School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences

Master of Science,
Geospatial Information Sciences

A professional degree program focused on the management and analysis of spatially-referenced information.

The Master of Science in Geospatial Information Sciences (MGIS) is a professional program offered jointly by the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Department of Geosciences. The program focuses on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which combine software and hardware capabilities for managing spatially referenced information.  Students are provided with the concepts underlying GIS, the skills for implementing GIS projects, and the ability to use GIS in pure or applied research in substantive areas. The curriculum incorporates the Graduate Certificate in GIS thus offering a degree option to students seeking additional expertise in this area.

Graduates of the program can apply their skills in multiple areas including public administration and policy analysis; public safety, criminology, and emergency preparedness management; environmental management; public works management; urban, regional, social service, and transportation planning and analysis; private sector business, especially marketing, site selection, and logistics; geophysical exploration, including petroleum; and real estate.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Master of Science in Geographic Information Sciences program is to provide students a rigorous understanding of the technologies, quantitative techniques, models and theories used to acquire and manage spatially referenced information and to analyze spatial processes. UT-Dallas graduates will have strong analytical and numerical skills, knowledge of empirical and quantitative research methodologies, and employ novel geographic information sciences technologies. They will use these capabilities to support public and private sector organizations, to address significant societal issues, and to enhance understanding of the human and natural environments. They will successfully compete at the highest level for jobs requiring geospatial skills and for entry into quality doctoral programs in relevant areas.

Curriculum

To earn the Master of Science in Geospatial Information Sciences, students must complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of work in the program.   The program consists of a base requirement of 9 hours, a core requirement of 9 hours, a research project requirement of 3 hours, and prescribed elective courses of 9 hours.  Other courses may substitute for those listed below: see degree plan for details. Students must achieve at least a 3.0 grade point average in the core requirement and an overall grade point average of 3.0 to graduate.

Base Requirement (9 credit hours/select 3 courses):

Core Requirements (9 credit hours):

GIS Research Project Requirement (3 credit hours):

Elective Courses (9 credit hours from the following, not duplicated elsewhere)

see degree plan or consult advisor for other courses which may substitute for those listed above.

GISC: Geospatial Information Sciences
GEOS: Geoscience.
POEC: Political Economy, the designation for interdisciplinary graduate courses in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences.
MIS: Management Information Systems

No more than two transferred courses can be used to meet the Certificate or MGIS requirements. No more than 15 hours of course work taken as a "non-degree seeking" student may be applied later to a graduate degree. Students seeking two master's degrees (e.g. MGIS and MPA) must have at least 15 hours of coursework unique to each degree and not used for the other degree. All course work for any one masters degree must be completed within one six-year period.

Admission

General information, including an on-line application (Texas Common Application), is available here.  The M. S. in Geospatial Information Sciences seeks applications from students with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or college in any discipline relevant to GIS. A 3.0 undergraduate grade point average (on a 4.0 scale), and a combined verbal and quantitative score of at least 1000 on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), or equivalent score on the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT), are desirable. Applications should be received by by July 1 (US residents) or May 1 (international) for Fall admittance and by November 1 (US residents) or September 1 (international) for Spring admittance. However, admission is possible for US residents until the first day of classes. Because of the timing of classes, it is preferable to start in the Fall semester especially if you have no previous GIS experience. Classes begin in mid August for the Fall semester and early January for the Spring semester. Exact dates are available here.

Prerequisites

Students must have the equivalent of GISC 6381 GIS Fundamentals and GISC 6382 Applied GIS, or they must take these courses at UTD in addition to the 30 credit hours required for the MGIS.  Additionally, beginning students are expected to have completed college mathematics through calculus and at least one programming or computer applications course, or its equivalent. Students should also have computer usage skill.

Financial Support

The GIS program at UTD is primarily a professional program and few masters students receive financial support through the university. Most work full or half time off-campus. Nevertheless, there are support opportunities as teaching or research assistants for the exceptional student, especially those seeking the Ph.D.. Generally, this requires a strong existing background in GIS or another closely related area such as computer science (thus the ability to be a research assistant) and/or degrees in the social sciences or geology (thus the ability to be an undergraduate teaching assistant). Detail on assistantships and other awards is available via the financial support program sidebar link. Please indicate your interest in an assistantship when completing your application for admission. For information on loans and similar programs, go here.

Example Degree Plans for Masters in GI Science

30-hour program for students who have met the prerequisite for GIS Fundamentals and Applied GIS (6 semesters to completion).

Year 1

• Fall
  • GEOS 5303 Computing for Geoscientists*
  • OR GISC 5317 Computer Programming for GIS*
  • OR other base requirement
  • GISC 6383 GIS Management and Implementation
• Spring
  • GISC 6384 Spatial Analysis
  • OR GEOS 5423 GIS Analysis in Geosciences
• Summer
  • GISC 6387 Workshop
  • OR GEOS 5308 Topics

Year 2

• Fall
  • POEC 5313 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics*
  • OR other base requirement
  • Elective Option
• Spring
  • Elective Option
  • Elective Option
• Summer
  • GISC 6389 MS Project
  • OR GEOS 8300 Research

*Three out of these four courses are required. The fourth may be taken as an elective or another elective substituted.

36-hour program for students who have not met the prerequisite for GIS Fundamentals/Intro to GIS and Applied GIS (6 semesters to completion).

Year 1

• Fall
  • GISC 6381 GIS Fundamentals
  • GISC 6383 GIS Management & Implementation
• Spring
  • GISC 6382 Applied GIS
  • GISC 6384 Spatial Analysis
  • OR GEOS 5423 GIS Analysis in Geosciences
• Summer
  • GISC 6387 Workshop
  • OR GEOS 5308 Topics
  • Elective Option

Year 2

• Fall
  • GEOS 5303 Computing for Geoscientists
  • AND/OR GISC 5317 Computer Programming for GIS*
  • OR other base requirement
  • POEC 5313 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics*
  • OR other base requirement
• Spring
  • Elective Option
  • GEOS 5306 Data Analysis for Geosciences
  • OR other base requirement
• Summer
  • GISC 6389 MS Project
  • OR GEOS 8300 Research
  • Elective Option

*Three out of these four courses are required. The fourth may be taken as an elective or another elective substituted.

Advising

Students seeking the M.S. in Geospatial Information Sciences select Geosciences or Economic, Political and Policy Sciences as their "base" for advising and related purposes. They are expected to consult regularly with the adviser for the M. S. in Geospatial Information Sciences program for that area. These advising sessions are intended to help students plan how they can fulfill their program of study. In addition, students who seek advice will stay up-to-date with job opportunities.

Information

For further information, send e-mail to Dr. Stuart Murchison, or contact the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences as follows:

Program in Geospatial Sciences
School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences
800 West Campbell Rd
Richardson, TX  75080-3021
Phone: (972) 883-2720
E-mail: gis-grad-info@utdallas.edu
World Wide Web: http://www.utdallas.edu/epps

Students also may contact:
School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Department of Geosciences
Phone: 972-883-2516

Geography and Geospatial Sciences Program
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