2024-25 Graduate Catalog

Geographic Information Science, M.S.

CIP: 450702

The department offers an online Master of Science degree in Geographic Information Science. The degree program focuses on applied geographic information science as used in industry and the public sector. Students may earn a certificate in Geographic Information Science by taking a subset of courses required for the Master’s degree.

Requirements

Program Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the M.S. in Geographic Information Science program must meet the following requirements:

1. Compliance with all of the eligibility requirements of the Graduate School as set forth in this catalog.

2. Acceptance to graduate study by the Associate Provost of Graduate Studies and Special Programs. 

3. Minimum verbal plus quantitative GRE score of 286. Students not meeting this score must maintain a 3.00 average for the first nine hours of graduate credit before admission to candidacy. GRE scores must be on file in the Graduate Office before a student’s application for admission will be evaluated. The GRE will be waived for applicants who meet one of the following conditions: (1) a graduate degree (Master’s or higher) from an accredited institution, (2) a graduate GIScience certificate from an accredited institution, (3) one year of documented full-time GIS professional work experience or three years of documented full-time professional work experience in any field, or (4) 3.3 Overall undergraduate GPA.

 

The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences reserves the right of final decision in accepting students to graduate degree candidacy in the department. Criteria for admittance to the program and acceptance to degree candidacy may include academic qualifications and performance, letters of recommendation, number of applicants, and available resources.

General Requirements and Policies for M.S. in Geographic Information Science

  1. All requirements of the Graduate School must be met.
  2. A grade of “B” or better must be earned in all courses that are prerequisites to other courses.
  3. A maximum of six advisor-approved credit hours may be taken outside the department.

Advisement

A member of the Graduate Faculty of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences will serve as the major advisor.  The major advisor must approve any changes to the student’s Degree Audit by notifying the Graduate Office.

Research Component

All M.S. in Geographic Information Science students must complete a research component, involving 6 hours toward the 30 hours degree. Through the completion of these 6 hours, students will demonstrate their ability on identifying research objectives or research questions, performing a literature review, searching suitable and usable spatial data, conducting a research project, drawing appropriate conclusions, and presenting findings. 

Required Core Courses

GEOG 32602Principles of GIS

3

GEOG 32604Applications of Remotely Sensed Data

3

GEOG 32606Cartographic Design and Visualization

3

GEOG 32620GIS and Spatial Analytics

3

Required Research Component

GEOG 32680GIScience Research Seminar

3

GEOG 32690GIScience Research Project

3

Electives (Choose 12 hours)

GEOG 32608Fundamentals of GeoStatistics

3

GEOG 32611Special Topics in Geographic Information Science

1 to 3

GEOG 32615Geographic Foundations of Geospatial Intelligence

3

GEOG 32630Raster-based GIS and Modeling

3

GEOG 32641Geoprocessing with Python

3

GEOG 32642Internet GIS

3

GEOG 32650GIS Database Design

3

GEOG 32655GIS Project Management

3

GEOG 32660Trends and Applications in GIScience

3

GEOG 32663Digital Image Processing

3

Advisor approved electives

6

Total Credit Hours: 30