The Department begins to offer a new track option for GIS professionals in the MS program from Fall 2018.

This GIS professional track is intended for students who plan to seek professional employment in the field of GIS and are not interested in continuing their graduate education beyond the master’s degree. Students need to apply for the regular Geography MS program and may declare the choice after enrollment.

Minimum degree requirement is 30 graduate credits with an average GPA of 3.0.

The student, in consultation with the advisor, plans a program of studies to include 4 credits in Geography 726 (Geographic Information Science); 4 credits in Geography 747 (Spatial Analysis); 4 credits in Geography 704 (Remote Sensing); 4 credits in Geography 826 (Intermediate GIS); 4 credits in Geography 705 (Cartography); and 6 credits from electives. The remaining 4 credits will be earned in the student’s capstone project (e.g., Geography 798).

Students pursuing the GIS professional track should conduct at least 180 hours of internship. The internship should be related to the field of GIS and must be approved by the advisor. The student is expected to write a scholarly paper of 25-50 pages in length that connects the internship to the appropriate literature. The student must have a committee of three faculty members, and is expected to go through an oral defense with the committee members regarding the internship paper. According to current guidelines, the student is not expected to present their internship paper at the colloquium series.