2011-2012 University Catalog 
  
2011-2012 University Catalog

Geographic and Cartographic Sciences, MS


Banner Code:  SC-MS-GECA

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.

This program of study is offered by the Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science in the College of Science.

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 regionally accredited 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 either 36 graduate credits (without a thesis) or 30 graduate credits (including 3-6 credits of thesis). If the nonthesis option is selected, students are required to pass a comprehensive exam.

Thesis Option (18 credits)


Students selecting the thesis option must complete 3–6 credits of thesis and 12–15 credits of electives

  • 3–6 credits of  GGS 799 - Thesis Credits: 1-6
  • 12–15 credits of electives from 500-799 GGS courses

Nonthesis Option (24 credits)


Students selecting the nonthesis option must pass a comprehensive exam and complete 24 credits of electives

  • Comprehensive exam
  • 24 credits of electives 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