Geographic information science (GIS) technologies are applied to wide-ranging fields with interests in spatially distributed information such as transportation, environmental/resource management, marketing, facility management, health care delivery, agriculture and planning. In addition, the synergistic linkages between GIS and remote-sensing (RS) technologies are increasing. The need for qualified individuals in these fields is growing rapidly. The GIS certificate program has been designed to meet this demand.
This certificate is administered through the Department of Geography.
Certificate Guidelines
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Students must be admitted to Texas A&M University as a G6 (non-degree seeking), G7 (master’s) or G8 (doctoral) student. (See the Texas A&M admissions website at admissions.tamu.edu.)
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The program consists of 12 credit hours, including three foundation courses and one elective. Students must choose courses from the approved list. Students who have previously taken an introductory GIS course can petition to substitute one of the specialized GIS courses.
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Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA for all applicable course work.
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Students should apply for the certificate in the first semester of beginning the GIS Certificate (exceptions may apply).
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Classes taken for the RS certificate cannot be used in lieu of courses required for GIS certificate or vice versa.
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Substitutions/exceptions: Must be submitted to the GIS/RS Graduate Certificate Committee for consideration and acceptance. The letter of petition must include:
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GIS or RS classes taken or in progress;
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A syllabus for each course to be considered for substitution;
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The corresponding required course for which substitution is requested; and
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Detailed work experience in applicable field
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For a petition to be considered, it must be completed and returned to the Geography Academic Advisor, geog-advisor@geog.tamu.edu, once the course has been completed, prior to the graduation semester.
Certificate Application
To add the certificate to your curriculum, you must contact the Geography Academic Advisor, geog-advisor@geog.tamu.edu for instructions on how to add the certificate to your curriculum. This should occur as early as the first semester you take a GIS course, and as late as the fifth class day of the semester in which you plan to graduate.
If you have any questions, please contact the Geography Academic Advisor, geog-advisor@geog.tamu.edu.
Approved Course Options
Introductory Level (one of the following is required) - 3 HOURS
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ESSM 651/BAEN 651 - Geographic Information Systems
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GEOG 660 - Applications in GIS
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PLAN 625 - Introductory GIS in Landscape and Urban Planning
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MARS 625 GIS Use in Coastal Resource
Intermediate Level (two of three are required) - 6 HOURS
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ESSM 652/BAEN 652 - Advanced Topics in Geographic Information Systems
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GEOG 665 - GIS-based Spatial Analysis and Modeling
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PLAN 626 - Advanced GIS in Landscape and Urban Planning
Specialized GIS Courses (one of the following is required) - 3 HOURS
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CVEN 658 - Civil Engineering Applications of GIS
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ENTO 625/GEOG 625 - Landscape Ecology
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ESSM 660 - Landscape Analysis and Modeling
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ESSM 663 - Applied Spatial Statistics
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ESSM 665 - Computer Programming for Natural Resource Applications
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GEOG 662 - GIS in Land and Property Management
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GEOG 676 - GIS Programming
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GEOG 678 - WebGIS
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MARS 626 - Advanced GIS for Coastal Systems
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PLAN 612 - Introduction to Transportation Planning