Online Gis Master’s Degree Program – Penn State Or Nw Missouri?
I am wanting to further my education by obtaining a Master’s Degree in GIS (Geographic Information Systems). Unfortunately there are no University’s in the area that offer a MS in GIS. I think I have finally narrowed my online alternatives to two Colleges – Penn State and NW Missouri.
My question is: Is there anyone out there who has taken (or is taking) online classes from either of those universities. Or, has anyone obtainined a Master’s Degree in GIS from either of those institutions (online)? I’m trying to decide which has the better program. Thank you!
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See if you can find out the dropout rates and placement information from each school. Also look at the backgrounds of the professors in each school.You can use the college catalog for that./
[...] jamesgundun wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI am wanting to further my education by obtaining a Master’s Degree in GIS (Geographic Information Systems). Unfortunately there are no University’s in the area that offer a MS in GIS. I think I have finally narrowed my online alternatives to two Colleges – Penn State and NW Missouri. My question is: Is there anyone out there who has taken (or is taking) online classes from either of those universities. Or, has anyone obtainined a Master’s Degree in GIS from either of those institutions (online)? I’m trying to decide which has the better program. Thank you! [...]
I am finishing my Masters In GIS at Penn State next month. I highly recommend this program. I must say that it is demanding and requires a great deal of dedication. The instructors are awesome. The course design is excellent. The personal attention is first-rate. It is a three year program and the first year of the Masters program is also the Certificate program. (So you will get a Certificate in GIS after one year.) I have posted below a link to the work I did for the first year of the program. (I focused on Programming for my electives, so don’t let that scare you as there are plenty of other elective choices.) The second year is very much part of an “IS” degree. Software methodology, IT project managment, IT project implementation. So be aware, that this is a G-IS degree. While the work and effort required to do this program in addition working full-time is not for light-weights, now that it is finally, finally behind me I have already received new opportunities at my current job. Was it all worth it? Absoultely.
Lynn Hand
http://www.personal.psu.edu/ldh147/
Hi!
I understand your predicament. I’m now in my last year on the MGIS Program at Penn State. I had tried 3 times to go back to school for my Master’s and was always unimpressed by the class structure, lack of faculty involvement and lack of support from fellow students. The MGIS Program at Penn State has been a mind blowing experience. The diversity of faculty experience, class selections offered, and intellectual challenge has been such a positive experience for me, that I hope to give back to the Program after graduating by teaching part-time on the Program. That is how progressive and world-class the MGIS Program has been for me.
I was in the MGIS program at Penn State and cannot speak highly enough of it. When I was working on an MS degree back in the early ’90s, I tried some of the distance education approaches, which at that time were basically sattelite classes, which I didn’t get much from. I cautiously began taking classes at Penn State and found the program incredibly informative and interactive. There were students stationed on Navy ships halfway around the world that were as able to participate as easily as I could (living in the same time zone as State College). The faculty and staff were always available for consultation on everything from administrative issues to courses. And most of all, the courses were presented in a manner that made distance learning almost as effective as live classes. I don’t know about the other programs, but another nice feature was that being on the quarter system meant that the classes were broken into bite sized chunks that was also conducive to distance learning.
I have been taking online MGIS at Penn State since 2007 and have only 3 more courses to complete the program. My experience with Penn State online so far is very positive. One of the main reason I chose Penn State over other online universities is the huge number of variety courses offer, which make it so easy to select for my career track. You can check out the course list from:
http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/MasterinGIS_CourseList.shtml
The second reason, Penn State has good name, which promises quality learning. I believe that their online MGIS program rank 2nd in the country (according to my research 3 years ago). All professors and assistants are very helpful and responsive. The class’s forum is the best communication way with class mates and professor to share questions and discussion. The lecture and assignment are clear, easy to follow. I have two assigned counselors who have tracked my learning; discuss with me on my proposed capstone project and search for a professor who will mentor me on my capstone project. I never feel alone.
I am currently a student of Penn State’s online MGIS program. Before applying I did hours of research into the online programs and the programs in my area. The sum of my research pointed to Penn State. Their online program has been around for over 10 years and they have some amazing classes, lots of choices for the electives and great core classes. They offer a certificate in GIS, which is the first year of the MGIS classes. The certificate program is easy to get into but the MGIS program is quite hard due to limited space in the program, they only take 36 new students each year. My second pick is the program at the University of Denver. They are new to the online world but have a great residential program and I have only heard good things about the online program. http://www.universitycollege.du.edu/grad/gis/
Best of luck with your studies.
I’m currently a second year student in the MGIS program at Penn State. I’ve found the professors to be very knowledgeable. You get lots of feedback on your assignments and one-on-one attention via email. The other students come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and there is lots of opportunity to interact with each other via the online discussion forums. It’s pretty easy to get into the certificate program (first year of MGIS), but it is pretty competitive to get into the MGIS program. I see this as a good thing as it doesn’t devalue the degree.
I am a recent graduate of the Penn State Masters in GIS program. I can tell you that I found the program challenging and enriching. The program offers a wide spectrum of courses that give the student a solid foundation from which to launch a career. In addition, the instructors are responsive and very knowledgeable. The skills I learned through Penn State facilitated my ability to land a well paying job in my new found area of interest and expertise. I wholly recommend the Penn State MGIS program.
I graduated from the Penn State World Campus MGIS program in May 2008 and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is considering an online program. I attend multiple GIS conferences throughout the year and whenever I mention that I got my degree from Penn State everyone nods their head and says the program has a good reputation, so that is a plus as well. The classes were put together well and challenging, and they added new classes on a regular basis. I haven’t checked with them in awhile, but they were planning on expanding to a PhD program as well through the World Campus – which I will most likely tackle once my wife has finished her own online Masters program.
Sincerely,
Bill Dickinson
Principal GIS Engineer
ESS, Inc.
Linthicum MD
I graduated from PSU’s World Campus (online) MGIS program a few years ago. I would definitely recommend it. It starts off with a good foundation in geography (something I think many GIS programs are lacking), offers good electives, has very strong professors, great curriculum, and is well-respected in the field. It opened many doors for me, and allowed me to change industries smoothly. Best of luck to you!
PS – I would also recommend getting on LinkedIn and joining some of the GIS groups; there’s been some great education and career discussions recently.
Hi,
I’m in my second year at Penn State. After the first year there you get a Postbaccalueareate certificate in GIS, which might not sound like much, but it is what got me my first job! The classes are good and I haven’t had a Professor yet who hasn’t been extremely helpful.
That said, the classes do take a lot of work and a definite commitment. Some of the classes only take 8 to 10 hours per week, where others push 20.
The beauty of Penn State is that after 1 year, you aren’t feeling it, you can take your certificate and leave having accomplished something.
There are several on-line programs available. Currently I’m enrolled in the Penn State World Campus program for a Masters in GIS.
It isn’t cheap, but the program has been great for me! It really caters to working professionals. I think it is the first organization to offer a masters in GIS and it has been around for a while. I started by getting the certificate, then decided to continue on for my masters. I’ll be starting my capstone project in the fall. Fortunately, I have some tuition assistance from my employer.
Currently in my 4th semester at Penn State and enjoying things quite a bit. The instructors have been responsive, helpful, and engaging even through the online atmosphere. I’m in the MGIS program but will complete and receive my certificate after this current class, so that is a benefit to keeping my resume up to date as well.
I would suggest taking a look at the curriculum and seeing what matches up best for you, but I give Penn State a good recommendation for sure.
I can unreservedly recommend the Penn State program. The courses are well designed and rigorous. The instructors are excellent, and many are leaders in the field. Penn State’s geography department is one of the very best in the world, but the MGIS program also draws faculty from other universities, some of whom are big names in the field. If you can’t give up a year or two of your life to enroll in a full time on-campus master’s program, I can’t imagine a better experience than what PSU offers.
Before you enroll, though, do answer the question of whether an online master’s is worth (to you) what you will spend for it. At around $600 a credit, the Penn State program is a large investment if you don’t have an employer willing to help you. Will it really pay off in job opportunities?
I don’t think you can count on this program — or any GIS master’s program — to by itself be a launching pad into GIS positions — there just aren’t that many jobs, and much of the GIS work in the U.S. is done by people with undergraduate engineering, geography or computer science degrees and quite a bit of subject experience (in say, civil engineering or logistics or transportation). The MGIS is a good supplement but I don’t know if it’s sufficient as a base.
I am a student in the MGIS program at Penn State and have completed all coursework with the exception of the program’s capstone project. I think Penn State has done a great job of redesigning their courses to work in an online environment. I’ve seen other schools that shoehorn ‘classroom’ classes into online classes without considering the strengths and weaknesses of the format. An example – Penn State’s MGIS courses are mostly project based, evaluating you through application of skills and not through traditional tests.
I also like the curriculum, which mixes technical GIS classes (more of these early) with geospatial system design and project management classes later. The importance here is that while technical GIS skills are needed to start out, they will also become dated quickly as the technology evolves. But the later courses give you skills that are independent of technology and will be useful for years and years.
I’ve also liked the program’s flexibility – both within courses (being able to complete coursework by my own schedule, within limits and deadlines) and within the program (being able to take time off during busy times of the year).
Hi, I can tell you without reservation that Pennsylvania State University Master’s Program in GIS is top notch. I graduate with my degree in Biological Sciences in 1985. I did not pursue my master’s until 2008. I finished the first year of this challenging program with a Professional Certificate in GIS which you can start using to apply for positions in the field of cartography etc. I wholeheartedly believe this program has exceeded my expectations in that I have been applying my new skills immediately in my current job and plan to deepen my knowledge of GIS as I complete each course.
This program is very challenging, so be prepared to set aside plenty of time for your studies and papers. The curriculum covers a broad range of topics so you can persue your interests accordingly.
Good luck in all of your GIS endeavors, sincerely, JHL
I am nearing completion of the Penn State MGIS program and can comment on it. I don’t know anything about the other program you mention but I do know about distance education in general; I work in the instructional technology group at a large state university that had an extensive distance ed program (not Penn State).
In short, I highly recommend the MGIS at Penn State. The strengths are many, but the thing that stands out for me is that I believe that they sat down and carefully planned out a comprehensive degree program from start to finish and then, with that in hand, started creating the courses needed to support the academic goals they had defined. I say this because the progression through the program is too well organized to have been done in any other way. In a graduate GIS degree you should get a mix of disciplinary academics, some training in software use (starting with the basics, but progressing quickly to advanced topics and theory), and what I would call the standard masters degree stuff – research methods, advanced writing and communications skills, how to read an academic journal and how to write an academic paper, etc. These separate “tracks” flow forward in well organized way. I have found that to be quite impressive, not to mention valuable.
Other benefits are that the program is structured so that you get a GIS Graduate Certificate along the way and as a check-point. After the first four courses you get the certificate and it’s at that point that you have to apply for and be accepted into the MGIS program to continue. You should check on the acceptance rate and how that might affect you. I’m pretty sure that there are significantly more applicants than there are slots. That, and a fairly high cost (I don’t actually know how the cost compares to similar programs and at this point I’m OK with not knowing), are two things I would recommend getting comfortable with before proceeding.
I’ve had great rapport with the instructors and while the courses vary in difficulty and in other ways, they’ve mostly been excellent (and none have been bad). A couple of the late courses have very high work loads but that’s to be expected now that I’m through them I can see it as a positive.
Good luck with your decision and beyond.
I would encourage you to investigate the Penn State World Campus. I am currently a student in the Master’s GIS program through the World Campus and I have gotten quite a lot out of it. I have taken GIS coursework at state universities here in Arizona and I feel like the bulk of them were a waste of time. The greatest drawbacks to the World Campus is its expense (basically 2x instate graduate costs) and the time that it takes to complete the program (only one class per quarter). The greatest benefits are the flexibility and the ability to attend courses while simultaneously holding down full-time employment. My personal favorite aspect is that I am able to practically apply the coursework to my job in real time, rather than trying to learn GIS in a fully theoretical, traditional university environment. Bottom line, if you have good independent study skills and the financial resources, World Campus my be an excellent opportunity for you.
I completed the MGIS program through Penn State’s World Campus back in 2006. I thought it was a great program, very comprehensive. It was very easy to do online, and access to the professors and the other students was always available via email and message boards.
I’m enrolled in the Penn State MGIS program and am finding it very beneficial. Part of what made me choose it is they’ve been doing an all online MGIS program longer than anyone else in the US (I’m pretty sure) and I’d had it recommended to me first by a GIS professor I respected at another university and later by the head of the GIS department at one of my previous companies. Plus, when I looked into it, the program is truly designed for working professionals, which I was when I started (and still am). I don’t know if the MO program is, I haven’t looked into it.
Since beginning the program, I’ve learned SO much – and had the opportunity to apply most of it to my work immediately, which really cements what you’ve learned. And if the program is good, you should get that from any MGIS program.
So what sets Penn State apart? First, they’ve been doing this (online degree program, and teaching students about GIS&T) long enough to have figured out how to do it well. Second, all of the instructors I’ve had or talked to have been extremely good – not just at knowing their field, but also at being able to convey that knowledge to others (it’s one thing to be a brilliant researcher and another thing to be a brilliant teacher). Third, Penn State doesn’t accept very many students into the MGIS at a time (the PCGIS is different) which means they can be choosy and make sure they’re getting the best, the students get more individual attention, you (as a student) get to work with some of the best. Fourth, you have the benefit of working with students from all over the world, not just around the country. That alone provides so many invaluable differing perspectives on the GIScience & Technology professions that I can’t even express how cool it is.
Ultimately, I’d say know what you want and need from a Master’s program. Then, ask as many questions as you can of people in the programs and people running the programs so you can determine which program will best meet your needs.
Good luck in your search!
If you have more questions, feel free to contact me by my LinkedIn page (which also has more info on my perspective of the MGIS program at Penn State) and I’ll respond to the best of my ability.
Cheers,
Sarah
I have a master’s degree from Penn State and I work as a software developer in a GIS company (GeoDecisions). I can honestly say that the Master’s program at Penn State is an excellent way to get a top-grade, comprehensive education in the areas that are actually used in the employment sector. If your goal is to be a professional expert on GIS, I would recommend this program.
more details? jon.chandler.jones@gmail.com
I can only see 1/21 comments… ?
I am about to finish my masters degree from Penn State World Campus (online). I have been in the GIS field for just over ten years and, honestly, I thought that it would be a breeze. That was not the case at all, it was challenging and rewarding. From the first class to the last capstone I learned new things that I was able to apply to my current job. Since I started, they have added a few new classes that I wish I would have taken. (I may still sign up for them although I do not need them for my degree.)
I can’t speak for NW Missouri, but PSU has an excellent program that has been well thought out and very organized. There have been other classes I have taken that were not put together very well or it was obvious that it was a new course and the instructors were still trying to figure out what to teach or answer questions.
So, if I were going to do it over again, I would compare these things:
1. How many different courses does each school offer?
2. Do they look interesting? Read the syllabuses. Syllabi??
Read a syllabus for a course. (That sounds better
3. Compare prices. If you can get your employer to pay for it, compare costs to classrooms and promote the benefit.
4. How long has the online GIS program been around at the institution? That may give a clue to the organization of the courses.
I recently graduated with my Master of GIS from Penn State University’s online program. I found the program to be excellent. It has a great curriculum, very knowledgeable and helpful instructors, and the content was relevant and circumspect.
I have been working in the GIS field for the last eight years and was looking for a way to advance my education and skill sets, while continuing to work full time. The Penn State MGIS program is designed for working professionals so it allows the student to work within their schedule while still adhering to deadlines for the courses themselves.
I gained tremendous insight into aspects of the field I did not previously posses and added some technical skills. In my opinion the Penn State MGIS program provides the student with great content and support, but nurture’s the individuals self reliance in GIS problem solving. Most of the course work is hands on GIS where the student produces real results while learning the concepts and theories.
I cannot speak about NW Missouri’s program as I know nothing about it but Penn State’s Geography department is highly rated and well known (voted best in the country in 1995 http://www.geog.psu.edu/news/nrc.html). Hope this helps!
I am in my final year of the MGIS Program at Penn State. The program is really well written and flexible for working professionals. It is a great program for people with little to no experience in GIS. I had been working in GIS for six years and some of the basic classes were a little remedial for me. On the other hand, the upper level classes are very interesting. The professors are incredibly engaged and professional and understand the challenges of working while in school. If you are at all interested, I suggest you call the information number and try to talk to someone in advising. The numbers are US Toll Free: 800-252-3592, Local/Int’l: 814-865-5403. You may also want to start with the Certificate Program before enrolling in the Master’s Program. It is an easy way to find out if GIS is for you without having to apply to the Program outright. See below for links.
Information on the Master’s Program at Penn State is available at http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/MasterinGIS.shtml
Information on the Certificate Program at Penn State is available at http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/GISCertificate.shtml
Also, if you’d like to get a feel for the coursework, you may want to check out http://open.ems.psu.edu/courseware under the Department of Geography heading. PSU participates in the Open Education Initiative where many lessons and some entire courses are available for free to the public. Of course, these are not for credit, but it is a great resource and will give you a feel for what it might be like.
Good luck making your decision!
Hi – I’m not at all familiar with the program at NW Missouri, but I am a current MGIS student at PSU and I have nothing but high praise for the program. The course diversity, content and instructors are all excellent. The administrative support at the World Campus and the IT resources are top notch/very professional. The online format allows for a lot of flexibility. I have taken (non-GIS) courses at other universities and have been disappointed. I’m currently taking my ninth course with the PSU MGIS program and like I said, I have nothing but high praise for them. You might be interested in looking at the Open Resource page, http://open.ems.psu.edu/courseware. Good luck with your search and decision. Elena
Hello,
I have been involved with the PSU Online GIS program since 2005 in many roles. I started as a student, then became a teaching assistant, and am now a faculty member. I completed the GIS Certificate in 2005 in conjunction with an on campus Masters Degree at the University of Michigan. I currently teach GEOG 487 – Environmental Applications of GIS, which is an elective in the Certificate/MGIS program.
I also have nothing but good things to say about the program, which is why I continue to be involved. As a student, I found the classes well organized and challenging. One of my biggest surprises was how much interaction I had with other students. I was expecting a fairly isolated experience. I actually had more interaction with my online classmates than I did in some of my on-campus courses. Most of this interaction was via message boards and group projects. I was able to complete two online classes at a time while working full time and attending on-campus courses. Busy is not the right word to describe my life at that time. The point is that it is possible to complete the program and still have time for other commitments (if you are organized and motivated). After completing only four classes, I felt like I had moved from a GIS novice to someone who could solve difficult GIS problems on my own. I still use many of the concepts I learned on a daily basis (five years later). A week after completing the Certificate, I received a job offer as a GIS Specialist at a consulting company and got a significant raise. This easily made up for the money I spent on tuition.
As an instructor, I am always impressed by the diversity of students in my classes. Some students are just starting out. Other students are switching career paths after working for 15 or 20 years. This facilitates interesting discussions, as everyone has unique experiences to share with the group. Some people have great technical advice, others have great tips about lessons learned after many years working in the “real world.” I also respect how the leadership always strives to improve the program. Student feedback is in integral part of our work flow. For example, all courses have anonymous surveys to gauge student’s satisfaction. We use the feedback to make improvements to specific aspects of the course and also to the program in general.
Good luck with your hunt!
Rachel