Course Requirements

Students must complete 20 graduate credits, including 8 credits of core courses and 12 credits of courses selected from the list of electives.  The program prerequisite, GEOG 380(Maps and Geographic Information), cannot be used toward the certificate requirements.

Only courses completed up to 7 years prior to the certificate award date may be used to satisfy graduate certificate requirements.
Required core courses (8 credits)*:
(Click on the links to individual course syllabi and web pages)
Course Number
Course Name
Credits

GEOG 588/
USP 591

  GIS 1: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems  
  4 credits
588L/591L   Concurrent registration in GIS I Lab sessions
0 credits
GEOG 592/
USP 592		  GIS 2: Applications
4 credits
592L/592L Concurrent registration in GIS 2 Lab sessions  
  0 credits

You may request a waiver of these 3 courses from the program director on the basis of prior educational background under the following circumstances:

 

1) if you have taken the courses at the undergraduate level or taken them as part of an     undergraduate program at PSU

2) If GIS I and GIS II equivalent courses were taken at another institution you must     submit syllabi from those courses as part of your waiver request.

 

Waivers are at the discretion of the program director. If the waiver is not approved you must take GIS I and GIS II. If the waiver is approved you 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 credits
GEOG 581 Satellite Digital Image Analysis
4 credits
GEOG 597 Spatial Quantitative Analysis
4 credits
Electives (12 credits)**:
G 525 Field GIS 
  4 credits
GEOG 575 Digital Compilation and Database Design 
  4 credits
GEOG 581 Satellite Digital Image Analysis  
4 credits
GEOG 582 Satellite Image Classification and Change Detection ***
   4 credits
GEOG 585 Map Design and Production    
   4 credits
GEOG 589  Building a GIS Database with GPS***
4 credits
GEOG 590  GIS Programming
4 credits
GEOG 593  Digital Terrain Analysis
4 credits
GEOG 594 GIS for Water Resources***
4 credits
GEOG 595    Maps, Models, and GIS
  4 credits
GEOG 597 Spatial Quantitative Analysis 
4 credits
USP 543 Geographic Applications to Planning
4 credits
USP 593 Advanced GIS Applications: Public Participation GIS  
   3 credits

* USP 531 or G 524 may be substituted for GIS I only if taken S06 or later.

** USP 531 or G 524 may be used as elective credits only if taken W06 or earlier.

*** These courses may be substituted for elective credit even if taken earlier as omnibus courses – 507 or 510.

 

Click here for a complete list of GIS courses being offered at PSU

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 credit must be letter-graded with a B or higher and eligible for use in master’s degree programs at PSU.  The Proposed Pre-Admission and Transfer Credit (GO-11GC) must be used for approval of transfer credit.