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Geographic Information Science

The Geographic Information Science Certificate Program is designed to prepare graduates with advanced training for the rapidly expanding field of geographic information science (GIS).

Why GIScience at the University of Georgia (UGA)

  • A comprehensive collection of courses in GIScience and GI Technology is offered by the Department of Geography and other UGA departments.  Learning geospatial concepts and skills in geographic data collection and analysis will increase your research and employment opportunities in the growing field of GIScience.
  • GIScience faculty have research interests covering various aspects including theories and methods in GIScience, remote sensing, landscape ecology, cartography and geovisualizaiton, health and the environment, urban studies, transportation, community studies,  social media, natural resources, human-environment interaction and more. 
  • Gain real-world experience through GIS internship or a GIS independent study.

Inquiries, Application and Completion

  1. There are no prerequisite courses required for the graduate certificate program. If you have any inquiries, please contact the certificate program coordinator (Dr. Lan Mu, mulan@uga.edu). 
  2. To apply, fill in the first line of the Certificate/Concentration Change Form and email it to the certificate program coordinator. You will receive a reply confirming your registration for the certificate. 
  3. After you have completed all the course requirements, please fill out the Graduate GIScience Certificate Completion Form and send it to the certificate program coordinator for the final evaluation and approval.
  4. Your GIScience Certificate will be approved if you have fulfilled all the course requirements with an average 3.0 and above GPA in the 15 credits of GIScience courses.  You will receive the following confirmation and documents:
    • A signed copy of the UGA Graduate GIScience Certificate through the mail (please make sure we have your most updated mailing address).
    • An official record on your UGA transcript to show that you have earned the Graduate GIScience Certificate.

Course Requirements (15 credits, with at least 9 credits of GEOG courses)

Fifteen credit hours are required to complete the GIScience Graduate Certificate Program. A repeated course (such as a directed study) can only be counted once toward the GIScience Certificate Program’s requirements. Only courses with A-F grading can be used to fulfill the course requirements.  

Required (6 credits)

  • GEOG 6370-6370L or 6370E Geographic Information Systems (3 credits)
  • Internship/Applied GIS projects (3 credits)

Internship in GIS with a private firm or government agency (GEOG 6990), or a GIS research or applied project conducted under an 8000-level course. For students wishing to use a geography course, GEOG 8590 - Directed Problems in Geographic Techniques meets this requirement. Approval of the Internship and/or the GIS research project is required by the certificate program coordinator prior to the student taking these courses.

Elective (9 credits)

GIScience

  • GEOG 6380-6380L Transportation Modeling and GIS
  • GEOG 6385 Community GIS
  • GEOG 6570-6570L Advanced GIScience
  • GEOG 6571-6571L GIScience for Health and the Environment
  • GEOG 8570 Seminar in Geographic Information Science

Remote Sensing

  • ATSC/GEOG 6140 Satellite Meteorology and Climatology
  • GEOG 6330-6330L Aerial Photographs and Image Interpretation
  • GEOG 6350-6350L Remote Sensing of Environment
  • GEOG 6430-6430L Advanced Image Analysis and Photogrammetry
  • GEOG 6450-6450L Digital Image Analysis
  • GEOG 6460-6460L Field and Lab Methods in Remote Sensing
  • GEOG 8350 Advanced Remote Sensing & Geospatial Techniques
  • GEOG 8450 Geospatial Techniques in Landscape Analysis
  • GEOG 8530 Advanced Topics in the Use and Interpretation of Aerial Photographs
  • GEOG 8550 Problems in Remote Sensing of Environment II

Data Science and Programming

  • ATSC/GEOG 6100 Programming for Atmospheric Scientists
  • GEOG 6300 Data Science in Geography
  • GEOG 6410-4410L Geovisualization and Data Visualization
  • GEOG 6470-6470L Geospatial Analysis
  • GEOG 6590-6590L Programming for GIScience
  • GEOG 8350 Machine Learning with Geospatial Big Data

GIS&T in related disciplines

  • ANTH 6420L Anthropology of Landscape
  • CRSS 4050 Improving Nutrient and Energy Efficiency with Geographic Information Systems
  • DMAN 7450 GIS and Disasters
  • ECOL 6130 Geographic Information Systems for Environmental Planning
  • ECOL 6450 Spatial Ecology
  • EDES 6270 Environmental Design Uses of Geographic Information Systems           
  • EDES 6280E Environmental Design Uses of Geographic Information Systems
  • ENGR 7930 GPS with Engineering and GIS Applications
  • FANR 6201 Spatial Analysis for Integrative Natural Resource Problem Solving
  • FANR 7620 GIS Applications for Natural Resources
  • FANR 8400 Advanced Spatial Analysis
  • FORS 7650 Aerial Photogrammetry in Forestry
  • FORS 7690 Applied Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Forest Resource Management
  • GEOL 4530 Principles and Environmental Applications of GIS

 

Additionally, upon request by the applicant, a GIS related graduate course taken in another department at UGA can be considered as an elective course contingent upon an evaluation by the certificate program coordinator or the GIScience faculty.

B. Internship/Applied GIS Project (3 credits)

Internship in GIS with a private firm or government agency (GEOG 6990), or a GIS research or applied project conducted under an 8000-level course. For students wishing to use a geography course, GEOG 8590 - Directed Problems in Geographic Techniques meets this requirement. Approval of the Internship and/or the GIS research project is required by the certificate program coordinator prior to the student taking these courses.

Additional Stipulations

In order to ensure that certificate recipients display a strong command of GIScience, the certificate is granted only to those students who achieve a 3.0 GPA in courses that constitute the GIScience Graduate Certificate Program. The GPA for certificate purposes will be computed in accordance with UGA policy.

Note: Applicants to this certificate program must be degree-seeking University of Georgia students and will be required to satisfy the requirements of their chosen field in addition to earning this certificate.

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