The graduate certificate consists of 19 credit hours. S/U or P/NP grades are not acceptable.

Students are required to complete two "core" courses, the prerequisites for which have been streamlined so that students may begin the certificate after completing introductory cartography. The core courses are supplemented by elective courses totaling 11 or more credits. Students may select courses so that no more than 50% of courses USED for a graduate certificate program may be the 500-level component of a dual-listed course (the 500 component of 400/500 slash courses). The exact classes should be selected in consultation with a GIScience advisor.

How to Apply for the Graduate Certificate

Prospective Students:

This graduate program is offered online by the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences and delivered by OSU Ecampus. If you are not a current OSU graduate student, please find more information, including the list of courses delivered through Ecampus, at Online Graduate Certificate.

Current OSU Graduate students:

This certificate may be completed by OSU graduate students, resident on campus and in good standing, from any department, any degree program. You must already be a graduate student in residence here in Corvallis at OSU, in good standing in any major, any graduate degree program. Upon consultation with the Certificate Program Director Ms. Kuuipo Walsh, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, you may apply to the GIScience certificate program by filling out the Change of Degree/Major/Certificate form. The change requested will be "Work on Concurrent Degree/Certificate" and the New Degree/Certificate will be "Certificate" and the New Major will be "Geographic Information Science (Certificate)". Declaring for the certificate does NOT require that a GIScience faculty member be on your committee (this is a main difference between a certificate and a minor). Upon completion of the coursework, Ms. Walsh will conduct the appropriate audit with the Graduate School to ensure that the credential is assigned to your student record, and that a paper certificate is issued.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Request a Certificate

Go to the Academic Calendar, Schedule of Classes to search for a class to confirm availability.

Required Background Courses (or the equivalent)

  • GEOG 370, Geovisualization: Cartography (4) [F, Sp, Su - ECampus] [W - campus]
    (Please Note: As a grad student, you MUST take this course for a grade if not already taken and even though it cannot appear on your graduate program form. It is THAT important of a course!)

Required Core Courses (8 credits)

  • GEOG 560 GIScience I: Introduction to Geographic Information Science (4) [F - Campus] [F, W - Ecampus]
  • GEOG 580 Remote Sensing I: Principles and Applications (4) [F - Campus] [F - ECampus]

Elective Courses (11 credits minimum, chosen from below)

Some courses are offered through Ecampus also* Go to the Catalog, Schedule of Classes to search for a class to confirm availability.

  • CE 513, GIS in Water Resources (3) [W - Campus] [alternate, odd years]
  • CE 562, Digital Terrain Modeling (4) [occasional] - flyer for CE 562
  • CE 566, 3D Laser Scan and Imaging (3) [F, W - Campus] - flyer for CE 566
  • CS 553, Scientific Visualization (4) [occasional]
  • CS 554, Geometric Modeling in Computer Graphics (4) [F]
  • FE 523, Unmanned Aircraft System Remote Sensing (3) [F - Campus]
  • GEOG 551, Planning Principles and Practices for Resilient Communities (4) [F - Campus, *W - Ecampus] [CANCELED F23/W24]
  • GEOG 561, GIScience II: Analysis and Applications (4) [W - Campus - CANCELED W24] [*W - Ecampus]
  • GEOG 562, GIScience III: Programming for Geospatial Analysis (4) [Sp - Campus] [*Sp - Ecampus]
  • GEOG 563, GIScience IV: Spatial Modeling (4) [occasional]
  • GEOG 564, Geospatial Perspectives on Intelligence, Security, and Ethics (3) [Sp - Campus] [*F - Ecampus]
  • GEOG 565, Spatial-Temporal Variation in Ecology and Earth Science (4) [F - Campus]
  • GEOG 566, Advanced Spatial Statistics and GIScience (4) [Sp - Campus]
  • GEOG 571, Geovisualization: Web Mapping (4) [occasional]
  • GEOG 572, Geovisualization: Geovisual Analytics (3) [occasional]
  • GEOG 581, Satellite Image Analysis (4) [W - Campus] [*Sp - Ecampus]
  • H 547, GIS and Public Health (3) [W - Campus]
  • H 592, Spatial Epidemiology (3) [occasional]
  • OC 678, Satellite Oceanography (3) [W] [alternate years]
  • SOIL 568, Landscape Analysis (4) [W - Campus] [alternate years]
  • ST 565, Time Series (3) [W - campus][alternate, even years]
  • ST 567, Spatial Statistics (3) [W - Campus][alternate, odd years]
  • FOR 510 or GEO 510, Internship (3 or 4) [any term, as arranged, and of a GIScience nature, Campus, *Ecampus]
    See Graduate Internships guidelines from CEOAS.

The following courses may count towards elective credits after consulting with and receiving approval from the program director.

  • CE 560 SELECTED TOPICS IN GEOMATICS ENGINEERING
  • CS 519 SELECTED TOPICS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE 
  • CS 549 SELECTED TOPICS ON DATA SCIENCE & SYSTEMS
  • GEOG 599 SPECIAL STUDIES
  • GEOG 699 SPECIAL STUDIES