Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Certificate
GIS Admission Requirements
Because the program is for a professional development certificate, there is no formal application process. There are no prerequisites, though familiarity with maps or geographic concepts is recommended.
You can register for and attend individual classes or multiple classes anytime during the semester. Participants may complete the program requirements and receive a certificate of completion or attend just those classes that are of particular interest.
GIS Curriculum
The GIS Certificate is a Professional Development Certificate, and courses carry CEUs, nationally recognized units of measurement for professional development and training. There are two certificate options, the general certificate and the Certificate in Environmental Analysis.
Participants may complete the program requirements and receive a certificate of completion, or attend just those classes that are of particular interest. Candidates for the general certificate designation must pass each of the five core courses (8 CEUs), plus earn an additional 9.6 CEUs from the list of elective courses (for a total of 17.6 CEUs). Candidates for the Certificate in Environmental Analysis must also pass the five core courses, but are required to choose five elective courses from Elective Tier I, and two courses from Elective Tier II (for a total of 19.2 CEUs). Once a candidate has completed the necessary coursework an application for the certificate of completion must be submitted.
Core Required Courses
All required core courses are twice a year (spring and fall semester) and some are offered more frequently.
"•" indicates that the course is offered
| Course Title | Fall | Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to GIS | • | • | • |
| Managing a GIS Project | • | • | |
| Cartographic Design for GIS | • | • | |
| Database Design & Management for GIS | • | • | |
| Data Acquisition for GIS | • | • | • |
Elective Courses (General Certificate)
Students may choose any elective to complete the 17.6 CEU program. Elective courses offer in-depth instruction in a variety of geospatial applications and advanced skills in geospatial techniques and technology. The range of elective options allows students to gain broad exposure to different areas of geographic information systems or to concentrate their studies to a particular area of interest.
All electives are offered on a rotating basis. Some electives are offered once a year, and some are offered more frequently.
"•" indicates that the course is offered
| Course Title | Fall | Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raster GIS & Analysis | • | • | |
| Using GPS for GIS | • | ||
| Remote Sensing in GIS, Part I | • | ||
| Remote Sensing in GIS, Part II | • | ||
| Spatial Analysis & Modeling | • | ||
| Scientific Visualization in GIS | • | ||
| Introduction to Programming ArcGIS | • | ||
| GIS & Remote Sensing Applications for Coastal & Marine Scientists | • | ||
| Watershed GIS | • | ||
| Developing Rich Internet Mapping Applications | • | • | |
| GIS in Crime Analysis | • | ||
| Spatial Analysis of Public Health Data | • | ||
| Further Exploration of ArcGIS | • | • | |
| Processing GIS Data with Visual Tools | • | • | |
| Building a Geodatabase | • | • | |
| Introduction to R | • | ||
| GIS for Sustainable Planning & Urban Design | • | ||
| Ecological Applications of GIS | • |
Elective Courses (Certificate in Environmental Analysis)
In order to guide students through an effective series of courses, environmentally focused courses are categorized into two tiers. Tier I consists of courses that emphasize fundamental skills related to environmental GIS analysis. Tier II is composed of courses that allow students to specialize in particular areas such as satellite image processing or GIS programming.
"•" indicates that the course is offered
| TIER I - Course Title | Fall | Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raster GIS & Analysis | • | • | |
| Processing GIS Data with Visual Tools | • | • | |
| Ecological Applications of GIS | • | ||
| Watershed GIS | • | ||
| Remote Sensing in GIS, Part I | • | ||
| Spatial Analysis & Modeling | • | ||
| GIS & Remote Sensing Applications for Coastal & Marine Scientists | • | ||
| Using GPS for GIS | • |
| TIER II - Course Title | Fall | Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remote Sensing in GIS, Part II | • | ||
| Scientific Visualization in GIS | • | ||
| Introduction to Programming ArcGIS | • | ||
| Building a Geodatabase | • | • | |
| Introduction to R for Spatial Data Analysis | • | ||
| Developing Rich Internet Mapping Applications | • | • |
Textbooks & Materials
All materials for classes are provided by the program and included in the cost. To assist in the hands-on learning process, free one-year (time out) student license of ESRI ArcGIS (ArcEditor level) and Spatial, Geostatistical, and 3D Analysts ($29,000 retail value) are available to students completing the certificate program. Additionally, students completing the program are provided free access to certain ESRI Virtual Campus courses, online training options for learning ESRI software and GIS concepts, to supplement their training experience through the SF State GIS certificate program.
GIS Certificate Application Fee
Students applying for the Geographic Informations Systems Certificate should complete the Application for Certificate and include a check for $50 to cover this fee. The check should be made out to SF State Extended Learning. This form should be submitted once all classes have been completed.
