Resource Fundamentals Concentrations:

The Master of Science in Geographic Information Science program offers supporting content concentrations in Natural Resource Management, Homeland Security/Emergency Management, Business Administration, Policy Administration/Criminal Justice and Project Management.

Natural Resource Management

• Environmental Management
• Conservation
• Natural Resource Utilization

As the world's population continues to grow, natural resource managers need to be cognizant of new technologies that assist in managing resources.  GIS provides resource managers with a vast array of tools to enhance their decision-making skills.  Whether you are an engineer, biologist, geologist or other resource specialist, GIS facilitates incorporating spatial data for organization, analyses, and/or mapping to produce information that is accurate, coherent, and meaningful for natural resource decision-making.

Homeland Security/Emergency Management

• Emergency Preparedness
• Public Safety Management
• Community Health and Safety

Natural disasters, smart population growth, world resource management, epidemic disease management, traffic control, and terrorism control all depend on questions of geography.  GIS is ideally suited to assist in decision-making in these areas and many more.  Whether you work, or wish to work in government, emergency services, public safety, crime control and management, public health, land use planning and/or resource allocation, this disciplinary concentration area can help you to better understand the landscape of the field of security emergency services.  Coupled with GIS expertise, you can see model spatial 'what if' scenarios, create predictive models and learn how to integrate data from varying sources for the public good.

Business Administration

• Customer Analysis
• Market Assessment
• "Siting" Feasibility Studies

Living in the “Technology Age” has altered the way businesses operate in
this diverse and dynamic environment. Geographic Information Systems
(GIS) are major players in assisting businesses to adapt to these inevitable
changes. From international corporations to entrepreneurial start-ups,
manufacturing to informational, companies are calling on GIS to assist with
their day-to-day operations. Individuals who possess GIS skills will become
extremely marketable as businesses seek employees with the expertise they
need. Get on the leading edge of an exploding employment market in the
GIS field.

Policy Administration/Criminal Justice

• Social Resource Management
• Election Demographics
• Traffic Analysis

The Public Administration/Local Government content concentration is
designed for those who work or wish to work with varying issues within
public policy development/implementation and local government operations.
This content area focuses on GIS as a decision support tool. Students can
expect to enhance critical thinking skills, analytical techniques and objectivity
in decision-making. Students will also learn how to deliver geographic
information to the community at-large. Methodologies in using spatial
analysis to develop and evaluate public policy are key elements of the
program. The Criminal Justice content concentration is designed for those
students who want to learn the techniques used to analyze the spatial
aspects of crime, giving the specialist the ability to interpret data pertaining
to the location, distribution and dispersion of crime.

Project Management

• GIS and Software Project Management
• Multi-Agency Project Management
• Human Resource Allocation-Management

This disciplinary area is designed for individuals seeking assistance and
knowledge for leading complex projects in a variety of work settings.
Courses provide the knowledge of business practices. The process of
managing a project, including definition, implementation, and evaluation, is
presented along with varying aspects of project planning and estimation plus
issues of fiscal management. This study option provides wonderful
background for anyone in any sector of employment, ranging from privately
owned business to corporate management, from local government and to
natural resource planning and management. Successful project
management is core to the success of any project of magnitude including
those involving elements of spatial relationships, dependencies and
predictions.