Our Vision
Seven Schools. Two Institutions. One Career. Here's Why It Had to Happen.
#1 Most Innovative University, 11 Consecutive Years (U.S. News & World Report, 2015–2025)
This program is what happens when America’s most innovative university commits seven schools, their deans, and their faculty to a single mission: building the leaders the $1.8 trillion space economy demands.
The Opportunity
Seven ASU Schools. Seven Deans. One Program. A Cross-School Architecture Built for One Industry.
Getting one department to launch a new program is routine. Getting seven schools to co-invest faculty, curriculum, and institutional resources into a single cross-disciplinary degree is unusual. Six schools -- Fulton (engineering), W. P. Carey (business), SCAI (AI), Thunderbird (global management), SESE (planetary science), and Herberger (design) -- each deliver a dedicated module. Thunderbird issues the Graduate Certificate and MicroMasters, while SFIS (policy & innovation) houses the Master’s degree and provides the interdisciplinary framework. No single department owns the program. Every school has skin in the game. That is what makes this architecture resilient and designed to survive leadership changes.
Fulton Engineering
Engineering
SESE
Planetary Science
W. P. Carey
Business
SCAI
Computing & AI
Thunderbird
Global Management
Herberger
Design
SFIS
Degree Home & Policy
Academic Home
The School for the Future of Innovation in Society: Neutral Ground for Cross-Disciplinary Innovation
SFIS is the academic home of the MSTS Master’s degree, while Thunderbird School of Global Management issues the Graduate Certificate and MicroMasters credentials. 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, no single department owns this program. Every contributing school participates as an equal partner, which means your curriculum reflects the best thinking across all seven 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 serves as the program’s operational backbone. While SFIS houses the Master’s degree and Thunderbird issues the certificate and MicroMasters, NewSpace connects 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.
MicroMasters Issuing Institution
Thunderbird: Your First Credential, Their Global Network
Thunderbird is consistently ranked among the world’s top global management schools, with 50,000+ alumni in leadership positions across 150 countries. They issue the Graduate Certificate and MicroMasters in Space Systems & Strategy -- your first credentials on this pathway. Complete either one and you’re a Thunderbird alumnus.
When a hiring manager sees Thunderbird on your resume, they think of 50,000 alumni leading across 150 countries. That reputation attaches to you from the Graduate Certificate forward -- not just at the master’s level.
Thunderbird Brings
- Issues the Graduate Certificate and MicroMasters credentials
- Thunderbird alumni status from the Graduate Certificate forward
- Global brand recognition across 150 countries
- Alumni network of 50,000+ global leaders
- Executive delivery infrastructure for working professionals
- 27 MicroMasters credits transfer directly into the ASU MSTS degree
Institutional Architecture
Resilience by Design
Your program is backed by seven schools, not one. That means more resources, more faculty expertise, and a more stable foundation than any single-department offering can provide.
No Single Point of Failure
If one dean leaves, seven remain. If one department pivots, six keep going. Your education is too important to too many institutions to be abandoned.
Shared Governance
Hosted by SFIS and supported by faculty from across the university. This shared governance model means 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 seven directions simultaneously.
Seven contributing schools. One unified program. Zero single points of failure.
Industry Governance
Industry Advisory Board
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 alongside the founding cohort launch in Fall 2026.
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. Named board members will be announced as founding agreements are finalized.
Interested in joining our advisory board? Contact spaceforge-partners@asu.edu
Stackable Dual-Institution Pathway
Thunderbird MicroMasters. ASU Master's Degree. Two Alumni Networks.
Thunderbird School of Global Management issues the Graduate Certificate and MicroMasters in Space Systems & Strategy. All 27 MicroMasters credits transfer directly into the full MSTS degree at ASU. Students who complete both hold credentials from two world-class institutions.
Thunderbird MicroMasters
Graduate Certificate & MicroMasters in Space Systems & Strategy
Issued by Thunderbird School of Global Management. 18-credit Graduate Certificate and 27-credit MicroMasters. Thunderbird alumni status and access to 50,000+ global alumni network. A standalone credential or the bridge to the full MSTS degree.
ASU MSTS Degree
Master of Space Technology and Systems
Granted by SFIS, Rob Walton College of Global Futures. MicroMasters holders transfer 27 credits and complete immersions, integrative seminar, and space elective for the full 42-credit degree. Dual alumni: Thunderbird + ASU.
The Competitive Landscape
How Does MSTS Compare?
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
Professional Certifications
ASU: 5 SFA Certified Space Professional credentials ($1,299 each retail) included in tuition at no extra cost
Others: No certification integration
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 seven schools behind it, that is what MSTS was built to deliver.
The Founding Cohort Is Forming Now
As a founding cohort member, you don’t just take a program -- you help build it. Shape the curriculum, establish the alumni network, and carry a credential that marks you as one of the first people to earn it.
Program architecture developed in partnership with the ASU NewSpace Initiative