Note: To expedite your enrollment in our MGIS courses, we recommend that you first apply as a "non-degree" graduate student, which will enable you to begin taking courses immediately. Those who wish to apply to the MGIS degree program can do so later. Fifteen credits earned under "non-degree" status can be counted toward the MGIS. See "Registering for Courses..." (below) for more information.
PURSUING THE CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT IN GIS (CPGIS)
To pursue the Certificate of Achievement in GIS you must complete the official application for Penn State Online. Once you have logged in to the application system, you will be asked to select the Graduate Degree/Certificate that you are seeking. Select "Postbaccalaureate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems" from the options, then complete the online form to apply to the program.
PLEASE NOTE:
Essays and letters of recommendation are NOT required for the CPGIS application. Those sections of the online application do not need to be completed.
To be admitted as a non-degree graduate student you must have earned, from an accredited institution, a baccalaureate degree earned under residence and credit conditions substantially equivalent to those required by Penn State. Copies of official transcripts are NOT required for the CPGIS application.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: International applicants whose first language is not English or who have not received a baccalaureate or master's degree from an institution in which the language of instruction is English must submit a TOEFL score. The Graduate School recommends that a minimum overall total score of 80 points (out of 120) on the new test, with a minimum of 23 points (out of 30) on the new speaking portion, should be required for new admissions beginning Spring 2006.
APPLYING FOR ADMISSION TO THE MASTER OF GIS (MGIS) DEGREE PROGRAM
To pursue the Master of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) degree you must be admitted by three Penn State organizations: (1) Penn State's Graduate School, (2) the World Campus, and (3) the Department of Geography. To apply, you will complete a single online application form that will submit the necessary information to each organization on your behalf. In addition to completing the online application form, there are several items that must be submitted to the program by surface mail. See "Application Procedures," below, for more information.
The department's MGIS Program Admissions Committee meets three times annually to review and rank applications. Application due dates are January 15, April 15, and October 15.
The Committee ranks applications based upon the following admissions criteria, which are listed in order of importance:
Statement of professional experience and goals. This 2-3 page original essay should include a description of your professional experience, preferably related to geographic information technologies, as well as a clear statement of how your professional goals may be advanced through participation in the MGIS program. A resume may also be included as a supplement, but the essay itself should demonstrate your verbal communication skills.
Three letters of recommendation. These letters (from current and former employers, clients or educators) should attest to your readiness for graduate study and to the fact that you have the requisite minimum of two years of post-baccalaureate professional experience. Each letter must be typed on formal letterhead paper and placed in sealed, signed envelopes. Electronic letters of recommendation are NOT acceptable.
Official transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended to date. Transcripts must arrive in envelopes sealed by registrar in order to qualify for consideration. Print and complete the request form at http://forms.gradsch.psu.edu/ges/transreq-typeon.pdf and send it to any institution where you have taken CREDIT classes. You may send a personal letter instead, but you should include the same information as on the transcript form. Your educational institution(s) either sends the transcripts directly to Penn State (see address below) or sends you a SEALED letter that you then send (having never opened the letter) to to Penn State (again, see address below). Penn State alums do not need to request transcripts for credits earned at PSU.
The Pennsylvania State University
MGIS Program Admissions - ATTN: Jan Moyer
Dutton e-Education Institute
2217 Earth-Engineering Sciences Building
University Park, PA 16802
International Applicants: Transcripts/records must be in the official language of the institution(s) attended, but if that language is not English you must also send official English translations.
Official Graduate Records Examination (GRE) score. Official GRE (Graduate Record Exam) test scores should be submitted directly from the testing center using Penn State's Institution Code: 2660. GRE scores are used to differentiate applications that are evenly matched on other criteria, to countervail low undergraduate grade point averages and (by the Graduate School) to compare the "quality" of MGIS applicants with applicants to the Department of Geography's resident graduate programs. Applicants who are at least five years removed from a baccalaureate degree may request that GRE scores be waived.
Additional criteria:
Baccalaureate degree
In addition to these criteria, the Graduate School requires applicants to possess any baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution earned under residence and credit conditions substantially equivalent to those required by Penn State.
TOEFL scores
International applicants whose first language is not English or who have not received a baccalaureate or master's degree from an institution in which the language of instruction is English must submit a TOEFL score. The Graduate School recommends that a minimum overall total score of 80 points (out of 120) on the new test, with a minimum of 23 points (out of 30) on the new speaking portion, should be required for new admissions beginning Spring 2006.. Submit official scores using Penn State’s Institution Code: 2660.
The MGIS program is selective. The MGIS Program Admissions Committee will select incoming classes of approximately twelve students each on a quarterly basis (approximately 48 new students per year). The best qualified applicants will be admitted. Applicants who are only able to participate part-time and at a distance, while maintaining full-time professional responsibilities (and who are, therefore, effectively excluded from participation in the department's resident program) will be preferred.
Applications that are ranked highly, but not highly enough for immediate admission, may be retained for consideration in a subsequent application pool. Applicants for whom an admission decision is deferred may choose to enroll immediately in MGIS courses as non-degree graduate students. Up to 15 credits earned in non-degree status may be applied to the MGIS degree.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
To apply to the program, complete the following steps:
Complete the official online application Once you have logged in to the application system, you will be asked to select the Graduate Degree/Certificate that you are seeking. Select "Master of Geographic Information Systems" from the options, then complete the online form to apply to the program. The information requested on the application form includes:
Personal contact information,
Educational background,
Unofficial GRE scores,
Unofficial TOEFL scores (if needed),
Recent employment history,
Academic areas of interest,
List of higher education institutions from which you have requested transcripts,
Contact information for your three recommenders,
Statement of professional experience and goals, and
An application fee of $45, which can be paid electronically via credit card or via surface mail.
Submit the following items to the MGIS Admissions Committee by surface mail:
Two official transcripts from each college or university attended to date
Three letters of recommendation
These items should be addressed to:
The Pennsylvania State University
MGIS Program Admissions - ATTN: Jan Moyer
Dutton e-Education Institute
2217 Earth-Engineering Sciences Building
University Park, PA 16802
Request that the following items be sent directly to Penn State from the testing center, using Penn State's Institution Code (2660):
Official GRE scores
Official TOEFL scores (if needed)
For questions and further inquiries contact: mgis@geog.psu.edu or call 814-863-1590.
REGISTERING FOR COURSES IN THE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN GIS (CPGIS) OR THE MASTER OF GIS (MGIS) DEGREE PROGRAM
It is possible to enroll in CPGIS and MGIS courses without being admitted to one of these programs. You will first need to be admitted to the University as a non-degree graduate student. To be admitted as a non-degree graduate student you must have earned, from an accredited institution, a baccalaureate degree earned under residence and credit conditions substantially equivalent to those required by Penn State. International applicants whose first language is not English or who have not received a baccalaureate or master's degree from an institution in which the language of instruction is English must submit a TOEFL score. The Graduate School recommends that a minimum overall total score of 80 points (out of 120) on the new test, with a minimum of 23 points (out of 30) on the new speaking portion, should be required for new admissions beginning Spring 2006.
To register for our courses, you must complete the following steps:
Complete the Graduate School On-Line Application Form as a nondegree applicant. (There are no application fees for nondegree applicants.) For more information, see the "How to Apply - Nondegree Admission" page on the Graduate School's Web site, located at: http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/prospective/apply.html.
PLEASE NOTE: Once a MGIS degree application has been submitted to the Graduate School, a second application for nondegree status CANNOT be submitted while the degree application is pending. If you wish to take courses immediately (i.e., before receiving word of your MGIS admission status), you should apply as a nondegree student FIRST. Your degree application can then be submitted subsequently.
Select a course. The World Campus Course Catalog (http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/search/index.shtml) contains information about the courses in our programs (see the "Geography" section of the catalog).
PLEASE NOTE: Most courses have prerequisites. It is strongly recommended that students take only one course at a time. Students who have not completed any of the courses in our Certificate Program are eligible to enroll in GEOG 482 (the first course in the CPGIS). Students who have already completed the CPGIS are eligible to take GEOG 583, Geospatial System Analysis and Design.
Register! To register for the course you select, download and print a World Campus course registration form, located at http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/search/forms/regform_01.pdf (102K). (That form is a PDF file. You will need a PDF reader like Adobe Reader to view it.) Once you have printed and completed the registration form, please mail or fax it to the address at the top of the form with your full payment. To register by phone or for more information, please contact World Campus Student Services. See http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/pub/home/studserv/ for contact information and hours of operation.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are enrolling into your first course, we will also need a signed Access Account Acceptance Statement in order to complete your registration. That form is located at http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/search/forms/access_form_01.pdf
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
The Certificate Program in GIS and Master of GIS program are intended for adult professionals who are able to study only part-time and at a distance. In general, part-time graduate students are not eligible for financial aid. Additional information about financial aid opportunities is published at: http://www.psu.edu/studentaid/aidprog/disted.shtml
Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity
of its workforce. This site is maintained by the Gould Center for Geography Education and
Outreach. Please contact editor@geog.psu.edu
if you have questions about this site. Last updated February 12, 2007.
