Spatial Sciences Institute

Return to: Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Allen Hancock Foundation Building B55
(213) 740-5910
FAX: (213) 740-9687
Email: spatialsciences@dornsife.usc.edu
Director: John P. Wilson, PhD
Associate Director: Susan Kamei

Faculty

Professors: Maged Dessouky, PhD (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Philip Ethington, PhD (History); John P. Wilson, PhD (Sociology)*

Associate Professors: Francois Bar, PhD (Communications); Myles Cockburn, PhD (Preventive Medicine); Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, PhD (Public Policy); Mandour Rahimi, PhD (Industrial and Systems Engineering)

Assistant Professors: Jennifer Ailshire, PhD (Gerontology); George Bank-Weiss, PhD (Civil & Environmental Engineering); Meredith Franklin, PhD (Preventive Medicine); Ann Owens, PhD (Sociology); Alexander Robinson, PhD (Architecture); Kelly Sanders, PhD (Civil & Environmental Engineering)

Professor of the Practice of Spatial Science: Karen K. Kemp, PhD

Professors (Research): Brian Finch, PhD (Sociology); Craig Knoblock, PhD (Computer Science)

Associate Professor (Research): Travis R. Longcore, PhD

Associate Professor (Teaching): Jennifer N. Swift, PhD

Assistant Professors (Teaching): Darren M. Ruddell, PhD; Daniel N. Warshawsky, PhD

Assistant Professor of the Practice: Jordan T. Hastings, PhD

Lecturers: Yao-Yi Chiang, PhD; Su Jin Lee, PhD; Katsuhiko Oda, PhD; Tarek Rashed, PhD; Robert O. Vos, PhD

*Recipient of university-wide or college teaching award.

The programs and courses affiliated with the Spatial Sciences Institute explore the various ways in which space is used to acquire, represent, organize, analyze, model and visualize information. They seek to engage students enrolled in a range of academic programs in the natural and social sciences, the humanities and the professional schools.

The Bachelor of Science in GeoDesign is an interdisciplinary major offered by the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the USC School of Architecture and the USC Price School of Public Policy. This degree prepares students for professional careers and/or graduate study.

The undergraduate minor in spatial studies explores how maps and related geospatial techniques may be used to describe, explore and interpret specific places and the natural and human processes.

The MS in Geographic Information Science and Technology provides state-of-the-art training in the core geographic information technologies (GIS, GPS and remote sensing, among others) and the underlying scientific principles and concepts that guide their design and use. This is an online program and may be taken by undergraduate students majoring in other disciplines as a progressive master’s degree.

The Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science and Technology incorporates the same online core courses and electives as the master’s degree and may be taken by master’s and doctoral students majoring in other disciplines.

Graduate Degrees

The Spatial Sciences Institute offers an MS in Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIST) and serves as the administrative lead for the Interdisciplinary PhD in Population, Health and Place (PHP). This interdisciplinary doctoral program draws on faculty and courses in the departments of Preventive Medicine and Sociology in addition to the Spatial Sciences Institute and provides training for careers in research, teaching and applied work.

Admission Requirements

The courses required for admission are an introductory geography or sociology course, a course in statistics, a course in research methods or experimental design and at least one course from each of the following lists: (1) one or more of social demography, society and population, medical sociology; (2) one or more of cartography, human geography, medical geography, spatial analysis.; and (3) one or more of climatology, hydrology, environment and health. Additional courses are desirable, as is work in the biological, physical and social sciences, in mathematics and in philosophy. Students with less background in public health, sociology or the spatial sciences, but outstanding undergraduate records in related fields are also encouraged to apply.

Students are selected on the basis of undergraduate records, scores on the Graduate Record Examinations’ General Test, course background, three letters of evaluation, personal statement of interests and goals, and evidence of research skills or interests (e.g., publications or participation in research projects).

Application for admission to the PhD Program in Population, Health and Place requires submission of two sets of material: special program forms and university application forms. Students are admitted only for study beginning in the fall semester; both sets of completed application forms must be submitted by December 1 for admission the following fall.

Degree Requirements

These degrees are under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School. Refer to the Requirements for Graduation - GRAD and the Graduate School for general regulations. All courses applied toward the degrees must be courses accepted by the Graduate School.

Sustainable Cities Graduate Certificate

This multidisciplinary certificate program provides USC master’s and doctoral students with a specialization in urban sustainability problems resulting from the growth of cities caused by natural population increase and massive rural-to-urban population flows. See the USC Price School of Public Policy .

Programs

Bachelor’s Degree

GeoDesign (BS)

Minor

Spatial Studies Minor

Master’s Degree

Geographic Information Science and Technology (MS)

University Certificate

Other Programs

Population, Health and Place (PhD)

Courses

Spatial Sciences Institute