consulting engagements and venture challenges for capstone experiences.
Industry Alignment
Board participation from defense primes, commercial operators, and government agencies will help ensure the program meets industry standards.
Target Sectors
Defense & Aerospace
Major defense contractors and aerospace primes
Commercial Space
Launch providers, satellite operators, and space infrastructure companies
Government & National Security
Military space commands, civil space agencies, and intelligence organizations
University & Research
Academic institutions, research labs, and space policy organizations
The advisory board is being assembled with senior executives across these sectors. Names will be published only after partner approval.
Interested in joining our advisory board? Contact [email protected]
Stackable ASU Pathway
Start at Any Rung. Every Credit Carries Forward to the Degree.
In the proposed structure, SFIS in the Rob Walton College of Global Futures would issue the Graduate Certificate and MicroMasters in Space Systems & Strategy. The program is designed so that all 27 MicroMasters credits carry forward into the full MSTS degree, subject to institutional approval. The design has graduates earn ASU alumni status at every tier — from a university named the #1 most innovative by U.S. News every year since the ranking was introduced.
Graduate Certificate & MicroMasters
Space Systems & Strategy
Designed to be issued by ASU’s SFIS, Rob Walton College of Global Futures. 18-credit Graduate Certificate and 27-credit MicroMasters, with ASU alumni status. Designed as a standalone credential or the bridge to the full MSTS degree.
ASU MSTS Degree
Master of Space Technology and Systems
Designed to be granted by SFIS, Rob Walton College of Global Futures. MicroMasters holders would carry forward 27 credits (subject to institutional approval) and complete immersions, integrative seminar, and space elective for the full 42-credit degree. ASU alumni status by design.
The Competitive Landscape
MSTS Combines Six Disciplines and In-Person Immersion — Most Competitors Offer Neither
Several universities offer strong online engineering and space-related degrees. Here is how the cross-disciplinary MSTS model differs:
Cross-Disciplinary Cohort
ASU: Engineers, scientists, business, policy, and design students in the same room
Others: Single-discipline silos
Content Focus
ASU: All 42 credits use space as the core operating context
Others: Conventional graduate programs that add one or two space electives to a general curriculum
Delivery Format
ASU: Executive hybrid: in-person weekends (Sat-Sun, 8AM-5PM) + online. 12-18 months (Track A: 12 months full-time; Track B: 18 months for working professionals).
Others: Fully online, asynchronous, 24 months
Industry Immersion
ASU: 3 one-week immersions: Florida, Houston/South Texas, Washington D.C.
Others: No in-person component
Industry Pipeline
ASU: Industry Fellows, Advisory Board, capstone with real clients
Others: Standard career services
If you want the most affordable engineering master’s online, Georgia Tech is hard to beat. If you want a cross-disciplinary space leadership credential with immersions, certifications, and twelve schools behind it, that is what MSTS was built to deliver.
The Next Cohort of Space Devils Is Forming
Join a small cohort of Space Devils — a nod to ASU's Sun Devil lineage and the orbital domain you'll spend your career working in. Work directly with the faculty building the program, and carry a credential designed for the space economy now taking shape.