Program Description
This Master of Science in Geographic Information Systems is a two-year professional degree specifically designed to prepare students of GIS for post-secondary appointments in government or the private sector. Graduates of the program acquire all the essential skills to assume management positions in business, government, and industry, or seek employment as specialists in other areas where geospatial expertise is needed.
Graduate students in GIS at AUM learn how to operate high-tech scientific equipment and computers to collect information and analyze data using programs designed by the world’s leading geospatial software providers. They also work with internationally recognized faculty members on research at home and abroad, and fill internships with federal, state, and local government as well as private industry.
What is GIS?
A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer-based system designed to collect, store, integrate, manipulate, analyze & display data in a spatially referenced environment.
It allows you to analyze data visually and see patterns, trends, and relationships that might not be visible in tabular or written form. With GIS, for example, law enforcement can overlay crime data one local maps to see trends and hot spots, social service agencies can map poverty levels to identify areas likely to need increased services, or business owners can determine optimum market locations. Thus, those skilled in using GIS offer businesses, organizations and government the ability to spot and address relationships between geographical entities and attributes that would be otherwise invisible.
Dr. Gabe Costa, Dr. Nick Cuba, and Dr. Hoehun Ha advise graduate students in GIS.
Dr. Gabe Costa is an Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences, and Coordinator of Environmental Sciences and GIS at AUM. His research is mainly focused on understanding the ecological and evolutionary drivers of variation in biodiversity across the globe. Dr. Costa teaches Biostatistics, Species Distribution Modeling, Landscape Ecology, and Biogeography and Macroecology. His classes usually have a strong focus on analytical skills including learning to work in the R environment, GIS and spatial analysis. Dr. Costa can be contacted at [email protected].
Dr. Nicholas Cuba is a geographer whose work analyzes ecological properties and processes over space and time to draw inferences about the functioning and governance of socio-environmental systems. Primarily drawing on remote sensing, GIS, and data science as methods, he investigates disruption to communities driven by climate change and localized impacts of extractive and infrastructure development. Much of his past and current research has purposefully engaged with international civil society and legal groups such as Oxfam America, Oxfam Honduras and the Center for Climate Crimes Analysis. Prior to joining AUM, he worked as a postdoctoral research scientist at the Center for the Study of Natural Resource Extraction and Society at Clark University and was a Voss Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society at Brown University. Dr. Cuba can be contacted at [email protected].
Dr. Hoehun Ha is an Associate Professor of Geography specializing in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). His primary research interests focus on the linkages between socio-physical environment and human interactions, using GIS, and statistical methodologies. His teaching interests cover a wide range of geography courses including: Introduction to GIS, Advanced GIS, GIS in Environmental Modeling & Management, GIS in Public Health, Cartography, Geography of World Region, Human Geography, Spatial Statistics, and Earth Systems Science. Dr. Ha’s publications have appeared in numerous internationally reputable scholarly journals including Environmental Science & Technology, Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Transportation, Applied Geography, Ecological Informatics, High Altitude Medicine & Biology and others. Dr. Ha can be contacted at [email protected].
In addition to its undergraduate degree, AUM also offers a GIS certificate for those who already have a bachelor’s degree in some other discipline.
Note: While salaries vary depending on several factors including your level of experience, education and training, and geography and industry, here is a sampling of the future job growth and salaries nationally.
Jobs for those holding GIS degree are expected to grow by more than 20% over the next decade in the private and public sectors. Career opportunities and job titles in GIS include:
Biology Department Auburn University at Montgomery Goodwyn Hall 301 334-244-3316 [email protected]
The course listings below are a representation of what this academic program requires. For a full review of this program in detail please see our official online catalog AND consult with an academic advisor. This listing does not include the core curriculum courses required for all majors and may not include some program-specific information, such as admissions, retention and termination standards.
Taylor Center 101
7400 East Drive Montgomery, AL 36117
8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday
334-244-3000
334-244-3795
[email protected]
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