Thursday, August 11, 2016

Welcome to Fall 2016!

All,

With just over 10 days left before fall semester starts, we wanted to take some time to welcome our new and returning students. We are excited to start a new semester with a great group of students who are eager to learn GIS! 

To those students returning to classes, Welcome Back! We are so glad you chose to continue learning GIS with us! 

We also have a new cohort of students who are just starting their GIS Certificate journey. We added a second application period this year and are excited to see the program grow.

As usual, we have a diverse group of students and we are really looking forward to learning more about what brought you here, learning from your insight within our online community, and watching you progress through the journey towards earning your GIS Certificate.

We have a really long list of course options this semester: 

GIS4035/L - Remote Sensing and Photo Interpretation
GIS 4944/5945 - GIS Internship
GIS 4930/5935 - Special Topics in GIS
GIS 4938/5938 - Special Topics in GIS for Archaeology
GIS 4043 - Introduction to GIS

And some great graduate teaching assistants (TAs) joining us. Look out for Taylor Seamon (returning TA), Travis Erikson (new TA), and India Young (new TA) to make appearances in your courses throughout the semester. 

Know that our entire group of TAs, instructors and staff want you to succeed. We are here to help with every concept, assignment, and related tangent along the way. The camaraderie built among classmates over a semester of tackling weekly GIS projects is a benefit during the program and beyond.

Let's get to work!

All the best, 
Salina Randall

P.S. As of Fall 2016, the Master's of Science in Administration with a Specialization in GIS is now it's very own degree program, the Master's of Science in GIS Administration. This change to a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) degree is significant and opens many doors for our students and the program in general. 

Did you know that most of the certificate courses are considered foundational proficiencies for the program? That's right, GIS 4043, GIS 3015 and GIS 5100 are all prerequisites for the more advanced GIS courses within the degree program. 

Did you also know that if you earn the graduate level certificate, you will have 6 credits of the master's course plan already completed? Right again, GIS 5103 and GIS 5935 are actually a part of the degree plan! Visit the MS in GIS Administration website to learn more.