GIS & Geoinformatics Programs
We offer a non-thesis Master of Science degree in GIS and Geoinformatics, and four graduate certificates. The courses taken for graduate certificate degrees may be applied toward the master’s degree.
Additional questions may be directed to email: gis@mines.edu
The Master of Science (Non-Thesis) is an ON-LINE program. It may be applied for by individuals holding undergraduate degrees in an earth science. Students require 30 credit hours (10 courses). The program comprises the following courses. There are three required courses which include a graduate project. Students may select seven of the elective courses.
Any of the four GIS & GeoInformatics graduate certificates may be applied to this Master of Science program. Undergraduate students at Colorado School of Mines may apply for a combined degree program (also known as the ‘4+1’ program) for which specific courses may be counted towards both the undergraduate and Master’s Degree.
There are no Geology&Geological Engineering Department scholarships for this program. Students needing financial support may consider applying separately to professional organization, government, or company scholarships. A limited selection of scholarships are listed for reference and should be applied to separately from the Colorado School of Mines application.
Core Requirements, GIS Master of Science Degree
| Course No. | Course Title | Credits | Pre-requisite | On-Line Timeframe | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEGN575 | Applications in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | 3 | Fall 1st Half Semester Spring 2nd Half Semester | ||
| SYGN588 | GIS-Based Real World Learning Project 1 - Fundamentals | 3 | GEGN575 | Spring 1st Half Semester | |
| SYGN590 | GIS-Based Real World Learning Project 2 - Advanced Applications | 3 | SYGN590 | Spring 2nd Half Semester |
Elective Course Selection
| Course No. | Course Title | Credits | Pre-requisite | On-line Timeframe | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEGN542 | Advanced Terrain Analysis | 3 | GEGN575 | Fall 2nd Half Semester | |
| GEGN580 | Applied Remote Sensing for Geoengineering and Geosciences | 3 | Spring 1st Half Semester | ||
| GEGN588 | Advanced Planetary GIS | 3 | GEGN580 | Fall 1st Half Semester | |
| GEGN579 | Python Scripting for ArcGIS Pro | 3 | GEGN575 | Fall 2nd Half Semester | |
| DSCI403 | Introduction to Data Science | 3 | Fall or Spring, 1st Half Semester | ||
| GEOL557 | Earth Resource Data Science I - Fundamentals | 3 | Fall 2nd Half Semester | ||
| GEOL558 | Earth Resource Data Science 2 - Applications & Machine Learning | 3 | GEOL557 | Spring 1st Half Semester | |
| CEEN501 | Life Cycle Assessment | 3 | Fall or Spring, 1st Half Semester | or CEEN581 in person spring full semester | |
| DSCI530 | Statistical Methods 1 | 3 | Fall or Spring, 2nd Half Semester | or GEGN532 in person spring full semester | |
| MNGN502 | Geospatial Big Data Analytics | 3 | In person Spring full semester | or MNGN598A in person fall full semester |
Scholarship Opportunities
Selected Independent Scholarships for Master’s Degrees in GIS
| Organization | Link | Application Deadline | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| SRK | www.srk.com/en/student-programs | June 30 | Company Sponsored Scholarship |
| AIPG William Siok Graduate Scholarship | www.aipg.org/page/graduatescholarship | February 1 | American Institute of Professional Geologists |
| ASPRS GIS Scholarship | www.asprs.org/awards-and-scholarships/francis-h-moffitt-memorial-scholarship.html | Nov 15 | American Society of Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing |
| GIS Colorado | www.giscolorado.org/resources/scholarships/ | May 20 | GIS Colorado |
| Great College Deals | www.greatcollegedeals.net/scholarships/ | Various | Several Scholarships |
| AIG American Geosciences Institute | www.americangeosciences.org/scholarships/wallacescholarship/ | Feb 6 | Female Graduate Students |
| AWG Association for Women Geoscientists | https://www.awg.org/page/ScholarshipsandAwards | Various | Several Scholarships |
| AGI American Geosciences Institute | www.americangeosciences.org/workforce/agi-scholarship-advancing-diversity-geoscience-profession | May 1 | |
| SEG Society of Economic Geologists | https://www.segweb.org/SEG/Students-and-Early-Career/Students/Student-Funding/SEG/Students-and-Early-Career/Students/Student-Funding/Student-Funding.aspx?hkey=49c69cda-4b43-4af2-9b74-aa5c736b48dc | Feb 1 | |
| SIPES Foundation, Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists | sipes.org/sipes-foundation/sipes-foundation-scholarship/ | June 15 | |
| AAUW Selected Professions Fellowships | www.aauw.org/resources/programs/fellowships-grants/current-opportunities/selected-professions-fellowships/ | Dec 1 | Women |
| AFA Air Force Association | www.afa.org/publications-news/news/2020-12-02/afa-now-accepting-scholarship-applications | April 30 | USA Veterans, Captain Jodi Callahan Scholarship |
| Fulbright Scholars | https://us.fulbrightonline.org/ | ||
| US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) | HTTPS://usgif-scholarship-program/ | May 31 | GIS |
Students enrolled in an undergraduate program at Colorado School of Mines may combine undergraduate and graduate programs if registration is uninterrupted from the time the student earns their undergraduate degree to the time the student begins the graduate program. Also referred to as the ‘4+1’ program for undergraduate students, the combined program allows that up to six credit hours may be double-counted in fulfilling the requirements of the undergraduate degree and also counting towards the Master’s Degree program.
Any courses that count toward the graduate degree requirements, required or elective coursework, may be used for the purposes of double-counting by approval of the GIS program advisor. These courses must have been passed with a B- or better.
The graduate certificate programs in GIS and GeoInformatics may be applied for by individuals having an Earth Science undergraduate degree. The program comprises 12.0 credit hours (4 courses). One course is required and the other three may be from the selection of GIS courses.
Geospatial Information Technology
Students working toward a graduate certificate of GIS and GeoInformatics with specialization in geospatial information technology are required to take one core class and any three of the following elective courses.
Core Requirements GIT and Geohazard (GH) Graduate Certificates
| Course No. | Course Title | Credits | On-Line Timeframe | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEGN575 | Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | 3 | Fall 1st Half Semester Spring 2nd Half Semester |
Elective Course Selection
| Course No. | Course Title | Credits | Pre-requisite | On-Line Timeframe | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEGN542 | Advanced Terrain Analysis | 3 | GEGN575 | Fall 2nd Half Semester | or MNGN502 in person Spring full semester |
| GEGN580 | Applied Remote Sensing for Geoengineering and Geosciences | 3 | Spring 1st Half Semester | ||
| GEGN588 | Advanced Planetary GIS | 3 | GEGN580 | Fall 1st Half Semester | |
| GEGN579 | Python Scripting for ArcGIS Pro | 3 | GEGN575 | Fall 2nd Half Semester | |
| DSCI403 | Introduction to Data Science | 3 | Fall or Spring, 1st Half Semester | ||
| GEOL557 | Earth Resource Data Science I - Fundamentals | 3 | Fall 2nd Half Semester | ||
| GEOL558 | Earth Resource Data Science 2 - Applications | 3 | GEOL557 | Spring 1st Half Semester | |
| CEEN501 | Life Cycle Assessment | 3 | Fall or Spring, 1st Half Semester | ||
| DSCI530 | Statistical Methods 1 | 3 | Fall or Spring, 2nd Half Semester |
Geohazards Evaluation
Students working toward a graduate certificate of GIS and GeoInformatics with specialization in geohazards evaluation are required to take 1 core course and any three of the elective courses.
Core Requirements GIT and Geohazard (GH) Graduate Certificates
| Course No. | Course Title | Credits | On-Line Timeframe | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEGN575 | Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | 3 | Fall 1st Half Semester Spring 2nd Half Semester |
Elective Course Selection
| Course No. | Course Title | Credits | Pre-requisite | On-Line Timeframe | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEGN580 | Applied Remote Sensing for Geoengineering and Geosciences | 3 | Spring 1st Half Semester | ||
| GEGN588 | Advanced Planetary GIS | 3 | GEGN580 | Fall 1st Half Semester | |
| GEGN542 | Advanced Terrain Analysis | 3 | GEGN575 | Fall 2nd Half Semester | |
| GEGN579 | Python Scripting for ArcGIS Pro | 3 | GEGN575 | Fall 2nd Half Semester | |
| DSCI403 | Introduction to Data Science | 3 | Fall or Spring, 1st Half Semester | ||
| GEOL557 | Earth Resource Data Science I - Fundamentals | 3 | Fall 2nd Half Semester | ||
| GEOL558 | Earth Resource Data Science 2 - Applications & ML | 3 | GEOL557 | Spring 1st Half Semester | |
| DSCI530 | Statistical Methods 1 | 3 | Fall or Spring, 2nd Half Semester | or GEGN532 Spring in person full semester | |
| CEEN501 | Life Cycle Assessment | 3 | Fall or Spring, 1st Half Semester | or CEEN581 Spring in person full semester |
Environmental Studies
Students working toward a graduate certificate of GIS and GeoInformatics with specialization in environmental studies. There are two required core courses and students may select any two of the elective courses.
Core Requirements Environmental Studies (ES) Graduate Certificate
| Course No. | Course Title | Credits | On-Line Timeframe | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEGN575 | Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | 3 | Fall 1st Half Semester Spring 2nd Half Semester | |
| CEEN501 | Life Cycle Assessment | 3 | Fall or Spring, 1st Half Semester | or CEEN581 Spring in person Full Semester |
Elective Course Selection
| Course No. | Course Title | Credits | Pre-requisite | On-line Timeframe | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEGN580 | Applied Remote Sensing for Geoengineering and Geosciences | 3 | Spring 1st Half Semester | ||
| GEGN588 | Advanced Planetary GIS | 3 | GEGN580 | Fall 1st Half Semester | |
| GEGN542 | Advanced Terrain Analysis | 3 | GEGN575 | Fall 2nd Half Semester | |
| DCSI403 | Introduction to Data Science | 3 | Fall or Spring, 1st half Semester | ||
| GEOL557 | Earth Resource Data Science I - Fundamentals | 3 | Fall 2nd Half Semester | ||
| GEOL558 | Earth Resource Data Science 2 - Applications and Machine Learning | 3 | GEOL557 | Spring 1st Half Semester | |
| DSCI530 | Statistical Methods 1 | 3 | Fall or Spring, 2nd Half Semester | or GEGN532 Spring in person full semester |
Natural Resources Assessment
Students working toward a graduate certificate of GIS and GeoInformatics with specialization in natural resource studies are required to take one core courses, and may select any three of the elective courses.
Core Requirements Natural Resources (NR) Graduate Certificate
| Course No. | Course Title | Credits | On-line Timeframe | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEGN575 | Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | 3 | Fall 1st Half Semester Spring 2nd Half Semester |
Elective Course Selection
| Course No. | Course Title | Credits | Pre-requisite | On-line Timeframe | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEGN580 | Applied Remote Sensing for Geoengineering and Geosciences | 3 | Spring 2nd Half Semester | ||
| GEGN588 | Advanced Planetary GIS | 3 | GEGN580 | Fall 1st Half Semester | |
| GEGN542 | Advanced Terrain Analysis | 3 | GEGN575 | Fall 2nd Half Semester | |
| GEGN579 | Python Scripting for ArcGIS Pro | 3 | GEGN575 | Fall 2nd Half Semester | |
| DCSI403 | Introduction to Data Science | 3 | Fall or Spring 1st Half Semester | ||
| GEOL557 | Earth Resource Data Science I - Fundamentals | 3 | Fall 2nd Half Semester | ||
| GEOL558 | Earth Resource Data Science 2 - Applications & ML | 3 | GEOL557 | Spring 1st Half Semester | |
| DSCI530 | Statistical Methods 1 | 3 | Fall or Spring, 2nd Half Semester | of GEGN532 Spring in person full semester | |
| MNGN598C | Data Driven Mine Closure and Reclamation | 3 | Fall in person full semester | or MNGN502 in person Spring Full Semester |