Credits taken as part of one of our certificate programs may count toward the total number of credits required for the MGIS. Certificate programs range from 12 to 15 credits.

With mentorship from a faculty advisor, students may choose a capstone paper (3 credits) or capstone project (6 credits) to fulfill their culminating experience requirement and demonstrate integration of knowledge and research experience acquired during their time in the MGIS degree program.

Students who choose the capstone paper option GEOG 870 (3 credits) must produce a paper suitable for publication. This option is a semester-long class (12 weeks in summer, 16 weeks in fall and spring). Students who choose this option can complete the degree in 33 credits.

Students who choose the capstone project option GEOG 596A and GEOG 596B (6 credits) must produce a project to be presented at a professional conference or published in a peer-reviewed journal. The two classes cannot overlap and often are separated by a class or two. Students who choose this option can complete the degree in 36 credits.

Declare the GEOINT Option and focus your studies on producing information and insights through skillful and conscientious analysis of diverse geo-referenced data to manage natural and cultural assets, enforce the law, and plan and conduct military operations. In addition to the required courses listed above, MGIS students who choose to complete the GEOINT Option use elective credits to complete the courses listed below. 

Geodesign is a powerful approach to spatial problem-solving that requires the synthesis of geographic knowledge with the best practices of environmental design. Declare the Geodesign Option and focus your studies on combining science and evidence-based approaches to become more adept at assessing the impact of designs on people and nature.

If you choose the Geodesign Option with your MGIS degree, you need to take GEODZ 511 — Geodesign History, Theory, Principles — and your capstone will have a Geodesign focus.

Please direct any questions to Geodesign Lead Faculty:

David Goldberg
Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Programs in Geodesign

(Office) 814-865-4148
goldberg@psu.edu