Accelerated B.S. in Geology to MGIS
B.S. to M.S. GIS Professional Concentration
This accelerated program gives outstanding bachelor’s degree students in the Geosciences a “fast-track” option to pursue their Master of Science Geographic Information- Professional Concentration degree. Students accepted into an accelerated undergraduate program may take departmentally approved graduate coursework as part of their undergraduate curriculum. These credits will count towards both their bachelor's and master's degrees and can fulfill major requirements, upper-division requirements, and/or free electives. For details on accelerated programs at Idaho State University, please see (Degree Requirements).
Students accepted into the accelerated program may take up to 12 credit hours of 5000- level courses during the last two semesters of their bachelor’s program that will apply to both the bachelor’s and master’s degree requirements. Students have to meet all requirements for both the bachelor’s degree and master’s degree. Once accepted into an accelerated degree program, it is strongly recommended for students to stay in close communication with their advisor regarding pursuit of acceptance into the Graduate School and the master's degree program at Idaho State University. Acceptance into
an accelerated program during the bachelor's degree program is the first step in the admissions process. A separate application to the Graduate School is necessary for all accelerated programs. For more information regarding application and admission to the Graduate School at Idaho State University, please see the Graduate Admissions
section of the graduate catalog (http://coursecat.isu.edu/graduate/graduateadmissions/).
Additional requirements for students in this program are:
Students must earn at least a “B” (3.0) in each graduate-level course counted for the program.
Eligibility for this program:
-
Completion of at least 64 undergraduate credits applicable to the Bachelor of Science in Geology at the time of application.
-
Overall GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale at the time of application.
Application Process to take undergraduate and graduate courses in a student’s senior year: Students who wish to enroll in this program should apply no later than the end of the second semester of the year prior to their intended undergraduate degree conferral.
Applications should be sent to geology@isu.edu with the following:
-
A letter of intent to express how this accelerated program will enhance your academic and professional pathways to success
-
2 letters of recommendation
-
Include “Accelerated BS to MSGIS” in the subject line of the email
Graduate School Application Process: Students will apply to the graduate school to become a MSGIS student during the year prior to their intended undergraduate degree conferral.
* Meeting these eligibility requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the accelerated master’s degree.
Program Admissions Requirements
There are no program admission requirements for the BS in Geology.
Course Requirements
Each student is required to meet all course requirements for the BS degree in Geology. Students are required to take 30 credit hours at the graduate level, with 15 credits at the 6600 level to complete the MSGIS degree (approved courses shown below). Students will be required to pass a written and oral capstone exam in their final semester to be awarded the MSGIS degree.
For more information on this program, including admission into the accelerated program and undergraduate degree requirements related to this program, please reference the accelerated program description in the undergraduate catalog.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Up to 12 credits from the following MSGIS courses if not taken at the undergraduate level | ||
Section A - MSGIS Required Courses | ||
GEOL 5504 | Advanced Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
GEOL 5507 | GPS/GNSS Applications in Research | 3 |
GEOL 5508 | GeoTechnology Seminar | 2 |
GEOL 5509 | Remote Sensing | 3 |
Section B -MSGIS Electives | ||
ANTH 6641 | Research Project | 1-3 |
BIOL 6651 | Advanced Studies in Ecology | 3 |
INFO 5507 | Database Design and Implementation | 3 |
CS 5532 | Data Science and Applied Machine Learning | 3 |
CS 5533 | Applied Neural Networks | 3 |
CS 5578 | Machine Learning | 3 |
CS 6634 | Advanced Methods In Artificial Intelligence | 3 |
GEOL 5502 | Geomorphology | 4 |
GEOL 5555 | Geologic Data Methods | 3 |
GEOL 5527 | Information Technology for GIS | 3 |
GEOL 5528 | Programming for GIS | 3 |
GEOL 6628 | Advanced GIS Programming | 3 |
GEOL 5580 | Special Topics in GIS | 1-3 |
GEOL 6604 | Watershed Modeling | 3 |
GEOL 6607 | Spatial Analysis | 4 |
GEOL 6608 | Geostatistics Spatial Data Analysis and Modeling | 3 |
GEOL 6609 | Advanced Image Processing | 3 |
GEOL 6611 | UAS Applications for the Geosciences | 3 |
GEOL 6612 | GIS Internship | 1-3 |
GEOL 6628 | Advanced GIS Programming | 3 |
GEOL 6648 | Research Problems | 1-3 |
Total Credits: | 29-30 |