Geographic Information Systems

Students who wish to pursue the M.G.I.S. degree must be admitted both to the MGIS program and to Penn State\'s Graduate School. The Graduate School requires applicants to possess any baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution earned under residence and credit conditions substantially equivalent to those required by Penn State. It also requires official TOEFL or IELTS scores for students from countries in which English is not the primary language. Minimum TOEFL scores are 550 for the paper test or 213 for the computer-based test, or a total score of 80 with a 19 on the speaking section for the Internet-based test (iBT). Applicants with iBT speaking scores between 15 and 18 may be considered for provisional admission, which requires an institutional test of English proficiency upon first enrollment and, if necessary, remedial course work. The minimum composite score for the IELTS is 6.5. International applicants are exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement who have received a baccalaureate or a graduate degree from a college/university/institution in any of the following: Australia, Belize, British Caribbean and British West Indies, Canada (except Quebec), England, Guyana, Republic of Ireland, Liberia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the United States, and Wales.

Additional requirements imposed by the Department of Geography include:

• Statement of professional experience and goals including documentation of a minimum two years of professional experience, preferably (but not necessarily) related to geographic information technologies. A résumé may be attached as a supplement, but the statement itself should be an essay (two to three pages) that demonstrates the applicant\'s verbal communication skills;

• Three letters of recommendation that attest to the applicant\'s readiness for graduate study and that he or she has the requisite minimum of two years of professional experience;

• Two official transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended, including the institution that conferred the applicant\'s baccalaureate degree (and any graduate degrees, if applicable). Applicants are expected to have earned a grade-point average of 3.0 (or equivalent) or better during their final two years of undergraduate work;

• Official Graduate Records Examinations (GRE) score reported directly from the testing center to Penn State. GRE scores are required: however, this requirement may be waived under certain circumstances. Please contact the graduate program directly.

A committee consisting of at least three Geography faculty members, including one faculty member not currently participating in the MGIS program, will meet three times annually to screen applications and identify applicants qualified for admission. Three cohorts of approximately twelve students each will be admitted during three annualadmissions cycles. Applicants who are only able to participate part-time and at a distance while maintaining full-time professional responsibilities (and who are therefore effectively excluded from participation in the department\'s resident program) will be preferred. The best-qualified applicants will be admitted up to the number of spaces that are available for new students.

Prior to admission in the MGIS program, students may enroll in MGIS courses as nondegree graduate students. Nondegree graduate students who are subsequently admitted to the MGIS program may count up to 15 credits of course work accumulated in nondegree status toward the M.G.I.S. degree. Applicants for nondegree graduate status must submit transcripts that confirm they have received a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution under residence and credit conditions substantially equivalent to those required by Penn State. Admission as a nondegree student neither guarantees nor implies subsequent admission to the MGIS degree program. Changing from nondegree status to regular graduate status requires a new admission application.

By Graduate School rules, a maximum of 10 credits of high-quality graduate work completed at a regionally accredited institution may be applied toward the requirements for the M.G.I.S. degree. However, credits earned to complete a previous master\'s degree, whether at Penn State or elsewhere, may not be applied to a second master\'s degree program at Penn State. Approval to apply any transferred credits toward a degree program must be granted by the student\'s academic adviser or program and the Graduate School. Transferred academic work must have been completed within five years prior to the date of first degree registration at the Graduate School of Penn State, must be of at least B quality, and must appear on an official graduate transcript of an accredited university.