A Master of Science in Geographical Information Science and Systems, or Master of Science in Geographical Information Science, or Master of Science in Geographic Information Systems (Latin: Magister Scientiæ; abbreviated M.Sc. GIS, MSc (GIS)., MSc GIS) is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a number of countries. The degree is typically studied for one year (in the United Kingdom) and two years (in the USA, Switzerland, Austria and Germany) full-time or three to five years part-time.
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Background
The concept of a Masters programme in Geographical (sic) Information Systems (later Science) was first developed in the United Kingdom, with the University of Edinburgh offering the world's first in 1985 , followed by the University of Leicester, also in the UK, three years later. Universities elsewhere in Europe followed in the early 1990s, with US universities coming later. The innovative Edinburgh curriculum was designed by GIS pioneers such as Tom Waugh and Richard Healey, with input from Sandy Crosbie, Steve Dowers, Bruce Gittings and Roger Kirby. Edinburgh continues to be an international leader in GIS teaching, and has the largest graduate network of any programme worldwide.
Job outlook
This postgraduate degree prepares students to work as GIS analysts, applied researchers and consultants providing expertise in this area of computer mapping analysis, spatial databases management and development, software/application development, geomarketing and project management. GIS technologies are widely utilised worldwide, and there is a high demand for these skills.