The University of Arizona

Graduate Programs
  • By College
    • College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
    • College of Applied Science and Technology
    • College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture
    • College of Education
    • College of Engineering
    • College of Fine Arts
    • College of Humanities
    • College of Law
    • College of Medicine, Phoenix
    • College of Medicine, Tucson
    • College of Nursing
    • College of Public Health
    • College of Science
    • College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
    • Eller College of Management
    • Graduate College/GIDP
    • James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences
    • R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy
  • By Degree
    • Certificate
    • Doctorate
    • Masters
    • Masters (Accelerated)
    • Minor
  • By Campus
    • Arizona International Direct - Online
    • Arizona International Microcampus - Ajman - Gulf Medical Univ
    • Arizona International Microcampus - Amman - PSUT
    • Arizona International Microcampus - Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
    • Arizona International Microcampus - Lima - UPC
    • Arizona International Microcampus - Online
    • Arizona International Microcampus - Shenzhen Finance Institute
    • Arizona International Microcampus - Tianjin - Hebei Univ of Tech
    • Arizona Online - Online
    • Community Campus - Community Campus- Outreach
    • Distance Campus - Chandler
    • Distance Campus - Desert Vista
    • Distance Campus - Distance
    • Distance Campus - Douglas
    • Distance Campus - Flowing Wells
    • Distance Campus - Gilbert
    • Distance Campus - Nogales
    • Distance Campus - North Valley-Paradise Valley
    • Distance Campus - Yuma
    • Phoenix Campus - Phoenix
    • Southern Arizona - Desert Vista
    • Southern Arizona - Sierra Vista
    • University of Arizona - Main - Oro Valley
    • University of Arizona - Main - Tucson
  • Other Information
    • Request More Information
    • Apply to a Program
    • Dual Degree Programs
    • Online Programs
  • APPLY NOW

Program Details

Graduate Program: Geographic Information Systems Technology (MS)

General Information

Request Information
Program/Degree
Geographic Information Systems Technology (MS)  
Program Description

The Geographic Information Systems Technology (GIST) master’s degree and certificate provides training for those seeking employment in the high growing geospatial industry. We offer two GIST options.

  • MSGIST - Masters of Science in GIS Technology 
    • (in-person or fully online offering)

The GIST integrates GIScience, cutting-edge GISystems, and geospatial technology with management skills for use in government, corporate, nonprofit, and academic settings. The comprehensive curriculum is designed to meet the educational needs of working professionals seeking to improve their careers and for recent graduates seeking employment.

Information regarding the department, our faculty, and the courses we offer can be found at https://gis.arizona.edu/.

GIST

  • Is intended for students with either extensive or limited experience in GIST.
  • Meets in the evenings or online
  • Does not require a master's thesis or Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

The University of Arizona is one of the premier public research universities in the world, ranked as one of the top research public universities in the United States and is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The 380-acre main campus is located in central Tucson, an affordable and culturally vibrant city surrounded by the beautiful and dramatic Sonoran desert.

 
Department/Academic Unit(s)

School of Geography and Development

Graduate students in the School of Geography, Development, and Environment (SGDE) benefit from the broad range of faculty expertise and strong links to interdisciplinary research centers across campus. Our work spans the discipline, from physical geography (climate science, dendrochronology, remote sensing, spatial science), to human-environment (political ecology, water policy, climate change) to human geography (development, state theory). Our shared commitment to collaboration and community makes for a lively and engaged department.

SGDE offers M.A. and Ph.D. degrees, two professional master’s degrees, and participates in several graduate certificate programs

 
College

College of Social & Behavioral Sciences

 
Campuses where offered

Arizona International Direct - Online

University of Arizona - Main - Tucson

Arizona Online - Online

 
Contacts
Admissions Contact
Victoria Souksavath
520-621-1815
Graduate Program Coordinator
Victoria Souksavath
520-621-1815
Director of Graduate Studies
Chris Lukinbeal
520-621-6181
Graduate College Degree Counselor
Tammy Tran
520-621-0119
 
Tuition and Fees
Please refer to the UA Bursar's Office Tuition and Fees Calculator for up-to-date information about tuition and fees. 
Please refer to the UA Registrar's's Office Special Course Fees for up-to-date information about special course fees. 

Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

Academic Year Begins: January (In-Person); August or January (fully-online)

GRE Required: No

Minimum GPA: 3.0 on 4.0 Scale

Official Transcripts: Yes, from all previous institutions

Statement of Purpose: Yes. Your statement of purpose should describe your interest in the geospatial industry, your previous experience in GIS (if any) and what skills you would like to develop in the program. The statement of purpose should be 300 words or less.

Letter of Recommendation: Yes. You should include a single letter of recommendation that is signed and dated. It should indicate the connection between you and the person writing the recommendation.

Resume: Yes

Application acceptance end date: Ongoing, or October 1 for international students seeking admission to in-person MS-GIST.

Admission restrictions: Your place in the program is not guaranteed until you have enrolled

 

 
Standardized Tests

Minimum GPA

3.00

Minimum TOEFL (Internet-based) Score

79

Minimum TOEFL (Paper-based) Score

550

Minimum IELTS (overall band score)

7

 
Funding Opportunities

The first source for financial aid is through the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.  For U.S. residents, make sure that you file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Apply as early as possible for Financial Aid and make sure your funding is spread across the entire program (Spring, Summer, and Fall Semesters). 

 

 
Admissions Deadlines

October 1 for international applicants seeking admission to in-person MS-GIST. 

 
International Conditional Admission

International applicants will not be considered for conditional admission by this program.

Other Information
The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

30 

Core Coursework Requirements

GIST601A: Geographic Information Science- 3 units

GIST601B: Remote Sensing Science- 3 units

GIST602A: Raster Spatial Analysis- 3 units

GIST602B: Vector Spatial Analysis- 3 units

GIST603A: Geographic Information Systems Programming and Automation- 3 units

GIST603B: WebGIS- 3 units

GIST604A: Applied GIS- 3 units

GIST604B: Open Source GIS- 3 units

GIST909: Master's Project in Geographic Information Systems Technology-6 units

Course descriptions can be found here https://gis.arizona.edu/msgist-courses

 

 

 
Elective Coursework

None

 
Additional Requirements

The Master’s Project includes a formal report and presentation submitted in lieu of a Master’s Thesis and reflects what a student has learned from the MS-GIST program. This course focuses on addressing normative and/or scientific geographic problems, data capture, compilation and manipulation, and formulating methods and analysis to address the problem in a given timeline. 

MS students take 6 units of GIST 909

 
Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate 92.68%
Avg. Time-to-degree (years) 1.62
 
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male 54.12%
Enrollment Percent Female 45.88%
Enrollment Percent International 1.18%
Enrollment Percent URM 21.18%

Back to statistics
  • All application, admit, and enrollment data are from Fall 2022.
  • Average Time to Degree calculates how long graduates in the last 5 years (2018-2022) took to complete their degrees, counting back to the first semester entering their program.
  • Underrepresented Minorities (URM) includes domestic students of ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education: African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders.

Persistent link: https://grad.arizona.edu/catalog/programinfo/GISTMS
Last revised 18 Jan 2023
The University of Arizona Graduate College
  • Graduate Catalog & Programs of Study
  • Graduate Admissions
  • Graduate Student Academic Services
  • Funding Resources
  • The Graduate Center
  • Policies
  • GradApp (Future Students)
  • GradPath (Current Students)
  • Toolkits
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
All content © 2013 - 2023 Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona
Arizona's Commitment to Equity
University Information Security & Privacy