Master of Science in Geographic Information Science with Concentration in GIS for Development and Environment (STEM)

at Clark University USA

Right now, people all over the world are facing social and economic injustices and escalating environmental threats to their health and wellbeing. From toxic pollution to habitat loss to climate change, our planet’s inhabitants and ecosystems are facing critical and highly time-sensitive challenges.

At Clark University, we aren’t daunted by these challenges. Our creativity and resolve are inspired by them. A signature program in our influential International Development, Community, and Environment (IDCE) Department, the M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy uses an integrative, collaborative approach for understanding and responding to complex issues. We work in partnership with communities, nonprofits, businesses, donors, and policymakers in the United States and internationally to promote safer, healthier, more sustainable relationships between humans and the natural environment. And we help develop knowledge that can be translated into action through changes to policies, practices, behaviors, attitudes, and technologies.

Clark’s master’s degree in GIS combines rigorous academics with widely varied, highly applied learning opportunities. Our two-year program offers ample opportunities to take what you learn in the classroom and put it to work in the wider world through creative engagements with communities, nonprofits, government, and the private sector. By working hands-on with partners, you gain valuable experience applying theories and implementing your creative solutions to complex problems.

In addition, we offer four concentrations within the GIS degree that enable you to focus your studies: GIS for Development and Environment, Conservation Applications, Global and Community Health Applications, and Remote Sensing. Each requires the completion of a set of concentration-specific courses, and each provides a valuable set of skills — and credentials — that will serve you well throughout your career.

Clark’s master’s degree in GIS combines rigorous academics with widely varied, highly applied learning opportunities. Our two-year program offers ample opportunities to take what you learn in the classroom and put it to work in the wider world through creative engagements with communities, nonprofits, government, and the private sector. By working hands-on with partners, you gain valuable experience applying theories and implementing your creative solutions to complex problems.

In addition, we offer four concentrations within the GIS degree that enable you to focus your studies: GIS for Development and Environment, Conservation Applications, Global and Community Health Applications, and Remote Sensing. Each requires the completion of a set of concentration-specific courses, and each provides a valuable set of skills — and credentials — that will serve you well throughout your career.

GIS for Development and Environment - Concentration
The concentration in Geographic Information Science for Development and Environment is intended for students interested in applications of geospatial technologies to address the challenge of sustainable development. The issues are many, ranging from natural resource development while protecting biodiversity, smart development and planning of infrastructure to social issues such as disaster management, humanitarian assistance, water and sanitation, poverty and hunger alleviation, climate change impacts, conflicts, and migration.

The GISDE concentration builds upon the broad strengths of the Department of International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE), the Graduate School of Geography and Clark Labs. Accordingly, this concentration allows considerable flexibility in tailoring an individual program, crafted with the assistance of a faculty advisor.

Poverty and structural racism undermine the quality of life in urban areas in the United States, and the societal costs can last for generations. The complexity of these problems demands an approach that goes beyond social work or urban planning or design. We developed the M.A. in Community Development and Planning because we believe social and economic justice are possible through the practice of engaged and future-focused community development.

In Clark’s Community Development and Planning program, students learn about the relations between power and capital that produce inequity, and how to use this knowledge to build partnerships and capacity in people, places, organizations, and institutions in order to promote structural change. Our curriculum is strategic and future-oriented, informed by an understanding of historic political-economic trends and current affairs. The curriculum has depth in areas such as youth justice, economic development, food security, and managing neighborhood transformation through community engagement, planning, and non-profit leadership.

Our faculty are engaged scholars and practitioners who work with, and for, state and city governments as well as community development corporations and other non-profits on a range of initiatives aimed at addressing urban challenges. They bring their skills and experience into the classroom, working closely with students to chart career paths. As mentors, the faculty introduce students to internships and a broad professional network.

There’s a digital revolution taking place at this very moment. Harnessing the power of data, innovation, and collaboration, businesses are thinking bigger and progressing further. In a world where data is king, professionals skilled in data management and the practical application of technologies like machine learning are in high demand. Effectively analyzing big data helps businesses become better, smarter, and faster – which is why experts in data analysis are urgently required. Looking ahead, the need for data analytics experts will only surge higher and demand for analysts far exceeds the number of qualified professionals out there.

With courses focused on advanced analytics and data operations, you’ll learn how to translate data into a usable asset. Our Master’s of Science in Data Analytics will prepare you for a career in a technology-driven business environment — you’ll delve deep into Python programming, advanced statistical analysis, and data mining and warehousing. Clark will prepare you to lead your organization to better business decisions and outcomes with confidence and skill by giving you the tools to find the story behind vast amounts of data.

Information technology (IT) is at the core of all essential aspects of a 21st century organization, from its public face to its financial records. Business leaders know that the versatility and efficiency of their IT systems could make or break their organizations. If you are a skilled IT manager, your talents are in ever-increasing demand.

The Clark University’s M.S. in Information Technology (MSIT) program will prepare you to excel as an IT leader. You will learn strategic uses of IT as well as pivotal aspects of cybersecurity and data management. You’ll also master tools like Tableau and Splunk that allow you to analyze complex datasets. When you graduate, you will be prepared to take on an elevated level of responsibility in your current position or advance into new roles within the IT realm.

Our curriculum includes a required introduction to literary studies, as well as elective special-topics seminars in a range of geographical contexts and time periods. Working closely with your adviser, you will identify an area of focus for your thesis research and complete a project that builds on your unique scholarly interests.

Most students earn their degree in three or four semesters. Students must be in residence for at least one year (two years are required for recipients of a teaching assistantship award).

In addition, students must:

• Attend the Departmental Colloquia, a noncredit course in which faculty and students present work in progress, share thesis updates, and hear guest speakers. Successfully complete an oral defense of their thesis before two or more faculty readers.

Our students engage capacities and skills that have import within and beyond the study of literature. Such skills entail:

• Analyzing both written texts and broader cultural narratives that shape the political and social world. Crafting insightful and illuminating arguments. Conducting independent and in-depth research with a range of archival sources.

Marketing is no longer just the ads you see on television but is now driven by consumer data. Employers across all industries are clamoring for professionals with the theoretical and practical knowledge to turn marketing data into tangible business value by formulating insights and developing strategies. At Clark University, our M.S. in Marketing Analytics is a STEM OPT-eligible program that will open doors to the increasing number of opportunities in the field of marketing data analysis. Students learn the quantitative and statistical tools to collect, evaluate, and interpret marketing data. You’ll also learn the communication skills necessary to share actionable knowledge with colleagues across disciplines and at every level of an organization.

Covering everything from traditional advertising and PR to digital design and SEO, marketing is a broad field that is constantly evolving in the digital age.  Marketers must understand both the business and marketing/creative side of the workplace.  At Clark University, our M.S. in Marketing program is perfect for the aspiring marketing leader. Learn to understand your audience, analyze trends, and position your business to be competitive and successful.

The program gives students the skills to be both creative and practical by applying innovative marketing strategies in practical ways; providing students the language to understand and speak to both sides while allowing their creative ideas to expand and soar.  A fit with nearly any undergraduate degree, the MSMK will provide you with a foundation in business and an in-depth understanding of marketing strategies and research.

Clark’s master’s degree in GIS combines rigorous academics with widely varied, highly applied learning opportunities. Our two-year program offers ample opportunities to take what you learn in the classroom and put it to work in the wider world through creative engagements with communities, nonprofits, government, and the private sector. By working hands-on with partners, you gain valuable experience applying theories and implementing your creative solutions to complex problems.

In addition, we offer four concentrations within the GIS degree that enable you to focus your studies: GIS for Development and Environment, Conservation Applications, Global and Community Health Applications, and Remote Sensing. Each requires the completion of a set of concentration-specific courses, and each provides a valuable set of skills — and credentials — that will serve you well throughout your career.

Conservation Applications - Concentration
Conservation GIS is concerned with the application of Geographic Information Systems and related geospatial technologies to the needs of Conservation Biology, Landscape Ecology, Wildlife Management and Conservation Planning. The MSGIS in Conservation Applications builds upon the history of close partnerships between Clark University and Clark Labs with organizations such as Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Through these relationships, for example, Clark Labs has developed a distinctive set of geospatial software tools for Conservation such as the Land Change Modeler, the Habitat and Biodiversity Modeler, the Climate Change Adaptation Modeler, the Ecosystem Services Modeler and the Earth Trends Modeler. Clark is also in the process of becoming the home of the New England chapter of the Society for Conservation GIS.

The objectives of the Master of Science in Conservation Applications are to gain spatial analysis skills required in ecological and conservation applications including: vector and raster spatial data analysis, analysis of image time series, remote sensing applied to environmental monitoring, GIS programming skills, spatial conservation planning, spatial modeling of species distributions, and effective map communication.