Program Overview

CyberGIS and Geospatial Data Science, MS

The CyberGIS and Geospatial Data Science, MS program is a fully-online master's degree that requires 32 credit hours, with no thesis required. Students work with their program advisor to individualize their program and complete a capstone research project.

Admission

Applicants must have a Bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. college or an approved institution of higher learning abroad, ideally in Geography, Computer and Information Sciences, or GIS, with a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or higher for the final 60 semester hours. Students who do not meet the GPA criterion may still be eligible to enroll if they have relevant experience outside of the classroom. Language test scores are required for applicants whose native language is not English.

Facilities and Resources

The department hosts several state-of-the-art research laboratories, including the CyberInfrastructure and Geospatial Information (CIGI) Lab, which researches and develops cutting-edge cyberinfrastructure to advance geospatial science and technologies. The department also sponsors the CyberGIS Center for Advanced Digital & Spatial Studies.

Financial Aid

This online program is self-supporting and does not accept certain tuition and fee waivers. Students in these programs are not eligible to hold a waiver-generating graduate appointment. Full-time employees may be admitted to these programs, but their employee waiver is not eligible for use towards this program.

Course Requirements

• Complete 2 of the following courses focusing on GIS:
  • GGIS 403: Geographic Information Science and Systems
  • GGIS 477: Introduction to Remote Sensing
  • GGIS 480: Principles of Geographic Information Science
• Complete 2 of the following courses focusing on core concepts of cyberGIS and geospatial data science topics:
  • GGIS 407: Foundations of CyberGIS & Geospatial Data Science
  • GGIS 507: High-Performance Geospatial Computing
  • GGIS 570: Advanced Spatial Analysis
• Complete the following 2 advanced courses in cyberGIS and geospatial data science:
  • GGIS 517: Geospatial Visualization & Visual Analytics
  • GGIS 527: Geospatial Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
• Additional 400-500 level courses as needed to meet or exceed the minimum credit hour requirement of the program
• GGIS 598: Graduate Capstone Project

Other Requirements

• Minimum Hours Overall Required Within the Unit: 16
• Requires a written capstone report
• At least 12 of the 32 required hours must be in 500-level courses (8 in GGIS)
• Course substitutions are permitted with the consent of the program coordinator
• A maximum of 2 elective courses may be taken CR/NC
• All students must maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (A = 4.0)

Graduate Degree Programs in Geography

• CyberGIS and Geospatial Data Science, MS (online)
• Geography, MA
• Geography, MS
  • Concentrations:
    • Geographic Information Science - Professional Science Master's
    • Computational Science & Engineering
• Geography, PhD
  • Concentration:
    • Computational Science & Engineering

Program Faculty and Department

• Department Head: Dr. Julie Cidell
• Online Program Faculty Coordinator: Dr. Anand Padmanabhan
• Department of Geography & GIS homepage: Natural History Building, Second Floor, 1301 W. Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801

Total Hours

Total Hours: 32