Geospatial Leadership Graduate Certificate

Core Courses (4 Units)

• SSCI 578 The Practice of Geospatial Leadership Units: 4

Electives (12 Units)

Additional SSCI courses may be eligible if selected in consultation with an adviser.

• SSCI 574 Spatial Econometrics Units: 4
• SSCI 576 Remote Sensing Applications and Emerging Technologies Units: 4
• SSCI 579 Geospatial Intelligence Tradecraft Units: 4
• SSCI 583 Spatial Analysis Units: 4
• SSCI 585 Geospatial Technology Project Management Units: 4
• SSCI 586 GIS Programming and Customization Units: 4
• SSCI 588 Remote Sensing for GIS Units: 4
• SSCI 589 Cartography and Visualization Units: 4
• SSCI 591 Web GIS Units: 4
• SSCI 592 Mobile GIS Units: 4

Additional Requirements

The courses in this program are open to students living and/or working anywhere, including students at USC’s Los Angeles, Orange County, Sacramento and Washington, D.C. centers. The certificate program can be completed in as few as two and no more than four semesters depending on the numbers of courses taken in each of the fall, spring and summer semesters. Continuous enrollment, including summer, is required.

Admission Requirements

Two groups of students are served by this program:

1. New students who wish to apply directly to one of the spatial sciences graduate certificate program.
2. Students currently matriculated in a USC master’s or doctoral degree program (other than the MS in geographic information science and technology).

Candidates for admission among the first group of students must have: (1) a BA or BS degree or its international equivalent; (2) a minimum 3.0 GPA (A = 4.0) undergraduate GPA. All course work taken at the undergraduate level is used to calculate the GPA. Exceptions will be made in cases of very high GRE scores or some other compelling evidence of potential to excel in graduate studies (e.g., outstanding letters of recommendation). Preference will be given to candidates with significant professional experience working with geographic information systems and related geospatial technologies.

Application Procedures

Applicants are required to submit the following documents: (1) completed application for admission, which can be found online at usc.edu/admission/graduate; (2) statement of purpose; (3) official transcripts from all schools previously attended. International students must submit TOEFL scores with a minimum score of 100 on the Internet-based examination, or an IELTS score of 7.

The graduate certificate program utilizes rolling admissions and enrollment based on the standard academic calendar. This means that students may start the program in either the fall, spring or summer semesters.

Those interested in learning more about this program should contact Ken Watson, University of Southern California, 3616 Trousdale Parkway, AHF B55B, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0374.