MS Spatial Data Science (MSSDS)
The MSSDS is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to
apply data science approaches to geospatial data. The program of study includes 7
core courses providing in-depth spatial data science training and 9 elective credit
hours to help students understand how these skills may be applied to real world problems.
The core classes include a 1 credit class where students will develop professional
skills that complement the technical skills and to prepare them for employment. Students
assemble a portfolio demonstrating mastery of selected spatial data science skills
and present this in their final semester.
The MSSDS Program participates in the WRGP in-state tuition program. Students who
are residents in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawai'i, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,
New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands are eligible for 150% in-state tuition when enrolling
in the MSSDS program. Applicants must meet all admissions requirements and apply within
deadlines. Identify yourself as a "WICHE WRGP" applicant to be considered for the
discounted tuition rate. There are a limited number of WRGP reduced tuition seats
each year, so apply early.
Admission to the MSSDS does not require GRE scores. MSSDS applicants are expected
to have proficiency in undergraduate mathematics, statistics, computing, programming,
mapping, introductory GIS, and GIS methods as prerequisites to the program. The following
courses would suffice- GEOG 3100: Introduction to GIS; GEOG 3020: Geographical Analysis
or an upper division basic statistics course; GEOG 4140: Advanced Methods in GIS;
In addition, an introductory-level programming course, or equivalent is strongly recommended.
A program fee of $100 is required each fall or spring semester in which any courses
are taken. MSSDS students are not eligible for departmental funding.
Frequently Asked Questions
No
Unfortunately, we cannot support students in the professional program with assistantships. We do have assistantships available for students in our traditional Master’s in Geography program.
The program has a fee of $100 per student, each fall and spring semester (no fee charged during summer), for an MSSDS student enrolling in three (3) or more credits of coursework. The fee applies to both classroom and on-line classes.
The program can be completed in as little as 2 years, depending on the number of credit hours taken per semester.
GEOG 3100 Introduction to GIS
GEOG 3020 Geographical Analysis or an upper division basic statistics course
GEOG 4140 Advanced Methods in GIS
An entry-level programming course, or equivalent experience, is strongly recomended
The Department requires that you have taken these courses or have equivalent competence.
The following is a model program of study illustrating one sequence of courses:
Year 1 Fall Semester
- GEOG 6000: Advanced Geographical Data Analysis (4 Hours)
- GEOG 5170: Geospatial Field Methods or other elective (3 Hours)
- GEOG 6155: Introduction to Spatial Data Science (3 Hours)
Year 1 Spring Semester
- GEOG 6165: Data Visualization (3 Hours)
- GEOG 6160: Spatial Data Science (3 Hours)
- GEOG 6110: Remote Sensing Analysis (3 Hours)
- GEOG 6163: Skills for Spatial Data (1 Hour)
Year 2 Fall Semester
- GEOG 6120: Advanced Optical Remote Sensing or other elective (3 Hours)
- GEOG 5210: Global Climate Change or other elective (3 Hours)
- GEOG 6150: Geospatial Big Data (4 Hours)
All MSSDS students are required to complete the following core courses:
- GEOG 6000: Adv Geog Data Analysis (4 cr, Fall, Annually)
- GEOG 6110: Remote Sensing Analysis (3 cr, Spring, Annually)
- GEOG 6150: Geospatial Big Data (4 cr, Varies, Usually Fall?)
- GEOG 6155: Intro to Spatial Data (3 cr, Fall, Annually)
- GEOG 6160: Spatial Data Science (3 cr, Spring, Annually)
- GEOG 6163: Skills for Spatial Data (1 cr, NEW, Ideally every spring)
- GEOG 6165: Data Visualization (3 cr, Varies, Spring 2026-2027)
A minimum of 12 credit hours of elective courses must be taken from this list:
- GEIG 6161 – Capstone in GIS (3 cr, Spring)
- GEOG5170 - Geospatial Fld Mthds (3 cr, Fall & Spring)
- GEOG5210 - Global Clim Chg (3 cr Fall & Spring)
- GEOG5340 - Disasters, Sust& Global (3 cr, rotates)
- GEOG6120 - Adv Opti Remote Sensing (3 cr, typically offered in alternating years with 6130, semester varies)
- GEOG6130 - Adv Actv Remote Sensing (3 cr, typically offered in alternating years with 6120, semester varies)
- GEOG6680 - Intro to R (2 cr, Summer)
- GEOG6960 - Sem-Geogr Problems (3 cr, offered every semester with varying topics)
- ATMOS6040 - Environmental Stats (3 cr)
- BIOL6500 - Adv Stat Model Biolgst (3 cr)
- CMP6610 - Urban Ecology (3 cr)
- CMP6390 - Sustainability Planning (3 cr)
- CMP6710 - Intro Transp Planning (3 cr)
- ANTH5169 - Ethnographic Methods (3 cr)
- COMP5360 - Intro to Data Science (3 cr)
- COMP5960 - Special Topics (1 - 4 cr)
- GEO6920 - Special Topics (0.5 - 5 cr)
Not at this time.
No.
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If credits are used for a previous degree at the University of Utah, they cannot be reused for the MSSDS. Otherwise, a maximum of 6 undergraduate credits or 9 hours non-matriculated credit from the classes listed above, taken no more than three years prior to approval, may be transferred into the program. |
Credits transferred from another institution may be used for only one degree. Up to six semester hours of transfer credit may be applied toward fulfillment of graduate degree requirements if they are of high letter grade (B or higher; 'credit only' grades are unacceptable), are found acceptable by the graduate committee, and were taken within three years of semester of admission to the University of Utah.