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University of Texas at Dallas School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences 800 W. Campbell Road Richardson, Tx 75080-3021 972-883-2720 972-883-6297 (fax)
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Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information SystemsTraining for novice and experienced GIS professionals, combined with 15 hours of credit applicable to a graduate degree.Download brochure in .pdf format (8.5"x14" format) Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are rapidly becoming indispensable for many government and private sector operations. This certificate program provides training in this exciting technology, while also granting university credit which can be applied toward a graduate degree. Training is available for both novice and experienced GIS professionals. Emphasis is on applications in government and business, with more traditional environmental and geological applications also included. Classes are offered through the state of the art GIS facilities housed within the Bruton Center in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the NASA Center for Excellence in Remote Sensing in the Department of Geosciences. The certification requires 15 graduate hours (5 classes) detailed below. All courses taken as part of the Certificate also count toward the Master of Science in Geospatial Information Sciences degree, and can be taken in conjunction with the Graduate Certificate in Remote Sensing and/or the Master of Science in Geosciences.
Mission StatementThe mission of the Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems is to provide students with a thorough grounding in the theories, concepts and skills needed to apply GIS effectively and correctly in a variety of substantive areas, while simultaneously developing proficiency in the use of industry-standard GIS software products. UT-Dallas certificate recipients will have the background and skills necessary to successfully accomplish GIS projects and support GIS operations in a variety of areas in the public and private sectors which could include infrastructure and facility management, urban and regional planning, environmental conservation, market research, site selection, real estate, civil engineering, or natural resource exploration. Admissions Requirements:Students seeking the GIS certificate must have completed an undergraduate degree and should apply as "non-degree seeking" students. Admissions paperwork requires only:
You may complete and submit an application for admission online. You should apply as a "non-degree" student to the MGIS program. You do not need a GRE (graduate record examination) score or letters of reference for admission to the certification course sequence. Competence in microcomputer use and familiarity with MS Windows and file management (directories, copying, etc.) is expected. Admissions requirements are the same for students who would simply like to take one or more of the GIS-related courses, without pursuing certification. Up to 15 hours of course work taken as a non-degree seeking student can be applied later to a graduate degree should you desire. Registration by Current UTD StudentsGraduate students in any degree program may register for GIS courses using standard registration procedures. Undergraduate students eligible for the Fast Track program may also enroll. See your program adviser regarding degree-plan credit assignment. Courses are listed under geospatial information sciences (GISC) in the UTD Class Schedule, with additional offerings under Geosciences (GEOS) and Political Economy (POEC). Required Courses:
Individuals experienced with GIS may have the introductory course waived, but must take an additional course from the topics courses listed above. No more than two courses may be transferred from another institution. Courses for the Certificate must be completed within a 3-year period with a minimum GPA of 3.0. CostsThe total cost per semester for Texas residents, including tuition and all fees, is approximately (Fall 2007):
Additional information on fees is available here. Course PlanningThe usual course sequencing is such that the Introductory course and the Management and Implementation course are offered in the Fall. The Applied GIS is offered in the Spring and the workshop in the Summer. Courses from the topics are offered on a rotating basis. Students can complete the certificate in one calendar year starting in the Fall. Click here for current schedule of classes.
FacilitiesClasses are offered through state-of-the-art GIS facilities housed at the Bruton Center in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and at the NASA Center for Excellence in Remote Sensing in the Department of Geosciences. These include a 21-station PC lab running Windows NT for instruction; clusters of UNIX-based SUN servers and workstations and advanced PC and MAC systems for more specialized applications and large scale data storage; and input/ output devices for handling high resolution and large scale GIS materials. The University's extensive instructional computing facilities, which include a UNIX-based teaching lab, are also available. Facilities are open extended hours including evenings and weekends. Enrollment in hands-on courses is controlled to ensure access to computer resources. InformationFor further information, send e-mail ([email protected]) to the director of the GIS certificate, Dr Ronald Briggs or contact the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences as follows: Graduate Studies School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences P.O. Box 830688 Richardson, TX 75083-0688 Phone: (972) 883-2720 E-mail: [email protected] World Wide Web: http://www.utdallas.edu.dept/socsci |