MGIS Courses
Courses for the master's of geographic information science program are divided into three broad categories:
- Core courses provide the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings for a comprehensive, well-rounded knowledge of geographic information science (GIS), including an introductory seminar for entering students (GIS 8501).
- Technology courses focus on specific software and techniques in GIS.
- Outside courses provide additional breadth to the program by allowing students to take courses related to their area of interest.
This course list details which courses fall under each of these three broad categories. The list of outside courses represents examples of courses that have been used to fulfill this requirement, but other possibilities do exist and will be considered. Alternative outside courses may be taken with approval from the director of graduate studies. For example, our students have taken courses in the computer science, business analytics, and graphic design (GDES).
| Course Type/ID | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 5511 | Principles of Cartography | 4.0 |
| GEOG 5531 | Principles of Spatial Analysis | 4.0 |
| GEOG 5533 | Advanced Spatial Analysis | 3.0 |
| GEOG 5541 | Principles of Geocomputing | 3.0 |
| GEOG 5561 | Principles of Geographic Information Science | 4.0 |
| GEOG 5562 | GIS Development Practicum | 3.0 |
| GEOG 5543 | Advanced Geocomputing | 3.0 |
| GEOG 5563 | Advanced Geographic Information Science | 3.0 |
| GEOG 5564 | Urban Geographic Information Science | 3.0 |
| GEOG 5565 | Geog. Analysis of Human-Environmental Systems | 3.0 |
| GEOG 5588 | Advanced Geovisualization | 3.0 |
| GEOG 8290 | Seminar in GIS & Cartography | 3.0 |
| GEOG 8291 | Seminar in GIS, Technology, and Society | 3.0 |
| GEOG 8292 | Seminar in Spatial Analysis and Modeling: Urban Mobility and Accessibility | 3.0 |
| GEOG 8293 | Seminar in CyberGIS | 3.0 |
| GEOG 8294 | Seminar in SpatiotemporalModeling and Simulation | 3.0 |
| ESPM 5295 | GIS in Environmental Sci. and Mgmt. | 4.0 |
| FNRM 5131 | GIS for Natural Resources | 4.0 |
| FNRM 5262 | Remote Sensing of Natural Resources and Environment | 3.0 |
| FNRM 5362 | Drones: Data, Applications, Operations | 3.0 |
| FNRM 5462 | Advanced Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis | 3.0 |
| FNRM 5562 | Field Remote Sensing | 1.0 |
| FNRM 8205 | Research Problems: Spatial Data Analysis | 1.0-5.0 |
| CSCI 5715 | Spatial Data Science | 3.0 |
| CSCI 5980/8980 | Spatial Enabled Artificial Intelligence | 3.0 |
| CSCI 8523 | AI for Earth: Monitoring Changes in Environment via Deep Learning | 3.0 |
| CSCI 8715 | Spatial Data Science Research | 3.0 |
| GIS 5530 | GIS Internship | 1.0-3.0 |
| GIS 5590* | Special Topics *Could be a technology course depending on the topic | 1.0-3.0 |
| GIS 8501 | GIS Project Management and Professional Development | 3.0 |
| GIS 8990 | Research Problems in GIS | 1.0-6.0 |
| Course Type/ID | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GIS 5555 | Basic Spatial Analysis | 3.0 |
| GIS 5571 | Intermediate Spatial Data Science Applied with ArcGIS | 3.0 |
| GIS 5572 | Advanced Spatial Data Science Applied with ArcGIS | 3.0 |
| GIS 5573 | Introduction to Digital Mapping: ArcGIS Basics | 2.0 |
| GIS 5574 | Web GIS and Services | 3.0 |
| GIS 5576 | Spatial Digital Humanities | 3.0 |
| GIS 5577 | Spatial Database, Design, and Administration | 3.0 |
| GIS 5578 | GIS Programming | 3.0 |
| ESPM 5031 | Applied GPS for GIS | 3.0 |
| Course Type/ID | Course Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| CSCI 4041 | Algorithms and Data Structures | 3.0 |
| CSCI 4131 | Internet Programming | 3.0 |
| CSCI 4707 | Practice of Database Systems | 3.0 |
| CSCI 5521 | Introduction to Machine Learning | 3.0 |
| CSCI 5523 | Introduction to Data Mining | 3.0 |
| CSCI 5561 | Computer Vision | 3.0 |
| FNRM 5114 | Hydrology and Watershed Management | 3.0 |
| FNRM 5228 | Advanced Assessment and Modeling | 3.0 |
| GDES 5341 | Interactive Design | 3.0 |
| GDES 5342 | Advanced Web Design | 3.0 |
| GDES 5371 | Data Visualization Studio | 3.0 |
| IDSC 4431 | Advanced Database Design | 2.0 |
| IDSC 6040 | Information Technology Management | 2.0 |
| IDSC 6423 | Enterprise Systems | 2.0 |
| IDSC 6444 | Business Analytics for Managers 1 | 2.0 |
| LAAS 5416 | Precision Agriculture & Nutrition Management | 3.0 |
| MOT 5001 | Technological Business Fundamentals | 2.0 |
| MOT 5002 | Creating Technological Innovation | 2.0 |
| MSBA 6310 | Programming for Data Science | 3.0 |
| MSBA 6320 | Data Management, Databases, and Data Warehousing | 3.0 |
| MSBA 6330 | Big Data Analytics | 3.0 |
| MSBA 6345 | Project Managaement of Analytics Projects | 1.5 |
| MSBA 6410 | Exploratory Data Analytics and Visualization | 3.0 |
| PA 5231 | Transit Planning and Management | 3.0 |
| PA 5271 | Geographic Information Systems: Applications in Planning & Policy | 3.0 |
| SOIL 4111 | Introduction to Precision Agriculture | 3.0 |
| VMED 5181 | Spatial Analysis in Infectious Disease Epidemiology | 3.0 |
GIS Course Information
Course registration takes place through your MyU account. Through MyU you can register for classes, along with accessing financial information, course materials, and personal contact information among other functions. Active students can access all necessary information after first logging into their MyU account. We have compiled a list of our core and technology GIS fall/spring course offerings for 2023-24 to help you plan your degree program.
Additionally, U-Spatial offers several useful courses in geospatial science through its training program as well as other GIS activities at the University of Minnesota. They also maintain a list of GIS courses offered on campus.