GIS Certificate Program

Geographic Information Science (GIS) technologies are applied to a wide-range of fields with interests in spatially distributed information, such as transportation, environmental/resource management, marketing, facility management, healthcare delivery, agriculture and planning.

The need for qualified individuals in this field is growing rapidly. The GIS certificate program has been designed to meet this demand.

The Office of the President has approved this certificate program, and it will appear on the official Texas A&M University transcript. The certificate is administered through the department of Geography.

Certificate curriculum and details

Certificate guidelines and courses

  • In order to qualify for the GIS graduate certificate, students must be admitted to Texas A&M University as a G6 (non-degree seeking), G7 (master’s) or G8 (doctoral) student. (See the TAMU admissions website at admissions.tamu.edu.)
  • The program consists of 12 credit hours, including three foundation courses and one elective. Students must choose courses from the approved list.
  • Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA for all applicable course work.
  • The GIS certificate has some online course options, but it is not offered fully online at this time.

Substitutions/exceptions

Must be submitted to the GIS Graduate Certificate Committee for consideration and acceptance. The letter of petition must include:

  • GIS classes taken or in progress;
  • a syllabus for each course to be considered for substitution;
  • the corresponding required course for which substitution is requested; and
  • detailed work experience in applicable field.

For a petition to be considered, it must be completed and returned to geog-advisor@geog.tamu.edu, by October 15 for the fall semester or February 15 for the spring semester.

Certificate application

The process for applying for certificates has now changed. Students must apply to complete the GIS or certificate prior to completing all coursework. The certificate should be applied to a student’s curriculum before the semester of graduation. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the Geography Academic Advisor to begin the process of adding the GIS certificate to his or her curriculum. This can occur prior to taking any GIS courses, with a final deadline of the 5th class day of the graduation semester.

Certification

The certification will appear on the official Texas A&M University transcript. You will also receive a paper certificate.

Certificate administration

All administrative paperwork, including applications and petitions, will be processed through the Department of Geography.

If you have any questions regarding the addition of the certificate to your curriculum, please contact:

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