About

The School of Computing and Information Science offers leading-edge research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs in Spatial Information Science and Engineering and an all coursework, all e-learning master’s degree program in Spatial Informatics. Almost all SIE required and elective courses are available simultaneously online as well as on campus.

From mobile phone technologies to robotics, geographic informations systems (GIS), the Internet of Things (IOT), and sensor networks, most modern information systems are now highly dependent on location and spatial concepts for organizing and tracking data and information. Spatial Computing describes the overarching research and scholarly domain that is being advanced by our academic programs. While the terms are often used interchangeably, we use Spatial Informatics to designate the academic learning domain intersecting spatial topics that extend primarily from a computing foundation. Spatial Information Science and Engineering is used to identify our research-based degrees that advance understanding in handling location and time in emerging information systems and applications.  Geographic Information Systems is a domain focused on learning and applications in a popular and wide-spread software approach to handling location-based data.

M.S. Options

The thesis option is the scientific track, typically requiring a strong undergraduate background in engineering, computer science, human-computer interaction, or mathematics. Prospective master’s students from other disciplines must complete requisite math and engineering courses to succeed in an engineering graduate curriculum. The thesis option includes a substantial individual research project forming the basis for a master’s thesis.

The project option is designed for students who prefer to focus primarily on coursework rather than research. Formal coursework is complemented by a one-semester project in which students demonstrate their ability to apply acquired knowledge to implement a particular solution.