Our graduate GIScience certificate is a standalone and financial-aid-eligible program. It is available to all UCCS active graduate students in any major, as well as to all non-degree UCCS students with a Bachelor's degree. The program requires 20 credits from 5 graduate-level courses, allowing students to earn the certificate quickly with low tuition costs. Upon graduation, students can pursue careers in various fields. The average annual salary for GIS professionals is more than $70,000. Since 2012, over 100 UCCS students have earned the certificate, and 85% of them obtained GIS-related jobs.

For more information, please contact Dr. Diep Dao, Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, UCCS at tdao@uccs.edu

Scientists, practitioners, and policy makers around the world are addressing so many of our planet’s increasing challenges, from loss of nature and lacking biodiversity to ongoing social conflict. At the same time, we hold the opportunity to better understand about the world through large and rich geospatial data sources acquired through remotely sense imagery, global satellite navigation systems, mapping and wireless technologies, and cellular systems. GIScience provides a platform to digitally model our world and bring together disconnected data through data management and integration, mapping and visualization, analysis, and modeling. GIScience – its methodologies, technologies, and people – embraces our understanding about the built environment and the nature. GIScience creates a better and smarter world.

Our GIS Certificate program was founded in 2012. Our program’s success is reflected through the alumni’s high rate of employment in GIS-related fields. Our course contents are selectively designed to provide students with the most important and state-of-the-art knowledge and technologies in geospatial data science. These include geospatial data management, cartography and geovisualization, spatial analysis and modelling, satellite-based imagery analysis, python programming for geoprocessing automation, web mapping and analysis.

Courses are taught by our accredited GES Faculty and staff members who are nationally and internationally recognized for their GIScience research. The classrooms are supported by two enterprise GIS servers and two labs with 40 computers. Our students are also fully supported with remote desktop connection to the labs. The labs include the latest state-of-the-art GIS computing software - ESRI ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Online and Enterprise, PostgreSQL/PostGIS and SQL Express database servers, QGIS, ENVI, and IDRISI. We also support students’ projects with map plotters, GPS/DGPS units, and drones for mapping.

Department of Labor Occupation and Summary Report: Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians

US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Cartographers and Photogrammetrists 

 A minimum grade of B- must be earned in all certificate courses and students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Three Required Courses (12 credits)

1. Introduction to GIS (GES 5030) - 4 credits
2. Introduction to Remote Sensing (GES 5060) - 4 credits
3. Advanced GIS (GES 5080) - 4 credits (GES 5030 is a prerequisite, GES 5000 is highly recommended)

Any Two Elective Courses (8 credits)

1. Cartography (GES 5050) - 4 credits
2. Introduction to Geospatial Computing (GES 5130) - 4 credits (GES 5030 is a prerequisite)
3. Geovisualization (GES 5070) - 4 credits (GES 5030 is a prerequisite)
4. Image Processing (GES 5090) - 4 credits (GES 5060 is a prerequisite)
5. Internet GIS (GES 5120) - 4 credits (GES 5030 is a prerequisite)
6. Spatial Database (GES 5040) - 4 credits (GES 5030 is a prerequisite)