Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science Online

Expand your methodical knowledge and technical skills in the high-demand and growing field of geographic information science.

Apply by: 8/11/25
Start class: 8/25/25 Apply Now Apply Now

Program Overview

Why our 100% online geographic information science certificate stands out

Cultivate your knowledge in the innovative and rising scientific discipline of GIScience with the Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science program from Northwest Missouri State University. Delivered 100% online, this five-course program offers you the wide-ranging scientific exposure and cutting-edge tools that can propel your career forward in this exciting, up-and-coming field.

The geographic information science certificate online program is ideal for GIS professionals who want to broaden their expertise quickly, as well as professionals in other fields who aspire to learn more about GIScience and transition into that specialty area. A GRE score is not required for admission into this certificate program.

In the online GIS certificate program, you will explore hardware and software technology systems that are used for data-mapping; learn to capture, process, analyze and represent data in real-world settings; and gain a foundation of remotely sensed information in a GIS landscape. Upon program completion, students may apply their earned credit hours toward the Master of Science in Geographic Information Science online and meet the GRE waiver requirements.

Our highly qualified GIScience faculty are committed to your success. They have years of experience working as specialized geographers in sectors such as academia, public and private agencies and GIScience research; and they maintain strong ties with industries that seek to employ well-trained GIS candidates.

In this geographic information science certificate online program, you will be able to:

  • Explore the use of remotely sensed information in a geographic information science environment, with emphasis on understanding data sources, tools and techniques in remote sensing
  • Understand the analysis and statistical tools used by geographers and uncover the fundamentals of geostatistics that are used in research and business
  • Study advanced vector data models and analytical methods using vector data
  • Comprehend the process of GIS database design, including user needs assessment and conceptual, logical and physical database design, with an emphasis on the design of spatial components in GIS data
In this geographic information science certificate online program, you will be able to:
  • Explore the use of remotely sensed information in a geographic information science environment, with emphasis on understanding data sources, tools and techniques in remote sensing
  • Understand the analysis and statistical tools used by geographers and uncover the fundamentals of geostatistics that are used in research and business
  • Study advanced vector data models and analytical methods using vector data
  • Comprehend the process of GIS database design, including user needs assessment and conceptual, logical and physical database design, with an emphasis on the design of spatial components in GIS data

Geographic information science careers:

  • Conservationist
  • Climate Scientist
  • GIS Manager
  • Health Geographer
  • App Developer
  • Meteorologist
  • GIS Technician
  • Cartography Technician
  • Precision Agriculture Researcher
  • Marine Survey Analyst
Geographic information science careers:
  • Conservationist
  • Climate Scientist
  • GIS Manager
  • Health Geographer
  • App Developer
  • Meteorologist
  • GIS Technician
  • Cartography Technician
  • Precision Agriculture Researcher
  • Marine Survey Analyst

Also available

Northwest offers a variety of specialized online degree options. Check out our other online graduate programs.

Total Tuition $6,105*
Program Duration As few as 12 months
Credit Hours 15
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Need More Information?

Call 844-890-9304

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Tuition

Find out how and when to pay your tuition

Our Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science online program offers affordable, pay-by-the-course tuition, which is the same for in-state and out-of-state students. All fees are included.

View additional tuition information+

Program Per Credit Hour Per Course Per Program*
Certificate in GIScience $407 $1,221 $6,105

Important Refund Information

2nd day of class Last date for 100% refund for dropped course
4th day of class Last date for 75% refund for dropped course
6th day of class Last date for 50% refund for dropped course
8th day of class Last date for 25% refund for dropped course


Tuition breakdown:

Total Tuition $6,105*
Per Credit Hour $407

Transfer your credits for lower tuition

Use our Tuition Estimator to see how affordable your degree could be. Slide the notch to the number of credits you've already earned—which may qualify for transfer credit—to get an estimate of what your degree might cost.

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Transfer Credits: 0
Your Estimated Tuition: $16,140
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Transcripts sent from other colleges and universities will be evaluated, and accepted credits will be added to the student's A-State record. The Tuition Estimator is not a guarantee or predictor of the number of credit hours that will be accepted.

Calendar

Important dates for our students

Northwest online programs are delivered in an accelerated format ideal for working professionals, conveniently featuring multiple start dates each year.

View full calendar  + 

TermProgram Start DateApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlineRegistration DeadlinePayment DueLast Class Day
Summer 26/23/256/6/256/11/256/13/256/17/258/8/25
Fall 18/25/258/11/258/14/258/18/258/20/2510/10/25
Fall 210/20/2510/6/2510/9/2510/13/2510/15/2512/5/25
Spring 11/12/261/5/261/6/261/7/261/8/262/27/26
Spring 23/9/262/20/262/25/262/27/263/3/264/24/26

Now enrolling:

Next Apply Date: 8/11/25
Next Class Start Date: 8/25/25
Ready to take the next steps toward

earning your degree?

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Admissions

Requirements for the online certificate in GIScience program

At Northwest, we've streamlined the admission process to help you get started quickly and easily. Please read the requirements for the Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science online program, including what additional materials you need and where you should send them.

View all admission requirements +

To apply for this program, you must meet these requirements:

  • Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited higher education institution with a GPA of 2.5 or higher
  • Acceptance to graduate study by the Associate Provost of Graduate Studies and Special Programs

Official transcripts can be emailed to [email protected]. To submit official documents by mail, send them to:

Graduate Records Specialist
Northwest Missouri State University
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468-6001

Have a question? Call us at 844-890-9304.

Click here for State Authorization information.


Admission Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
  • GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
  • Official transcripts from all institutions attended

Courses

A look at the online GIS graduate certificate classes

For the Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science online, the curriculum is comprised of 5 courses (15 credit hours), including 12 credit hours of core courses and 3 credit hours of elective courses.

Expand All
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
GIS is a powerful technology for managing and analyzing geographic data. This course provides students with the conceptual background for a rigorous study of fundamental GIS principles, including the nature of spatial data, vector and raster data models, and key GIS analysis operations. It provides a strong foundation for advanced courses or work in GIS.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course integrates the use of remotely sensed information into a GIS environment. Emphasis is placed on understanding image formats, imagery sources on the internet, composite color display schemes, visual interpretation, and getting data out of images.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A cartography course that introduces fundamental cartographic theory and emphasizes effective visual thinking and visual communication with Geographic Information Systems.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course helps students develop a comprehensive and systematic understanding of spatial analysis methods and learn practical skills in using GIS and spatial analysis to discover features of spatial distributions.
Students must choose one of the following courses.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Covers advanced topics in GIS using the raster data structure. Emphasis is placed on the use of raster-based data for spatial modeling applications.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An introductory course for developing programming skills for geoprocessing in ArcGIS using the Python scripting language. Python fundamentals and the use of ArcGIS geoprocessing functions and methods will be the primary focus of this course. A brief overview of ModelBuilder for developing geoprocesses will also be discussed. No previous programming experience is required.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
This course provides concepts and hands-on experience on current technologies for disseminating maps on the internet. Students will learn how to author and publish GIS maps online and develop web applications. Experience in web programming is helpful but not required.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
A comprehensive study of the process of GIS database design, including user needs assessment and conceptual, logical and physical database design. Emphasizes design of the spatial component of GIS data
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
Addresses the applications and latest trends in Geographic Information Science and provides a framework and theoretical concepts for understanding spatial problems along with real-world case studies to implement GIS solutions.
Duration: 7 Weeks weeks
Credit Hours: 3
An advanced remote-sensing course focusing on image-processing techniques. In this course, we will further the understanding of the concepts learned in the introductory remote-sensing course (Geog 32-604) and explore various image-processing techniques to extract information from remotely sensed images.

Ranked #1

Northwest Missouri State University is ranked #1 among the "Best Online Colleges in Missouri" by SR Education Group (2020)

Highly Qualified Faculty

100% of classes are taught by professionals, not graduate assistants

*Tuition and fees are based on current rates. Textbooks and laptops are not included with tuition. Most software will be free for student use, but there might be nominal fees associated with some of these.

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