Program Description

The MS in Geospatial Information Sciences is a professional program offered jointly by the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

The program provides 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.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the program can apply their skills in multiple areas including public sectors, such as policy analysis, smart cities, transportation planning, geospatial intelligence, emergency response, public health and environmental sustainability, as well as private sectors, such as marketing, site selection, logistics, driverless cars, real estate, internet of things and resource exploration (including petroleum).

Marketable Skills

Review the marketable skills for this academic program.

Application Requirements

Applicants to the Geospatial Information Sciences master's program should have:

• A baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution of higher education.
• Although applications will be viewed holistically, in general, entering students have earned a 3.0 undergraduate grade point average (GPA) on 4.0-point scale.
• Test Scores: GRE not required.
• Letters of Recommendation: Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation from individuals who can judge the candidate’s potential for success in the master’s degree program.
• Admissions Essay: Applicants must submit a one-page essay outlining personal background, education and professional objectives.

Deadlines: Admission is limited to fall and spring. For further deadline details, refer to the program website.

About the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences

Every new generation inherits a world more complex than that of its predecessors, which prompts a need for new thinking about public policies that impact people’s daily lives. In the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences (EPPS), we examine the implications of innovation and change for individuals and communities. The social sciences are where the world turns to for answers to the important issues of today and the future such as education and health policy, financial crises, globalization, policing, political polarization, public management, terrorism, and the application of geographical information sciences to study social, economic and environmental issues.

As an undergraduate in EPPS, you will have the opportunity to work with professors who are probing issues that will affect your future. You will develop the vital skills you need to thrive in a rapidly evolving, highly competitive job market. EPPS will prepare you for careers in government, non-profits and the private sector that enable you to make a real difference in the world of today and tomorrow. EPPS is at the forefront of leadership, ethics and innovation in the public and nonprofit sectors. Our students and faculty look forward to new opportunities to study and address the complex and evolving issues of the future. Research informs much of the instruction. The school has four centers of excellence:

• Center for Global Collective Action
• Texas Schools Project
• Institute for Urban Policy Research
• The Negotiations Center

Degrees Offered

Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts: Criminology, economics, geospatial information sciences, international political economy, political science, public affairs, public health, public policy, sociology

Master of Science: Applied sociology, criminology, economics, geospatial information sciences, international political economy, social data analytics and research

Master of Arts: Political science

Master of Public Affairs: Public affairs

Master of Public Policy: Public policy

Doctor of Philosophy: Criminology, economics, geospatial information sciences, political science, public affairs, public policy and political economy

Certificates

EPPS offers the following 15-hour graduate certificates, which generally can be completed in one year of part-time evening classes:

• Economic and Demographic Data Analysis: focusing on the understanding and application of quantitative analysis of demographic and economic data.
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS): focusing on the application of GIS in government, private sector and scientific areas.
• Geospatial Intelligence: focusing on the application of geospatial ideas and techniques to national security and other intelligence activity.
• Local Government Management: designed to broaden knowledge of important issues and approaches employed by professional local public administrators.
• Nonprofit Management: designed to provide an overview of the nature and context of nonprofit organizations and develop competencies needed by nonprofit managers.
• Program Evaluation: designed to provide students the opportunity to gain competencies in the design and implementation of program evaluations in fields such as education, health care, human services, criminal justice and economic development.
• Remote Sensing: focusing on remote sensing and digital image processing.