2010-2011 University Catalog 
  
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2010-2011 University Catalog

Geographic and Cartographic Sciences, MS

Banner Code:  SC-MS-GECA

This program of study is offered by the College of Science .

The focus of this program is to prepare students for careers in geography, remote sensing, and GIS and its increasing applications in diverse fields, as well as cartography, visualization, and modeling. This expertise is useful to civil and defense federal agencies, state and local government agencies, private corporations, and educational institutions. Courses concentrate on the techniques of compilation, display and analysis of spatial data, and their applications. Students are also encouraged to select internships as part of their program. More than 400 of our alumni from this program have entered employment in the Washington, D.C., area since 1978.

Research Facilities

The department’s laboratories house SUN workstations, PCs, and Macs with multiple input and output devices to support ArcGIS, ArcMap, ArcView, IDRISI, ERDAS, and other  cartography, GIS, and image-processing software packages. In addition, the department houses an extensive collection of spatial data in different formats. Enriching the program is a network of alumni, students, guest lecturers, and adjunct faculty who work in geography-related organizations in the greater Washington, D.C., area. Specialized instructional space for geographic information science is housed in Innovation Hall on the Fairfax Campus. The department also is home to the Center of Excellence in GIS.

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting all admission requirements for graduate study at Mason, applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in geography, cartography, or equivalent. Applicants without an undergraduate degree in geography may be required to take one course in each of the following: physical geography, human geography, and cartography. All applicants must have a course in statistics. The program also requires GRE aptitude scores, three letters of recommendation, transcripts of all college course work, and a statement of interest in the degree. The GRE requirement will be waived if the student holds a master’s degree from a U.S. institution. TOEFL scores are required for all foreign applicants. Credit from courses taken at other departments and other universities may be applied to the program with prior approval.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 30 graduate credits to include 3 to 6 credits of thesis or 36 graduate credits without a thesis. If the nonthesis option is selected, students are required to pass a comprehensive exam.

Four required courses (12 credits):

Thesis or Comprehensive Exam:

  • 3–6 credits of thesis (thesis option)
  • Comprehensive exam (nonthesis option)

Electives (12–24 credits):

  • 12–15 credits (thesis option) of elective courses from 500-799 GGS courses

or

  • 24 credits (nonthesis option) of elective courses from 500-799 GGS courses

Note:

Electives should be selected in consultation with an advisor. With departmental approval, up to 9 credits from closely related disciplines may be applied to the degree.

Total: 30 or 36 credits