Campus Life

UWF adds Professional Science Master degree in Geographic Information Science

The recently added geographic information science specialization under the University of West Florida’s Master of Science in Administration program has gained Professional Science Master’s affiliation. The new specialization will be offered completely online starting in Fall 2014.

UWF faculty and an advisory committee comprised of GIS professionals designed the new specialization to address the need for a GIS degree that encompasses technical expertise and business management for those in environmental management and regulatory careers.  Previously, UWF has offered both undergraduate and graduate certificates in GIS.

“The Professional Science Master’s in GIS will allow geospatial professionals to attain a meaningful graduate degree built on both technical and management foundations,” said Dr. Matthew Schwartz, chair of the Department of Environmental Studies. “The UWF Department of Environmental Studies is pleased to offer a new graduate specialization that will address the needs of those working in the geospatial sciences.”

Students in the program will take a foundation of public administration courses, as well as a series of courses developed specifically for GIS, including GIS Programming, Communicating GIS, Special Topics and Advanced Topics in GIS, GIS Management and GIS Capstone.

GIS is one of the fastest growing career fields in North America. A geographic information system is a computer-based tool used to map, manage, analyze, display and model spatial information. A GIS data management system is capable of analyzing patterns and relationships between many layers of mapped data simultaneously. Compared to traditional maps, GIS enables users to quickly alter display properties, modify or introduce new data and manipulate analysis results. For additional information about GIS, visit gis.com.

Professional Science Master’s degrees are innovative hybrid graduate programs designed to allow students to pursue advanced training in natural science, technology, engineering, mathematics or computational sciences, while simultaneously developing professional workplace skills that are highly valued by employers. For additional information about the PSM initiative, visit sciencemasters.com.

For additional information about the UWF Professional Science Master’s in GIS, visit uwf.edu/graduate/programs/graduate-degrees/msa-gis/.