Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Master s Degrees: An Evaluation of Degrees for GIS Librarians. Samantha Guss. HPSE 2046, Spring 2014

Transcription

1 GIS MASTER S DEGREES 1 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Master s Degrees: An Evaluation of Degrees for GIS Librarians Samantha Guss HPSE 2046, Spring 2014 Assignment 1: Curriculum Analysis

2 GIS MASTER S DEGREES 2 Introduction & External Curriculum Environment Geographic Information Systems (or GIS) can be defined many ways, but essentially are interactive digital representations of various aspects of the world that are used for planning, analyzing, solving problems, visualizing, and any number of other purposes by people in many fields. The term refers to a set of digital tools and software, as well as the methodologies and information that serve as inputs and outputs. Although GIS dates back to the mid-1960s, when it was first used by government agencies in Canada and the U.S. for land management and organization of census records, it has grown drastically with the advent of personal computing and internet technologies to today when it is making its way into nearly every industry and discipline, as well as the daily lives of average citizens through web mapping and global positioning systems (GPS) technologies (Longley, 2006). There is no easy way of tracking jobs related to GIS -- the popular site GISjobs.com, for example, lists more than 25 job title categories -- but there is plenty of evidence that job growth in the GIS sector is expected to continue. A 2010 report from the U.S. Department of Labor s Employment and Training Administration profiles Geospatial Technology as a high growth industry, citing demand from the public sector and regulated industries (such as utilities), but also from the private sector as they discover how much added value GIS technology can bring (ETA, 2010). In the most recent Occupational Outlook Handbook, the Bureau of Labor Statistics described the job outlook for geographers, stating that those with advanced degrees, specialized subject matter expertise, and experience working with geographic technologies, such as GIS, should have the best job prospects (BLS, 2014). The strong job market for those with GIS skills naturally means that higher education institutions have responded by building GIS education programs, and many disciplines and

3 GIS MASTER S DEGREES 3 programs within academia are including GIS instruction in their curricula and using GIS in their research. At NYU s Data Services (my department, which is a joint Libraries and ITS department), we ve seen huge increases in demand for instruction, software, and data related to GIS from nearly every academic department and many administrative units on campus. I wanted to investigate GIS graduate degrees because of my personal interest and possible future study, but also because NYU is among the many institutions in the process of adding a GIS librarian to our staff. GIS is an information-intensive endeavor, so we are long overdue to bring on a librarian who will focus on building data collections, procuring systems for discovery of and access to GIS data, and teaching GIS-related information literacy. I am interested in the post-baccalaureate GIS qualifications that many of our candidates have, and in evaluating for myself whether I think they are necessary or useful qualifications for a librarian specializing in GIS. Our local situation is not unique; a number of academic libraries across the country are advertising for GIS librarian positions. My immediate motivation is to help us hire a GIS librarian for NYU, but I also see this as an area with high job potential if I m looking for jobs for myself in the future. GIS education is available at many levels, from associate s degrees in community colleges (and even programs therein to engage high school students), to bachelor s-level majors, to post-baccalaureate certificates and master s degrees. Although the GIS post-baccalaureate certificate is probably the most popular credential, I chose to evaluate GIS master s programs as more complete pictures of what kinds of things are most important to know and be able to do in this field. There is a portfolio-based professional certification for GIS professionals called the GISP, which requires 30 points of GIS-related educational attainment, which master s-level credits would count toward (GIS Certification Institute, 2014).

4 GIS MASTER S DEGREES 4 Master s degrees in GIS, which initially grew out of geography departments, have no accrediting body, although there has been at least some discussion in the community about changing that (Obermeyer & Onsrud, 1997). It is difficult to find a comprehensive list of programs, although the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science maintained a list until at least 2007, which lists around 30 colleges and universities in the United States that offer master s degrees in GIS (Kemp, 2007). There is also no common name for the degrees, nor any rankings, meaning that students have to rely on things like accreditation and rankings of parent institutions and descriptions of programs to decide which will best fit their needs and help them achieve their goals. Internal Curriculum Environments I chose to compare the curricula for two master s degrees in GIS that are delivered entirely online: the Master of Geographic Information Systems (MGIS) degree at Penn State University (PSU) and the Master of Science in Geographic Information Systems (MS in GIS) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Penn State is a large, public research university with very high research activity, and stays true to its land-grant institution roots with strengths in engineering, agriculture, and applied science (as well as some social sciences and humanities). Penn State s World Campus, its distance learning arm, was founded in 1998, but the university dates its involvement in distance education to 1892, when it offered one of the country s first correspondence courses (Penn State World Campus, n.d.). The World Campus collaborates with other academic units across the university to offer online courses, certificates, and degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The online master s degree program in GIS at Penn State is jointly administered by the World Campus, the Department of Geography, which is within the College of Earth &

5 GIS MASTER S DEGREES 5 Mineral Sciences, and the John A. Dutton e-education Institute, which is the instructional design unit for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (John A. Dutton e-education Institute, 2013). The Department of Geography s doctorate program at Penn State is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the country by the National Research Council (National Research Council, 2011). The MGIS program s faculty are members of the Department of Geography, and are a mix of fulltime, tenure-track faculty and adjunct faculty members who are working in GIS fields. Johns Hopkins University was founded in 1876 and today is a large, elite, private university that is also classified as having very high research activity. Like many private universities of its time, JHU historically focused on classical education, with strengths in the arts and humanities, although today it is known for its research and programs in the health professions, engineering, and social and natural sciences. The Master of Science in GIS degree is offered by the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences Advanced Academic Programs division, which is JHU s school for continuing and professional education. In addition to creating new and innovative degree programs, the AAP also offers certificate and noncredit programs, and organizes academic and social events to encourage student professional and personal growth (Advanced Academic Programs, 2014). Other master s degrees offered by AAP include Bioinformatics, Energy Policy & Climate, Museum Studies, and Writing, about half of which are online. The MS in GIS degree is taught by a small group of adjunct faculty members who are all employed in GIS-related positions, and is administered by a full-time program coordinator who also teaches courses in the program. Philosophy Both degree programs provide brief philosophy or mission statements that help prospective students get an idea of the intended focus. Penn State s emphasizes the practicality

6 GIS MASTER S DEGREES 6 of the degree, with language such as help you become a leader in your industry, designed to be highly practical, and tools and methods that you can apply to your real-time professional work (Penn State World Campus, n.d.). While JHU s program philosophy also refers to the practical utility of the degree, it also implies more exploration and knowledge for its own sake, promising a scientific foundation, an interactive platform to explore geographic information systems, and to allow students to further their understanding of the technological evolution (Advanced Academic Programs, 2014). Neither program mentions relationships with other disciplines (beyond specific GIS specializations), although Penn State s program website links to its other GIS-related programs, including a certificate in GIS and programs in Geospatial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. Content While there are some minor differences in course content and larger ones in the way the programs are structured, the two programs are actually very comparable--which I find impressive in a field where there are no accreditation guidelines. Both accept students with bachelor s degrees in any field, but JHU requires an undergraduate course in statistics and one in calculus. Penn State has no formal prerequisites for entrance into the program, but presumes at least some background in GIS and suggests that students enroll in its certificate program first, since the MGIS program is highly competitive with a 30% acceptance rate for (John A. Dutton e-education Institute, 2013). Johns Hopkins structures its MS in GIS in a traditional semester pattern, with three week semesters per year, while Penn State s MGIS program has five 10-week semesters per year, some of which overlap each other. JHU s program requires ten 4-credit courses (for 40 credits total) and PSU requires twelve 2-to-3-credit courses (for 35 credits total). Both programs

7 GIS MASTER S DEGREES 7 require a semester-long capstone project with a faculty advisor, which are included in the required courses counts. Penn State s program is expected to take three years to complete, while Johns Hopkins doesn t provide information on estimated program length. Both programs have quite a few required courses, but differ in how they require students to progress through them. JHU s program requires a student to complete five out of six core courses, plus electives chosen from topical areas, but these can be done in any order, at any time. Penn State s MGIS is much more vertically integrated; there are eight required courses and five of those are sequential and must be taken in order, starting when the student enters the program. Penn State also strongly encourages students to take only one course at a time, while Johns Hopkins allows students to decide how quickly they want to progress. The topics covered in the required courses are fairly similar across both programs. Five of those courses seem to cover the same topics when I compared the descriptions (even though the courses had different names at the two universities): Introduction to Geographic Information, Geospatial Systems, GIS Project Management, Spatial Data Analysis, and Capstone Project. Both require courses in GIS Databases/Data Management, although JHU labels it as an elective and allows students to choose from several courses to fulfill the requirement. Penn State s unique required courses are Problem Solving in GIS and Capstone Proposal (a preliminary course to the Capstone Project itself), while Johns Hopkins s unique required courses are GIS Data Modeling and Web Mapping. In addition to the required courses sequence, PSU students must complete four additional electives of their choice (choosing from 21 potential courses), and JHU students also need four elective courses, one covering Data Management, one in GIS Programming, and two of their choice (choosing from 12 potential courses). Both universities also offer postbaccalaureate certificates in GIS, which are closely linked

8 GIS MASTER S DEGREES 8 with their master s degree programs; when a student has completed the required number of credits in the master s degree program (usually 12-15), he or she can file paperwork to receive the GIS certificate. Likewise, credits earned in the GIS certificate program can be applied to the master s program if a student decides to continue his or her education. Evaluation Process In the area of curriculum evaluation, it seems that Penn State has a much more established and process for making sure its master s degree in GIS is meeting the needs of the community. The review process is conducted annually by an Advisory Board that currently includes five Penn State faculty members from across the university and eleven external members, who are a mix of professionals from a variety of industries and faculty from other universities. The review process is apparently, but not very transparent, since no information is provided about how the evaluation is done or what the board members are looking for. Johns Hopkins program provides no information about ongoing assessment, beyond the assertion that its faculty are industry leaders and have an ear to the ground about what is important for students to learn. Many of its faculty also claim to have helped in designing the curriculum, which makes me think it could be a fairly new program, but I couldn t find any information about its age and it s still not an excuse for failing to have evaluation procedures in place (and available for prospective students). Personal Evaluation of 2 GIS Master s Degree Programs From my perspective, both of these programs seem rigorous and comprehensive, and there was no clear winner or loser. The content covered is very similar in both programs, and I believe would give me more than sufficient knowledge and skills to support GIS users as a GIS librarian. Either of these master s degrees in GIS would provide experience using GIS the way

9 GIS MASTER S DEGREES 9 professionals do, which is invaluable for someone who will be acquiring and organizing data and teaching software skills to GIS students. While PSU s philosophy focuses heavily on giving students practical skills, it is also grounded in a highly regarded academic department and school. Conversely, JHU s language describing its program seems slightly more academic and philosophical--while still emphasizing practicality--but is located in a school of professional studies with no apparent ties to academic departments. I don t think either of those things is inherently bad or good, but if I was choosing a program myself, I d choose Penn State for its ties to its academic programs. While GIS programs aren t ranked, geography departments are, and I think that would only help the reputation of a related degree among employers. It s also a significant consideration for me that both master s programs are closely linked to their institutions GIS certificate programs, and students in the master s program can earn a certificate during their progress toward a master s. This is especially important to me as an adult distance student, since I may want to commit to three or more years of education, but know that other circumstances may pull me away from my studies. If that does happen and I don t finish the entire master s program, I can still obtain a useful credential (the GIS certificate). I was initially turned off by Penn State s sequencing requirements, thinking I would want maximum flexibility in an online master s degree program, but later decided that shorter semesters and frequent course offerings would make that less of a consideration. It also suggests that the group starting in the first course, The Nature of Geographic Information, together would likely progress together through the other five required courses, creating a cohort group. This could actually be immensely helpful in creating community (a challenge in online education) and motivating me to keep up and keep going. The Johns Hopkins program doesn t have any

10 GIS MASTER S DEGREES 10 sequenced courses, and its semesters are more typical length and timing. Another consideration is that the degree from Johns Hopkins is an MS, as opposed to the MGIS from Penn State. Although I mentioned how the distinction is meaningless within the GIS community (since there is no accepted name for the degree), and it doesn t seem to make any difference functionally when comparing the two curricula, there may be value in having a degree that others outside the GIS community can easily understand. For example, my position as an academic librarian requires that I have a Master of Library Science (MLS) degree plus a subject master s degree, and there might be some confusion about whether an MGIS counts, since it won t be easily recognizable by a multidisciplinary tenure committee. Ultimately, from what I ve learned in my investigations, I get the sense that Penn State is simply more invested in its GIS master s degree program. In a time when professional master s degrees are sometimes seen by universities as cash cows that are developed to bring in new revenue (Pappano, 2011, for example), PSU seems to have invested significant resources in its MGIS program: it has collaborators from several units, an established advisory board and evaluation procedures, and ties to academic programs and other related degree programs. It provides extensive information for students about the content of the program as well as the nuts and bolts of online education in a software- and data-intensive subject. While I would still admire a master s degree in GIS from either Johns Hopkins University or Penn State University in a candidate for a job, I would choose Penn State if I was going to enter one of these programs myself.

11 GIS MASTER S DEGREES 11 References Advanced Academic Programs, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University. (2014). AAP history. Retrieved from Advanced Academic Programs, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University. (2014). Geographic information systems. Retrieved from Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. (2014). Geographers. Occupational outlook handbook, edition. Retrieved from Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. (2010). High growth industry profile - Geospatial technology. Retrieved from GIS Certification Institute. (2014). What is a GISP? Retrieved from GISjobs.com, LLC. (2014). GISjobs.com - We are GIS jobs. Retrieved from John A. Dutton e-education Institute. (2013). Frequently asked questions (FAQ) for the GIS certificate and MGIS degree programs. Retrieved from John A. Dutton e-education Institute. (2013). Online geospatial education at Penn State. Retrieved from Kemp, K. (2007). GIS certificate and masters programs. Retrieved from

12 GIS MASTER S DEGREES 12 Longley, P. (2006). GIS. In B. Warf (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human geography (pp ). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Reference. National Research Council, Committee to Assess Research-Doctorate Programs. (2011). A databased assessment of research-doctorate programs in the United States: Excel data table (revised 4/29/2011) [Data file.]. Retrieved from Obermeyer, N.J. & Onsrud, H.J. (1997). Educational policy and GIS: Accreditation and certification. Retrieved from Pappano, L. (2011, July 22). The master s as the new bachelor s. The New York Times. Retrieved from Penn State World Campus. (n.d.). About us. Retrieved from Penn State World Campus. (n.d.). Courses - Master of geographic information systems. Retrieved from