GIS Certificate
Certificate Overview
The GIS Certificate Program provides students with broad exposure to principles and applications of GIS (what is GIS?). A student who has earned the Certificate in GIS will be well-versed in general GIS theory and will have knowledge and/or practical exposure to the following:
- hardware and software used in GIS
- planning and construction of spatial databases
- GIS analyses (performed on data related to the student's area of interest), and
- representation of data in both mapped and tabular form. Requirements for the Certificate have been designed to parallel skills needed by GIS professionals. Through elective courses, students can focus on one of several areas of specialization.
Admission into the Certificate Program is open to any student currently enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student at OSU. Students who intent to earn the GIS certificate must formally declare that they are pursuing the Certificate. Undergraduate students can make the declaration by visiting the Student Services Office in the College of their primary degree and filling out an “Undergraduate Academic Program Declaration Form”. Graduate students need to fill out a “GIS Certificate Declaration Form for Graduate Students” to make the declaration. Students should make the declaration as early as possible once they decide to pursue the Certificate.
For people who are only interested in earning the GIS certificate but not currently enrolled at OSU, they can apply through the Undergraduate Admissions or the Graduate College (as appropriate) at OSU and get admission as a special student for the purpose of pursuing the GIS Certificate. No further declaration step is required for students who are admitted only for the GIS Certificate Program.