Web-Based Distance Learning
Penn State's World Campus provides
learners worldwide with access to Penn State academic programs and resources in a sustainable, technology-based
learning environment. The World Campus fulfills this mission by:
- Offering individual learners and organizational clients convenient and effective access to Penn State credit and noncredit educational programs
- Supporting faculty in the creation of learning communities at a distance
- Providing mechanisms by which learners can establish a lifelong relationship with the University and its resources
Geography Course Offerings Available Through the World Campus:
- The Geographic Information Systems Certificate Program is designed for professionals in environmental resource management, urban and regional planning, local government, facilities management, and other fields who need to become skillful and knowledgeable users of geographic information systems. This program will most benefit entry-level and intermediate-level GIS users who lack formal education in geography or GIS. There are no prerequisites, and no previous experience with geographic information technologies is required.
- The Master of Geographic Information Systems (MGIS) Program is intended specifically for working professionals who are able to participate only on a part-time basis and at a distance. The MGIS degree is awarded to students who demonstrate mastery of the technical competencies and leadership skills required to design, manage and use geographic information technologies successfully in a wide range of professional fields. It is offered exclusively through Penn State's World Campus. The MGIS complements, but does not replace, the Department of Geography's academic Master of Science program, which is offered at the University Park campus. Students who expect to pursue the Ph.D. in Geography should apply for admission to the residential M.S. program.
The e-Education Institute
The John A. Dutton e-Education Institute is a community of faculty, staff, and students from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) who work together to improve the quality and accessibility of EMS education through the imaginative use of networked computing. The e-Education Institute honors dean emeritus John A. Dutton. Many World Campus GIS instructors also work in conjuction with the e-Education Institute.
The Gould Center for Geographic Education and Outreach
The Peter R. Gould Center for Geographic Education and Outreach (formerly the Deasy GeoGraphics Laboratory) honors the late Peter Gould, who challenged Penn State geography students to learn to do things for themselves and demanded that they think about what they were doing. In Dr. Gould's memory, the Center's mission is to:
- Expand student access to Penn State Geography via distance education
- Promote active learning in Geography courses
- Foster outreach efforts to all or our constituents
