Geospatial Intelligence (Graduate Certificate)

Who should apply?

The online Geospatial Intelligence Graduate Certificate (GEOINT) is ideal for those employed in geospatial intelligence applications – such as federal agency, corporate, or association personnel – or those interested in entering the field.

Why choose George Mason?

• This program is designed specifically to enhance your career in the nationally and regionally expanding field of geospatial intelligence.
• Mason’s GEOINT certificate is one of only eight programs nationwide to be accredited by the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation.
• You will emerge with expertise in multiple facets of geoinformatics, including remote sensing, geographic information science, and webGIS.
• Courses are taught by acclaimed experts in the field with extensive practical and research based experience.
• Many students in this program are professionals in Federal, State, and Local Government Agencies, private corporations and consultancies, the military, and environmental groups, creating an extremely stimulating learning environment.
• The online format allows you to participate in class without traveling to campus.

Program requirements are subject to change; please refer to the Mason Course Catalog for the most up-to-date requirements.

Requirements: 18 credits total

• 15 credits core courses
• 3 credits elective course

Students must receive approval of the program academic director to transfer more than 3 credit hours into the certificate program. An average GPA of a 3.00 or better must be maintained to receive the certificate.

The majority of coursework for this program can be completed online. Most courses are delivered asynchronously and offerings vary by semester.

Core Courses

• GGS 501 Orientation Course| 0 credits (available 2 weeks before start of semester)
• GGS 553 Geographic Information Systems | 3 credits
• GGS 680 Earth Image Processing | 3 credits
• GGS 684 Selected Topics in Geospatial Intelligence | 3 credits (in production)
• GGS 685 Capstone Course in Geoinformatics | 3 credits (in production)

And one of the following:

• GGS 650 Introduction to GIS Programming and Algorithms | 3 credits
• GGS 692 WebGIS | 3 credits

Elective Course (Choose One)

• GGS 590 GeoSocial Analytics | 3 credits
• GGS 650 Introduction to GIS Programming and Algorithms | 3 credits (if not already taken for credit)
• GGS 692 WebGIS | 3 credits (if not already taken for credit)

Only online course offerings are listed. Contact program advisor Nektaria Tryfona (ntryfona@gmu.edu) for additional face-to-face course options.

Tuition (2021-2022)

Please Note: In addition to the tuition and fees described above, various course and lab fees may be assessed depending on the course(s) in which the student is enrolled. Please refer to the Students Accounts Office website for more information about tuition and fees.

Financial Aid

For information on loans and scholarships, visit the Office of Student Financial Aid. For information regarding grants, tuition waivers and other merit aid, please inquire with your graduate department. Additionally, your current employer may provide tuition reimbursement opportunities for graduate studies.

Career Opportunities

Graduates with substantial skills in geographic information systems and remote sensing are in extremely high demand, especially in the Washington D.C., Metro area. The Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science regularly distributes job announcements to current and former students.

Careers that graduates of this program will be qualified for include:

• GIS Database Managers
• GIS Programmers/Developers
• GIS Analysts
• Geospatial Technicians
• Project Managers

Further Studies

Graduates of this certificate program can either pursue a second certificate to acquire a specialization in geospatial intelligence (image analyst or spatial analyst), or they may take additional courses at Mason to complete a MS degree in a relevant field.

All applicants should review program Admission Requirements. For international applicants, see guidelines for International Graduate Requirements.

Prerequisites

• Hold a bachelor’s degree in a related discipline from a US institution that is accredited by one of the organizations found here or the equivalent from an international university
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in an undergraduate program and an acceptable GPA in any graduate courses
• Complete coursework in differential and integral calculus and gain a working knowledge of a computer programming language

Application Materials

• Graduate application
• Application fee
• In-state tuition form (if applicable)
• Two official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
• Resume
• One-page goal statement
• Letters of recommendation (optional)
• GRE scores (optional)

Students may not pursue this certificate concurrently with any other COS graduate program. Only students enrolled in academic programs outside of COS may do so.

If you have any questions during the application process, please contact COS Graduate Admissions at cosgrad@gmu.edu or (703) 993-3430.