Advancements in geographic information science (GIScience) are having broad effects in improving day-to-day tasks throughout all sectors of society, from tracking the spread of pollutants to navigating automobiles and emergency vehicles along optimal routes through busy cities. This 19-credit certificate is ideal for working professionals, who already possess a baccalaureate degree and who wish to reinforce or upgrade their current skills in order to be more competitive in the rapidly changing field of GIScience.

Students participating in the program will be competitive and competent across broad disciplines in geographic information science. Students completing the certificate program will gain vital competency relevant to today's workforce in the areas of geospatial information technology. An already large $5 billion U.S. market in GIScience technologies is projected to increase to $30 billion within the span of the next few years, even with the economic downturn. The Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH 2006-07 Ed.) projects that employment in these fields is expected to grow between 9 and 14 percent through 2014. Job titles of GIScience certificate holders include the following: GIS Analyst Auto CAD/GIS Expert Research Assistant Remote Sensing Specialist Photogrammetry Technician Map Specialist