Geographic Information Systems for Educators [Graduate Certificate]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid

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A five-course curriculum granting a certificate of completion and satisfactory academic performance is available for non-degree students. It is designed primarily for K-12 teachers, curriculum specialists, and others interested in GIS applications in classrooms and school environments.

Program Admission

Admit Terms and Deadlines

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; students may start the program in the Fall or Winter. See Application Deadlines.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

For full admission, applicants must have 1) Earned a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. institution, 2) a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate program. Conditional admission may be available to applicants not meeting minimum admission requirements.

Program Requirements

This program does not require additional criteria or documents beyond the minimum Graduate School requirements.

Application

Your application will be submitted using GradCAS, a Centralized Application Service (CAS) hosted by Liaison. After reviewing the admission requirements, please review the application instructions and select the appropriate application.

- Go to 2023-2024 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Winter 2025.

- Go to 2024-2025 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Winter 2026.

Domestic Applicants Within the application, follow the instructions to submit an official transcript from all previously attended institutions.

International Applicants Before applying, applicants must review the international application/process deadlines at emich.edu/international as they may differ from general program requirements.

For additional information regarding the application process, please see Graduate Admissions or International Admissions.

Department Information

Geography & Geology 140D Strong Hall, 734.487.0218

Christine Clark, PhD, Department Head

Advisor Information

Yichun Xie, PhD, 140G Strong Hall, 734.487.7588

William Welsh, PhD, 140N Strong Hall, 734.487.7586

Hugh Semple, PhD, 140O Strong Hall, 734.487.8169

Xining Yang, PhD, 140C Strong Hall, 734.487.8486

Degree Requirements: 12 hours

Following admission, the student should consult with the GIS educator’s certificate program advisors regarding the set up of a study plan. This certificate requires 12 hours of required course work as follows:

GEOG 520 GIS Introduction for Educators 3 hrs
GEOG 522 Internet GIS for Educators 3 hrs
GEOG 524 GIS As an Instructional Tool in Classrooms 3 hrs
Choose one course from the following:
ESSC 667 School GIS Projects and Lesson Plan Development 3 hrs
GEOG 667 School GIS Projects and Lesson Plan Development 3 hrs
Note: GEOG 667 can be taken as an online course, as a course on EMU’s campus or the student can use a replacement of GEOG 667 by a non-credit institute (workshop) experience.

Critical Graduation Information

Each graduate student is responsible for fulfilling the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

Graduate Certificate requirements must be completed within three (3) years of first enrollment in a course applicable to the certificate. Dually enrolled students (certificate and master’s program) must complete both degrees within six years of first enrollment in the master’s degree.

In the event a student does not complete the graduate certificate degree requirements within three years of the date of their original registration, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their degree in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are the minimum requirements for all graduate certificate degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some programs require more than the minimum in one or more areas below.

A graduate certificate must require a minimum of 12 credit hours.
No more than six credits of independent study courses and 12 credit hours of special topics and independent study courses combined may be applied to a graduate degree.
Residency Requirement - For students admitted to a graduate certificate program, at least nine graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the program must be earned at EMU. Students completing multiple certificate programs must have a minimum of 9 unique credit hours per certificate.
Application of completed certificates toward prior degree credit - Only credits from one completed graduate certificate may be applied to a master’s or specialist degree in a relevant field of study, as determined by the Graduate School and with the approval of the degree-granting academic department, and be included in the residency hours of the master’s program.
The Graduate School does not permit the use of undergraduate courses (499 and below) to meet degree requirements on graduate programs of study.
Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all graduate-level courses taken at EMU and in their program of study to remain in good academic standing and be eligible for graduation. Students do not need to be registered for classes during the semester of graduation.