The University Senate of Michigan Technological University
Proposal 18-13
(Voting
Units: Academic)
“Proposal for a Master of Geographic Information Science
(MGIS)”
Submitted by the School of Forest
Resources and Environmental Science
Contact: Andrew J. Storer,
Associate Dean, SFRES. storer@mtu.edu
1) Description and characteristics of program
The Master of Geographic Information Science (MGIS)
degree, a professional master’s program (Senate 18-11),
will initially be administered in the School of Forest Resources and
Environmental Science (SFRES). This program builds upon the School's existing
Master of Forestry degree and the expertise within the School in spatial
information science. Over time, the program may become non-departmental as it
grows and involves students from a broad range of academic backgrounds.
This professional program will provide current and
cutting-edge education in Geographic Information Science and related
technologies, and train students to work as GIS specialists and managers. A strong
foundation in core geospatial principles will be provided, as well as interdisciplinary study in statistics, communications, environmental policy, and
business.
The degree is designed as a 30 credit coursework-only
degree and will also be offered as an accelerated Master’s program to Michigan
Technological University students (Senate 13-11). As interest in 4+1 programs
continues to develop, this program will provide the opportunity for our students
to complete both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in 5 years. The scheduling
will allow completion of the degree in three semesters (two semesters for
students who have attended Michigan Tech and have certain prerequisites).
2) Rationale
Professional Master’s degrees are consistent with the goals of Michigan
Tech's strategic plan1
Goal 2: 2.1, second bullet: strengthen
existing programs and develop new offerings in emerging interdisciplinary
areas.
Goal 3: 3.1, third bullet:
increase residential and non-residential master’s offerings and enrollment
Geospatial jobs are in high demand, have exhibited continued
growth even during the recent recession2 and were recently listed
among the 100 best careers in the United States.3 Geospatial
training has been targeted by the U.S. Department of Labor for a high growth
job training initiative, as it is a field that is expanding at a rate of 10%
annually with a projected shortfall of skilled workers4
. Those with geospatial skills are included in a recent
McKinsey Global Institute report on workers with “big data” expertise. Both
analysts and managers are identified, with a potential deficit of 190,000
workers by 2018.5
Uses of geospatial technology are broad and
cross many disciplines, including demographics, natural resources, urban and
regional planning, public health and epidemiology, law enforcement, and
homeland security.6 The classification of
geospatial jobs has been inconsistent because GIS has many applications and is
utilized in multiple fields. GIS positions are often associated and combined
with Information Technology because GIS deals so intimately with
computers and data. Though IT experience is useful for GIS users, a wide range
of skills in addition to computer literacy are required to be a successful
geospatial professional. To address these shortcomings, and with prompting from
both industry and the education sector, the U.S. Department of Labor has
recently developed the Geospatial Technology Competency Model.7 The
model document outlines the knowledge and skills necessary to perform as an
effective GIS professional, and was used as a guide in developing this
proposal.
3) Discussion of related programs within Michigan Tech and at
other universities
The most closely related program at Michigan Tech is the
Master of Science in Integrated Geospatial Technology,
housed in the School of Technology (program information is available at
http://www.mtu.edu/technology/graduate/igt/study/). The School of Technology’s
IGT M.S. is primarily a research-oriented degree with a focus on geospatial
data acquisition and processing. In contrast, the professional Master of GIS is
designed as a terminal degree for students not planning to earn a PhD or
perform research. Rather, it is designed to give students the skills to work as
GIS specialists or managers. The School of Technology’s Integrated Geospatial
Technology degree does offer a Plan C Masters as an option; however, it has
different requirements for admission and will likely attract students with a
surveying or engineering degree. The Master of GIS is designed for people with
limited or no background in GIS and associated tools. Furthermore, the IGT M.S.
has a significant distance learning component, whereas the Master of GIS will initially
be offered primarily on-Campus with traditional lectures and supervised lab
sessions.
Non-research Master’s in GIS are offered at a number of
universities in the U.S., either on-Campus (e.g., Michigan State), online only
(Penn State), or a mixture of online and on-Campus (UMD).8 A
professional Master of GIS at Michigan Tech will be successful because 1) many
of the students enrolled in the program will be Michigan Tech graduates
pursuing the accelerated Master’s degree option and 2) no similar program is
offered locally.
Presently, undergraduates at Michigan Tech in the School of
Forest Resources and Environmental Science and students in the Surveying
Engineering program in the School of Technology have a required geospatial
component in their degree programs. GIS is taken as an
elective in a number of other disciplines. For example, biology, computer
science, environmental engineering, geology, and social science students frequently
enroll in existing GIS courses.
Though the use of spatial tools is necessary to be a
successful student in upper division SFRES classes, only one GIS and one GPS course
are required for graduation – a total of five credits. These courses are enough
to grasp introductory theory and learn the basics of a tool, but not enough to
develop the broad and deep understanding of spatial theory and the applications
necessary to work as a geospatial professional.
4) Projected enrollment
We project an annual enrollment of at least 10-15 students in
this program. While some students will be drawn from other areas of the U.S. or
from professionals in the region, most students will likely be recent
undergraduates from Michigan Tech. The majority of Michigan Tech
graduates coming into the program will likely have
degrees from the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, or from
other majors such as Environmental Engineering, Biological Sciences, Geology,
or Social Science. Students with a background in any of these disciplines would
also be a good fit with the MGIS degree.
We anticipate enrollment will be more or less continuous.
Because this program will draw students that are largely self-funded,
enrollment should be independent of general trends at the University.
Enrollment in the Master of Forestry program has averaged 5 students annually
over the last 5 years. Current enrollment in SFRES is 271 (186 undergraduate and
85 graduate students).
5) Scheduling plans
Courses will be taught during regular daytime hours or in the
evening. Over time, some of the courses will be adapted for web-based delivery,
and perhaps as summer courses.
6) Curriculum Design
Students admitted to this program will have a B.S. in any
discipline (including students admitted to the accelerated program). The MGIS
is designed to be completed in three semesters for students entering the
program without prerequisites, but can be completed in two if six credits are
counted from a Michigan Tech undergraduate degree under the accelerated
Master’s option. Once admitted, students must complete a minimum of thirty
credits of coursework past their undergraduate degree. It is a Plan C
(coursework only with required oral examination) Masters with no thesis or
report options. Students will choose a faculty advisor from within the program.
General Curriculum
Design
Introductory GIS 4 credits
Advanced GIS concepts 3 credits
Implementing and managing GIS projects 3 credits
GPS field techniques 2 credits
Remote sensing 3-4 credits
Communications 2 credits
Spatial Statistics 3 credits
Electives 9-10 credits
Total 30 credits
The following courses are required (new courses are in BOLD
and include the name or position of
the instructor):
Introductory GIS
FW5550 - GIS
for Resource Management (4 credits, Fall)
Advanced Spatial Topics (GIS, GPS, cartography, data and project
management)
FW5554 – GPS field
techniques (2 credits, Fall) (Professor of
Practice)
FW5555
- Advanced GIS Concepts and Analysis (3 credits, Spring)
(Maclean) Pre-requisite: FW5550
FW5556 –
GIS Project Management (3 credits, Spring) (Professor of Practice) Pre-requisite: FW5550
Spatial Statistics
FW5510 – Special Topics in Natural Resources - Spatial
Statistics (3 credits, Spring) (Falkowski
and Professor of Practice (alternate years)). This special topics class will be
renumbered as a regular class.
Remote Sensing
FW4540 - Remote Sensing of the Environment (3 credits -
alternate Fall semesters) or
FW5540 - Advanced Terrestrial Remote Sensing (4 credits,
alternate Fall semesters) or
FW5560 - Digital Image Processing: A Remote Sensing
Perspective (3 credits, Spring) Pre-requisite: FW5550
or
GE4250 - Fundamentals of Remote Sensing (3 credits, Spring) Pre-requisites: PH2200 and MA2160 or
SU4140 - Photogrammetry (3 credits,
Fall) Pre-requisite: SU2260
Communications
FW5801 – Masters Seminar in GIS (1 credit, Fall and Spring) (Professor of Practice)
Electives (select 10-11 credits from the
following lists)
Business
BA5650 - Project Management
(3 credits, Fall, Spring, Summer) Pre-requisite: MA2710 or MA 2720 or MA
3710
BA5760 - Corporate Social
Responsibility & Business Ethics (3 credits, on demand)
Cartography
SS5XXX Critical Cartography (1 credit, Summer)
Computer Science
CS4421 - Database Systems (3 credits, Spring)
Pre-requisite: CS2321
Communications and writing
FW5850 - Effective Grantsmanship Workshop (2 credits, Spring)
HU5081 - Writing Applications
in Technical Communication (3 credits, on demand) NOT in the current course
list
HU5091 - Writing for
publication (3 credits, on demand)
Geospatial applications
UN4000 - Remote Sensing Seminar (1 credit, Fall & Spring)
FW3540 - Introduction to GIS
for Natural Resource Management (4 credits, Spring) Pre-requisite: MA 2710 (C) or MA 2720 (C)
or MA 3710 (C)
FW4545 - Map Design with GIS (3 credits, alternate Spring) Pre-requisite:
FW3540 or FW5550
SU3540 - Geospatial Information Technology (4 credits, Spring) Pre-requisite: MA3710
SU5003 - GIS Fundamentals (1 credit, on demand)
SU5004 - Introduction to Geospatial Image Processing
(3 credits, on demand)
SU5041 - Geospatial Data Processing (3
credits, on demand)
Policy
ENG5520 - Sustainable Futures
II (3 credits, Spring)
FW5111 - Advanced Natural
Resource Policy (3 credits, Fall)
FW5150 - Institutions and
Natural Resource Management (up to 3 credits, Fall,
Spring, Summer)
Natural resources
CE5666 - Water Resources Planning and Management (3 credits, on
demand) Pre-requisites CE3620 and (EC3400 or EC3402 or ENT3402)
ENVE4505 - Surface Water Quality Engineering (3 credits, Fall) Pre-requisite:
ENVE3501 or ENVE 3503
FW 4220 - Wetlands (4 credits, Fall)
FW4300 - Introduction to Wildland Fire (3 credits, Spring) Pre-requisite:
FW3020 and (FW3010 or FW3012)
FW4370 - Forest and Landscape
Hydrology (3 credits, Spring)
FW4380 - Landscape Ecology (3
credits, Spring)
FW5032 - Integrated Forest
Inventory and Data Analysis (3 credits, Spring)
FW5088 - Forest Finance &
Economics (3 credits, Spring)
FW5130 - Forest Vegetation
Dynamics (3 credits, Fall) Pre-requisites:
BL3400 or FW3010 or FW3012 or FW3020
FW5140 - Stable Isotopes in
Ecology and Environmental Science (2 credits, Fall)
FW5413 - Sustainable Biomass (3 credits, Fall)
GE4150 - Natural Hazards (3 credits, Fall)
Pre-requisites:
(GE2000 or GE2100) and UN2002
EC4200 -
Econometrics (3 credits) Pre-requisites: (EC2001 or EC3002 or EC3003) and
(BA2100 or BUS2100 or MA2710 or MA2720 or MA3710) and (MA1135 or MA1160 or MA1161)
FW5411 - Applied Regression Analysis (3 cr,
alternate Spring semesters)
MA4710 - Regression Analysis
(3 cr, Spring) Pre-requisites: MA2720 or MA3710
MA4740 - Sampling Methods (3 cr, on demand)
MA5701 - Statistical Methods
(3 cr, Fall)
Example MGIS course sequence for a Michigan Tech BS degree holder
As an undergraduate, take FW3540 - Intro
to GIS for Resource
Management (4 credits) and
FW5111 - Advanced Natural Resource Policy (3 credits).
Six of these credits may be applied.
Fall
FW5550
- GIS for Resource Management (required) (4 credits)
FW5554
- GPS Field Techniques (required) (2 credits)
FW5801
- Masters Seminar in GIS (required) (1
credit)
EC4300
- Econometrics (3 credits)
GE4150
- Natural Hazards (3 credits)
Total 13 credits
Spring
FW5555
- Advanced GIS Concepts and Analysis (required) (3 credits)
FW5560 - Digital Image Processing (required from list) (3
credits)
FW5556
– GIS Project Management (required) (3 credits)
FW5510
– Special Topics in Natural Resources - Spatial
Statistics (required) (3 credits)
FW5801
- Masters Seminar in GIS (1 credit)
Total 13 credits
Accelerated Master’s credits 6 credits
Fall semester 13 credits
Spring semester 13
credits
Total 32 credits
Example
MGIS course sequence for an external student
Spring
SU3540 - Geospatial Info Technology (4
credits)
FW5510
- Spatial Statistics (required) (3
credits)
GE4250 - Fundamentals of Remote Sensing (3 credits)
FW5801
- Masters Seminar in GIS (required) (1
credit)
Total 11
credits
Fall
FW5550
- GIS for Resource Management (required) (4 credits)
FW5540
– Adv.Terrestrial Remote Sensing (required from list)
(4 credits)
FW5554
- GPS Field Techniques (required) (2
credits)
GE4150
- Natural Hazards (3 credits)
Total 13 credits
Spring
FW5555
- Advanced GIS Concepts and Analysis (required) (3 credits)
FW5556
– GIS Project Management (required) (3 credits)
FW5850
- Effective Grantsmanship (2
credits)
FW5801
- Masters Seminar in GIS (1 credit)
Total 9 credits
Spring
semester
11 credits
Fall semester 13 credits
Spring semester 9 credits
Total 33 credits
7) New Course descriptions
FW5554 – GPS Field techniques. 2
credits, offered in Fall. This course will provide
hands-on experience with various types of GPS units and different applications
of the technology, including planning, data collection, data processing, and
management. Emphasis will be on practical applications of global positioning
system technology.
FW5555 – Advanced GIS
Concepts and Analysis. 3 credits, offered in Spring. Enrollment priority will be given to students in the
professional MS in GIS degree program, but will be open to students in other
programs. This course
moves beyond the fundamentals of GIS to explore the application of GIS
technology to environmental problems. Students review current research in the
field, learn relevant modeling techniques, and utilize advanced GIS software
tools such as network analysis, 3D visualization, geodatabase
management and rule construction, and multivariate spatial analysis.
Prerequisite: FW5550 or permission of instructor.
FW5556 – GIS Project Management. 3
credits, offered in Spring. Enrollment priority will
be given to students in the professional MS in GIS degree program, but will be
open to students in other programs. This course will provide exposure to
geospatial data collection using GPS (both consumer– and resource–grade GPS),
database structures and data management strategies, spatial project planning
and management, and cartographic techniques, and will include discussion of
geospatial ethics. Development of a project database and geospatial portfolio
is required. Prerequisite:
FW5550 or permission of instructor.
FW5801 – Masters Seminar in GIS. 1
credit, offered in Fall and Spring. This course is
designed for students in the professional MS in GIS degree program, but will be
open to students in other programs. Students will discuss and present current
research and applications of geospatial technology.
SS5XXX Critical
Cartography. 1
credit, offered in Summer. This course will examine:
available datasets for human variables; and the interpretation of maps based on
scale, boundaries, projection system, and other information that affect
messages regarding power and influence, and assumed relative importance of
environmental, social and economic issues.
The
other classes listed without full class numbers are currently in the binder
process or are offerings under existing programs.
8) Library and other learning resources
No additional library
resources are requested. Interlibrary loan and existing journals are adequate,
especially as this is a professional, non-research program.
9) Computing access fee
No computer access fees per
centralized IT. Additional course fees may apply.
10)
Faculty Résumés
Yushin Ahn, School
of Technology http://www.mtu.edu/technology/school/faculty/ahn/
Michael Falkowski,
School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science http://www.mtu.edu/forest/about/faculty/falkowski/
Michael Hyslop, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science http://www.mtu.edu/forest/about/faculty/hyslop/
Eugene Levin, School of Technology
http://www.mtu.edu/technology/school/faculty/levin/
Ann Maclean, School of Forest
Resources and Environmental Science http://www.mtu.edu/forest/about/faculty/maclean/
11) Description of available / needed equipment
Existing teaching laboratory computers
and GPS equipment in SFRES will be utilized. We currently maintain a 26-seat
main computer lab, a 16-seat spatial teaching lab, and a 6-seat graduate
computing lab. These facilities will be adequate to add the necessary one lab
section per semester. Michigan Tech has maintained an annual site license for
ESRI products (chiefly ArcGIS
software) since 1997. ArcGIS is the most widely-used
GIS software and will be the primary GIS application used in labs. SFRES also
maintains a number of consumer- and mapping-grade GPS units for teaching and
research, which will be available for use by students enrolled in the program.
12)
Program costs, years 1 through 3
Three-year costs will be $201,000, with
projected tuition revenue of $509,960 during the same period. Each year
thereafter we project a surplus of tuition revenue over costs of between $100,000
and $180,000 per year. The major expense to the University will be support for
a Professor of Practice who will serve as both coordinator of the program and
as an instructor. While there are clearly additional costs in offering an
additional program, the surplus of tuition revenue over costs is clearly more
than sufficient to cover those costs. The Professor of Practice will manage the
program, recruit and help advise graduate students, and teach courses (FW5554 3
credits, FW5556 3 credits, and FW5801 1 credit twice (total 7 credits each
year) annually and FW3540 and FW5510 every other year average 4 credits per
year)). This represents approximately 60% of a full teaching load. The
Professor of Practice is budgeted at 80% of an academic year (9-month) position
to include 20% time coordinating the program (including recruiting, advising
and developing the program). No additional faculty needs are anticipated.
Based on the projected enrollment of 10
students per year at 10 credits per semester, tuition revenue would total
$149,000 annually – see table below. Tuition is as posted on the sponsored
programs website, with costs for the coordinator averaging $67,000 (salary and
fringe) for years 1–3. Based on the graduate tuition rate and 20 credits per
student per year, 4.5 students enrolled annually would support this program as
proposed.
|
2013-14 |
2014-15 |
2015-2016 |
Professor
of Practice (salary
and fringe) |
$65,000 |
$67,000 |
$69,000 |
Number
of graduate students |
6 |
10 |
14 |
Tuition
per credit |
$789 |
$836 |
$886 |
Tuition
revenue based on 20 credits per student per year |
$94,680 |
$167,200 |
$248,080 |
Income
developed from program |
$29,680 |
$100,200 |
$179,080 |
Note that in
reality income is greater than shown in the table as students complete the
remaining required credits either in a third semester (an additional 10 credits
per student), or during their undergraduate degree through senior rule (an
additional 4 credits per student).
13)
Space
No additional space will be necessary.
Based on projected enrollment, the existing teaching lab, open computer labs on
campus, and graduate offices in SFRES will provide
adequate space for the program.
14) Policies, regulations, and rules
No new policies or rules will be needed.
All existing graduate school policies will be adhered to.
Applicants must meet all requirements for
admission by the Graduate School and the School of Forest Resources and
Environmental Science at the time of application, and must follow specified
admission procedures. For international applicants, this includes submission of
TOEFL scores. Applications will be considered using the existing process in
SFRES, which includes faculty review of applications. In addition, the program
coordinator will review applications. A combination of academic background,
professional knowledge, the applicant's statement of purpose, letters of
recommendation, and test scores required by the graduate school, will be
considered before making a decision to admit a student.
15)
Accreditation requirements
None. The program is, however, designed to
provide training and skills identified in the Geospatial Technology Competency
Model.9
We anticipate that ultimately this
program will be listed as a Professional Science Master’s program with an
associated advisory board of professionals in the field, and that this
designation will be used when promoting the program.
16)
Internal status of proposal
In development, internal to SFRES, September
2012
Submitted for comment to all units with
classes listed – revised November 2012
17)
Planned implementation date
Fall semester of 2013
References
1 https://www.banweb.mtu.edu/pls/owa/strategic_plan2.p_display
2 http://www.geospatialtoday.com/gst/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=216
3 http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2010/qualitylife/index.html
4 http://www.doleta.gov/brg/pdf/Geospatial%20Final%20Report_08212007.pdf
6 http://americancityandcounty.com/technology/gis_gps/report_shows_trends_gis/
7,
9 http://www.careeronestop.org/competencymodel/pyramid.aspx?geo=Y
8 http://www.geo.msu.edu/acad_prog/msgiscireq.html or http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/MasterinGIS.shtml and http://www.geog.umd.edu/gis/
Introduced to Senate: 06 February 2013
Approved by Senate: 06 March 2013
Approved by Administration: 15 March 2013
Approved by BOC: 03 May 2013
Approved by State: 06 June 2013