Professional Development Sequences (PDS) in
     Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

The Professional Development Sequences (PDS) in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were originally developed by the Department of Geography with the support of the Schools of Business and Engineering. Three separate sequences were developed to accommodate the growing demand for practitioners in this new, specialized field that combines geographic information and graphics technology. In addition, since their origination, these sequences have been regularly updated to remain current with advances in technology and the changing needs of many user groups including the social, natural, physical, and applied sciences.

The PDS in GIS is, therefore, valuable to graduate students and professionals from many diverse fields such as economic development, real estate, environmental assessment, resource management, urban and regional planning, public administration, and health services. These course sequences provide the requisite education and training needed to understand GIS methodology and technology, and how to apply it to one's particular field. This methodology is particularly valuable for applications requiring area definition coupled with demographic, environmental, and market research and analysis.

ADMISSION

Graduate students who are officially admitted to and in good standing with the Graduate School may enroll in a GIS PDS provided they have the approval of the Geography graduate advisor and PDS coordinator. As long as the student is enrolled in the PDS, the student will have unclassified graduate status. Students desiring to acquire this specialized GIS training through a degree program (geography, business administration, or civil engineering), must follow the procedures necessary for admission to that degree program. A student completing the first PDS may apply up to three courses (nine semester hours) toward the elective hour requirement for a graduate degree in geography, provided the stipulations for transfer credit are met.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

The first PDS (Principles and Concepts of Geographic Information Systems) includes:
Geog 418 - Geographic Information Systems
Geog 422 - Remote Sensing
Geog 423 - Computer Mapping
Geog 520 - Research Methods

The second PDS (Applied Geographic Information Systems) is comprised of:
Geog 424 - Vector Based GIS
Geog 425 - Raster Based GIS
Geog 450 - Topics in GIS or GEOG 427 - Internship

The third PDS (Advanced Geographic Information Systems) requires:
Geog 522 - Techniques in Geography
Geog 525 - Seminar in GIS
Geog 590 - Independent Study

Depending on the level of GIS education and training desired, a student may take only the first PDS, the first and second PDS, or all three. Completion of each sequence is a prerequisite for enrollment in the next.

URL: http://www.siue.edu/GEOGRAPHY/Grad/PDS.htm
Published by: SIUE Department of Geography
Last update: August 10, 2007 by webmaster