University of Redlands GIS Pathway Program Overview

INTRODUCTION

According to the US Department of Labor, geospatial technology is one of the high growth industries due to its diverse applications in environmental conservation, urban planning, emergency management, public health, business, transportation, and much more. To respond to the rising demand in geospatial skills, the University of Redlands offers an internal GIS pathway program that allows the University undergraduates who want to pursue GIS as a future career path to earn a master’s degree in GIS within a year after they complete their undergraduate degree at Redlands.

WHY THE GIS PATHWAY PROGRAM AT REDLANDS?

The GIS pathway curriculum is designed with a focus on balancing both geographic information science and the cutting-edge geospatial technologies that are suitable for beginners. By following the pathway program curriculum, the undergraduates will gain a solid understanding of geographic principles, greatly improve their technical skills of using GIS software, and enhance their problem-solving capabilities through learning various applications of GIS, which eventually enables them to have a smooth transition to our highly reputable GIS graduate programs and obtain their master’s degree during their fifth year at Redlands.

RELATIONSHIP WITH SPATIAL STUDIES MINOR

The Spatial Studies Minor is an interdisciplinary program, which focuses on developing and applying spatial thinking in creative ways for research and studies in various academic fields. The Spatial Studies Minor curriculum includes a diverse choice of the electives from various disciplines such as environmental science, natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences. In comparison, the GIS pathway program curriculum only contains the classes that largely focus on GIS fundamentals and technical skills. In addition, the pathway students will have opportunities to work with the faculty of the GIS Department and take Esri trainings through the Department’s arrangement. Through careful advising, the requirements for the GIS pathway can be fulfilled within the Spatial Studies Minor.

The students who did not take the pathway program are encouraged to apply for the MS GIS or MGIS program through the regular application procedure

WHO CAN APPLY

Students with a minimum GPA of 2.7 are eligible to apply for the GIS Pathway program.

WHEN TO APPLY

The application starts after the freshmen year.

HOW TO APPLY

  • Fill out the online Application Form
    • Open to all University undergraduates with a minimum 2.7 GPA after their freshmen year.
    • Students will be invited to the activities hosted by the GIS Department.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCEPTANCE TO THE MS GIS AND MGIS PROGRAMS

The students who fulfill the following requirements will be offered admission to the Master’s degree program of their choice.  

  • Complete the online GIS Application
  • A bachelor degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA
  • A grade of 3.0 or above in each of the Pathway courses

BULLDOG SCHOLARSHIP

The GIS pathway students are eligible to apply for a special GIS scholarship available only to graduates of the U of R.