GIS master's degrees require knowledge of surveying techniques.
Those pursuing a career in geographic information systems (GIS) can obtain a bachelor's degree in that field. Students will learn the methods associated with the visual accumulation of spatial data, primarily focusing on mapping and analyzing geographical features and how those features relate to a variety of problems. If you have a degree in another science or geography-related field, however, you can obtain a graduate certification in GIS that will equip you for the field.
What Programs Are Offered
More than 150 master's programs, offered by dozens of English-speaking universities, offer GIS graduate degrees or lesser one-year certifications. Prices vary, depending on the school, how much distance learning is involved and how much financial aid is afforded to each candidate. According to GIS Professor Don Boyes of the University of Toronto, graduate students have a choice of obtaining a one-year "professional" master's or a two-year "research" master's in GIS. Though the former deals primarily with the practical application of GIS principles, the latter type of program, such as the one offered by the University of Calgary, carries more weight in the professional world and is geared toward providing graduate students with a more well-rounded understanding of the field. If a student is interested in pursuing a doctorate-level degree in the GIS field, the two-year master's is recommended.
What the Programs Offer
In addition to cartography, global positioning systems, spatial analysis and remote sensing competencies, most graduate schools for GIS delve into how the craft can be used in conjunction with the latest technological advances. This involves the fields of geospatial data management, remote sensing, field methods and statistics. Image processing, software and satellite receiving are integral parts of many master's programs in GIS. According to information from Cranfield University in the United Kingdom, GIS master's degrees graduates move on to careers as GIS analysts, geospatial analysts and applications engineers.
Variety of Programs
Depending on the price you pay and the university you attend, classroom learning can be a large or nonexistent part of your graduate school attendance. Some schools, like American Sentinel University, offer graduate certificates in a completely online environment. Others, like Oregon State University, offer a combination of classroom and distance learning that requires group and individual research projects.
Longer Programs
Some master's programs in geographic information systems are designed to take three years to complete at a part-time pace. At Penn State, the GIS master's program is geared toward working professionals with limited time they can devote to study. Most classes are online, and just one class is completed at a time. In year one, Penn State expects its students to develop literacy and technical prowess in the GIS field, at the end of which a post-baccalaureate certificate will be awarded; in the second year, curriculum broadens to hands-on projects and management tasks, often within the student's current workplace; in the third year, students take GIS-related electives to hone skills and complete work-related GIS projects, which are presented to a professional audience at the end of the program.
Tags: master programs, distance learning, geared toward, geographic information, geographic information systems, graduate students, information systems
