Geographic Information Systems Graduate Certificate
Certificate requirements: Successful completion of 20 specified graduate credits with a cumulative PSU graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher (all graduate credit taken at PSU) and a cumulative program GPA of 3.0 or higher (all courses used for the Graduate Certificate), distributed as follows: 8 credits of core courses and 12 credits of electives. All certificate requirements must be fulfilled within three calendar years of admission. Courses taken three years before the program completion date cannot be used to fulfill the program requirements All certificate program courses must be taken for a letter grade (A-F). The program prerequisite, GEOG 380 (Maps and Geographic Information), cannot be used toward the certificate requirements.
Required Core Courses
Courses
Total Credit Hours: 8
A student may request a waiver of these courses from the program director on the basis of prior educational background under the following circumstances:
- The student has taken the course at the undergraduate level or taken them as part of an undergraduate program at PSU.
- If GIS I and GIS II equivalent were taken at another institution, syllabi from those courses must be submitted as part of the waiver request.
Waivers are at the discretion of the program director. If the waiver is not approved, a student must take GIS I and GIS II. If the waiver is approved a student must take additional credits from the following list to fulfill the required 8 credits of core curriculum:
Geog 575 Digital Compilation and Database Design (4)
Geog 581 Digital Image Analysis I: Introduction (4)
Geog 597 Spatial Quantitative Analysis (4)
Electives
12 credits from this list or similar discrete-numbered courses approved in advance by the director.
Courses
| G 525 | Field GIS | 4 |
| Geog 575 | Digital Compilation and Database Design | 4 |
| Geog 580 | Remote Sensing and Image Analysis | 4 |
| Geog 581 | Digital Image Analysis I: Introduction | 4 |
| Geog 582 | Digital Image Analysis II: Advanced Remote Sensing | 4 |
| Geog 584 | Cartographic Applications of GIS | 4 |
| Geog 585 | Map Design and Production | 4 |
| Geog 589 | Building a GIS Database with GPS | 4 |
| Geog 590 | GIS Programming | 4 |
| Geog 594 | GIS for Water Resources | 4 |
| Geog 595 | Maps, Models, and GIS | 4 |
| Geog 597 | Advanced Spatial Quantitative Analysis | 4 |
| USP 543 | Geographic Applications to Planning | 4 |
| USP 593 | Public Participation GIS | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 12
Total Credit Hours: 20
Program Completion Application
Application for award of the Graduate Certificate must be filed by the student in the Graduate School no later than the first week of the anticipated term of graduation (deadlines for each term are available at the Graduate School).
Transfer Credits
Transfer credit is defined as eligible graduate credit taken at other accredited institutions. Two-thirds of the Graduate Certificate program requirements or 15 credits minimum, whichever is larger, must be taken at Portland State University. Transfer credits must be letter-graded with a B or higher and eligible for use in master’s degree programs at PSU. The Proposed Transfer Credit form (GO-11GC) must be used for approval of transfer credit.
Experimental 510 Courses
Due to the fast developments in geospatial technologies, some experimental courses can be used toward the Certificate with the approval of the Program Director. Please verify the eligibility with the instructor or Geography department before taking a 510 course to fulfill the Certificate requirements. Each student can have a maximum of one 510 course per program. The experimental course can only be used as a substitute for an elective, not a core course. Joint campus courses (JC 510) are considered transfer credits for which all transfer credit limitations apply.
Course Overlap between Degrees and Certificates
Graduate courses can be applied to a master’s (or a doctoral) degree and a graduate certificate. However, graduate courses cannot be applied to two different graduate certificates. See PSU Bulletin for more information about course overlap.