Professional Science Master's in GISci

Join the geospatial revolution and let us equip you with the professional skills highly valued by industry, government and non-profit sectors.

Program Goals

The Professional Science Master's in Geographic Information Sciences (PSM in GISci) provides advanced training in geospatial technologies, theory and analytics sought by GIS employers. Our program delivers geospatial courses in the fundamentals of GIScience and remote sensing, cartography, geodatabase design, programming and spatial analysis and statistics. The program also includes a business component and internship requirement designed to provide professional skills needed to succeed in the workforce.

Certification

Our program is certified by the National Professional Science Master’s Association.

Employment Opportunities

Over 96% of graduates contacted after one year had found employment in the GIS industry. Our alumni have found employment in GIS consulting, high-tech, planning, software development, utilities and a variety of state and local government agencies.

Online Learning Environment

Online but Personal

The best way to learn GIS is with other students. To promote interactive learning, all GIS and Remote Sensing courses in our program have a synchronous component to engender real-time interaction and feedback, and faculty are available outside of class for online help when you need it. Our courses are taught by seasoned, tenured faculty, and the program is the perfect size to encourage and allow individual mentoring.

Technology Delivered

Students in the PSM in GISci have access to a virtual desktop containing all software required for the program, including ArcGIS Pro, ENVI, QGIS, RStudio and more; all that is needed is a stable internet connection. We provide training in both commercial and open source GIS. In addition, our ESRI site license gives students access to ESRI short training courses and fully functional student versions of ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Desktop and other ArcGIS components that can be freely installed on home computers. Students also have access to EIU’s ArcGIS Online Organization to create online maps and web services.

The Big Picture

GIS is a big part of modern society and influences the locations where business, politics, environmental conservation and other human activities occur. We believe that students should learn not just technical skills but also underlying theory, industry trends and societal implications of GIS. Come join us and be part of the geospatial revolution!