Space Doesn't Wait. Neither Should You.
One module, a Thunderbird certificate, or a full ASU master's degree -- every credit stacks toward the next credential. Two institutions. Seven schools. One space industry.
Stackable Credentials
Build Your Credential, Your Way
Every module counts toward your next credential. Start with one, stack toward a Thunderbird Graduate Certificate or MicroMasters, then bridge into the full ASU MSTS degree. Two institutions, one pathway.
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Credits
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Domains
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Space Courses
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Immersions
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Planned Faculty (across 6 departments)
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Months
Program Architecture
Build Your Credential Your Way
SpaceForge
The Foundation
Six intensive modules where engineers learn venture capital, business leaders learn orbital mechanics, and everyone emerges fluent in the six languages that move space forward.
Master of Space Technology & Systems (MSTS)
Full Master's Degree
The complete 42-credit ascent. Master six foundational domains, deepen into cutting-edge space systems, walk three launch sites, and defend your research to industry leaders.
Every Entry Point
One Module
3 credits · $4,500 · 7.5 weeks
Test the program. Upskill in one discipline. No commitment beyond 7.5 weeks.
Thunderbird Graduate Certificate
18 credits · $27,000 · 3-4 semesters
Complete all six SpaceForge modules. A Thunderbird credential with alumni status.
Thunderbird MicroMasters
27 credits · 4-5 semesters
Add the Practicum and Capstone. Transfer all 27 credits into the ASU MSTS, or hold as a standalone Thunderbird credential.
Industry Fellow
Non-credit · $10K-$18K · employer-sponsored
Companies embed professionals alongside students. Deep domain experts elevating every team.
The Opportunity
A $1.8 Trillion Industry by 2035 (World Economic Forum). A Growing Gap in Cross-Disciplinary Talent.
Traditional space programs teach from a single department. ASU co-teaches every module across seven schools: Fulton engineering, School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) planetary science, W. P. Carey business, School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence (SCAI), Thunderbird global management, and Herberger design each place faculty in the classroom and share curriculum. Thunderbird issues the Graduate Certificate and MicroMasters, while SFIS houses the full Master’s degree. The result is a dual-institution program with stackable credentials, three immersions at launch sites and agencies, and five industry certifications built into the curriculum.
The space industry integrates engineering, business, policy, and science on day one. So does this curriculum.
$1.8T
Projected space economy by 2035
What You'll Do
Hands-On Learning. Portfolio-Ready Deliverables.
42 credits of curriculum
Graduate-level content spanning aerospace engineering, AI strategy, venture finance, space science, operations, and design policy.
3 immersions
Kennedy Space Center. Johnson Space Center and South Texas launch sites. Washington D.C. and Capitol Hill. 20+ site visits across three states.
Professional deliverables
Technical feasibility reports, financial models, working prototypes, and live pitches to industry panels. Every deliverable has real-world value.
Cross-disciplinary teams
Engineers work with MBAs. Scientists work with designers. Every team mirrors the cross-functional reality of the space industry.
Space Force Association Partnership
5 Industry Certifications, Built Into Your Program
Earn all 5 Certified Space Professional credentials from the Space Force Association while completing your coursework -- embedded directly into the curriculum, not bolted on as separate exams.
CSP-1
Space Professional 1
Foundations
Thunderbird Grad Cert
CSP-2
Space Professional 2
Applied
Thunderbird Grad Cert
CSP-3
Space Professional 3
Advanced
Thunderbird MicroMasters
CSBP
Space Business Professional
Strategy & ventures
Thunderbird MicroMasters
CSP-E
Space Executive
Senior leadership
MSTS Degree
Certifications by Credential Tier
Thunderbird Graduate Certificate — earns CSP-1 + CSP-2
Thunderbird MicroMasters — adds CSP-3 + CSBP
ASU MSTS Degree — adds CSP-E (all 5 total)
Each certification retails for $1,299 through SFA. Through our partnership, all five are included in your program tuition at no additional cost. SFA also connects students to industry events, professional networking, and candidate pipelines.
Immersive Experiences
Three Cities. Three Immersions. 9 Credits of Field Experience.
Leave the classroom behind. Walk the launch pads, mission control rooms, and legislative halls where the future of space is being decided right now.
Launch & Hardware
Florida Space Coast
Feel the concrete vibrate during a countdown at Cape Canaveral. Walk through vehicle integration buildings and defense sensor labs. See the full chain from raw hardware to ignition.
Operations & Mission Control
Houston + South Texas
Sit behind the flight director in Mission Control while controllers talk to the ISS crew. Walk the astronaut training complex. Then drive south to watch the largest rocket ever built undergo testing.
Policy & Governance
Washington, D.C.
Brief congressional staffers on space policy you have spent months analyzing. Meet leadership at NASA HQ, Space Force, and the FAA. Defend your capstone in front of the people who fund and regulate the industry.
Inside SpaceForge
Your Learning Command Center
Everything you need to master the space industry -- track progress, access lessons, earn credentials, and run simulations -- in one platform.
Learning
AI Writing Coach
Real-time feedback on technical reports and policy briefs
AI Research Coach
Graduate-level advisor for capstone, literature reviews, and methodology
Knowledge Graph
Visualize how concepts connect across modules and the space industry
Collaboration
Collision Engine
AI detects when your work intersects with another student’s across modules
Mission Control Simulator
Team-based decision-making under real mission pressure
Peer Workshops
Students teach each other — earn credentials for sharing expertise
Intelligence
Live Missions
Real SpaceX launches and NASA events become learning exercises
SpaceForge Intel
Federal contract intelligence and career placement for the space industry
Learning Analytics
Predictive scoring and competency tracking across your journey
Career
Industry Certifications
See how SpaceForge competencies map to PMP, FAA, and industry certs
Competency Portfolio
Verified simulation scores and credentials employers can trust
AI-Powered Learning, Not Bolted On
Your writing improves in real time. Your retention of orbital mechanics sticks. When your work overlaps with a classmate's, the system connects you both — that's where breakthroughs happen.
You're Not Joining a Program. You're Founding One.
30 seats. No waitlist. As a founding member, you work directly with the faculty who designed the curriculum, build the alumni network before anyone else, and graduate with a credential shaped by your own feedback.
Later cohorts will inherit a program. You will have built it.