The master of geographic information systems (MGIS) degree is a 35-credit program of study. It aims to help you become a leader in your industry while providing you with convenience and flexibility. Its courses, including Geospatial System Design and Analysis and Geospatial Technology Project Management, are designed to be highly practical. The curriculum, including challenging projects, will give you cutting-edge GIS tools and methods that you can apply to your real-time professional work.
Penn State's MGIS program is intended for persons who are able to study only on a part-time basis and at a distance. All courses, including electives, are GIS-related. The curriculum is delivered one instructor-led online course at a time.
Communication with fellow students and instructors occurs primarily through e-mail discussion groups. Project assignments include reports that you learn to publish in an online portfolio. Weekly lessons include online quizzes that provide you with immediate feedback.
To earn this degree, you must successfully complete 23 to 26 required course credits and 9 or more elective credits. The MGIS program runs 4 quarters in one calendar year:*
*The Pennsylvania State University and the World Campus reserve the right to alter this schedule.
Year One:
The first-year courses are designed to help you develop the information literacy and technical competencies you need to become a more knowledgeable and skillful GIS user. Upon successfully completing the first year of the MGIS curriculum, you will receive a postbaccalaureate certificate in GIS.
Year Two:
The second-year courses can prepare you to design, specify, and manage complex geographic information infrastructures for your organization.
Year Three:
During the third year you will complete electives and an independent study project through which you will make a substantive contribution to your organization that you will describe to a professional audience.
Learn how to begin today.
Independent Study Project
The independent study project culminates in a formal public presentation in which students communicate their project plans, implementation, and outcomes. The presentation will be preceded by a formal dress rehearsal open to all students in the program through Web and audio conferencing.
Graduate faculty advisers supervise independent study projects and dress rehearsals and attend final presentations. Presentations take place at either an appropriate professional conference or an annual meeting of MGIS students, faculty, and advisory board members. International students who are unable to travel to a mutually agreed-upon conference location can fulfill this requirement through a presentation to a qualified proctor; the presentation will be videotaped and subsequently delivered to the student's adviser for review.
Exceptional Student Support
As a Penn State World Campus student, you will have access to an outstanding team of student support and advising personnel—throughout the entire period of your studies. From researching financial aid options, to choosing the right courses to meet your goals, to overcoming technical difficulties, our staff is dedicated to helping you get the most out of your education—every step of the way.
Certification/Partnerships
The World Campus master of GIS degree is offered in cooperation with the ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.).
This program counts toward the educational achievement requirements of the proposed professional certification standards of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association.
The American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), a division of the American Planning Association, has approved the World Campus certificate program in GIS, which composes the first year of the MGIS program, as an AICP-sponsored education program for planners, worth a total of 30 continuing professional development credits.
Act 48 compliant—The GIS courses meet Pennsylvania Act 48 requirements for continuing teacher education, which parallel similar education requirements of other states.
