Online GIS Certificate: GIS & Cartography

No Prior Background Needed in GIS

• Fully online
• For recent college graduates and working professionals
• Gain expertise in GIS and cartography
• 12 credits
• No GRE

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• About the Certificate
• Completion Requirements
• Admission Requirements
• Learning Outcomes
• Tuition and Fees
• When Courses Are Offered

Certificate Name and Number: Geospatial Information Science: GIS & Cartography (CTGISC)

Delivery Mode: Online

For more information, contact the Certificate Coordinator: Dr. Gaurav Sinha.

About the Certificate

The ability to think spatially, interpret maps, and creatively use geospatial technologies is a fundamental skill expected in a wide variety of careers today. Maps and mapping technologies also underlie a significant proportion of everyday decision-making.

Acquiring such skills requires formal training in many topics related to the interdisciplinary field of Geospatial Information Science (GIScience). This online graduate certificate is designed for recent college graduates and working professionals without prior background in GIS or Cartography.

• For advanced GIS certificate, see "Online GIS Certificate: Geospatial Analysis & Programming."

On completion of this certificate, students will be able to independently complete typical mapping and geospatial analysis tasks arising regularly in a wide variety of disciplines and professions.

The expected time to complete this certificate is three semesters.

Career Opportunities

According to the GIS Certification Institute, the number of professionals engaged in the geospatial industry will exceed 675,000 after 2020. GIS and mapping jobs are now so diverse that they are available at various levels of proficiency across thousands of different industries, government agencies, and academic institutions. After certificate completion, professionals may be able to advance in their current jobs or apply for new jobs by leveraging their newly acquired GIS based mapping and geospatial data analysis skills.

Completion Requirements

Students must complete three graduate level courses (12 credits) as listed below and must earn a minimum grade of C in every course. Additionally, as required by the graduate college, the minimum overall GPA requirement for earning this certificate is 3.0. Additional questions about the certificate can be directed to the Certificate Coordinator.  

Required Courses

• GEOG 5730 - Principles of GIS (4 credits)
• GEOG 5600 - Cartography I (4 credits)
• GEOG 5610 - Cartography II (4 credits)

Admission Requirements

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• Bachelor’s Degree
• Transcripts
• Resume, which must include a list of every school attended, as well as the GPA obtained at each institution.
• International students: Non-native speakers of English must demonstrate English proficiency by submitting official test scores for either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Photocopies and/or faxes of English proficiency scores are not accepted.

The certificate is open to anyone who has earned a bachelor’s degree, is not currently enrolled in a graduate degree program at Ohio University, and meets the minimum requirements of admission to university graduate programs. Applicants for this certificate must complete a non-degree application.

The deadline for the fall semester is July 15. And the spring semester deadline is Dec. 1.

International Students:  This certificate program does not permit full-time enrollment in residence at Ohio University, and an I-20 cannot be issued based on admission to this program.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees are assessed based on the number of credit hours of enrollment, Ohio residency, and program.

• See Graduate Tuition and Fees.

Courses are 4 credit hours each, and the certificate is a total of 12 credit hours.

When Courses Are Offered

Students can start any term.

Certificate Learning Outcomes

Upon certificate completion, students will be able to:

• define and discuss the major theoretical issues of and emerging trends affecting the computational representation, visualization, and analysis of geographic information.
• correctly identify problems and decision-making situations that require the use of geospatial data and GIS technology.
• demonstrate practical knowledge of GIS software for mapping, database management, and geospatial analysis.
• demonstrate high quality graphic and map design abilities.
• demonstrate knowledge of when and how to use web-mapping technologies (e.g., Javascript, ArcGIS Online, MapBox) for creating and sharing interactive web-maps.