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Geographic Information Science

Important social, economic, and environmental processes occur over geographic space. Geographic information gives the answer to "where" in the question of "who, what, where, when, why and how" about these important events. Geographic information systems, digital cartography, and associated technologies capture that information, and allow it to be stored, analyzed, processed and displayed.

The University at Buffalo has long been a leader in GIS education at the Doctoral level. UB established the nation's first academic "GIS Laboratory" in 1974, and awarded its first Ph.D. to a student specializing in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Cartography in 1977. Graduates of our nationally-ranked program are in high demand in today's job market, holding academic appointments at a number of leading doctoral-granting universities, as well as positions in private sector firms, government agencies, and research labs.

Geographic Information and Analysis, NCGIA. NCGIA was founded in 1988 with sponsorship from the National Science Foundation. Today, the three universities continue as an independent research consortium, maintaining their position at the forefront of the world's research in Geographic Information Science and Geographic Information Systems applications. At Buffalo, the NCGIA serves as multidisciplinary organized research center, supporting approximately 20 externally funded research grants in GIS and related areas per year. A sample of research programs in GIS and GI Science can be found here. Every year, approximately 40 graduate students have the opportunity to participate in these active, cutting-edge research projects as graduate research assistants and graduate fellows.

Curriculum

Programs of Doctoral study in Geography at UB are highly flexible, and are tailored to each students needs, interests, and preparation through individual advice and mentoring and through diagnostic examinations.

 

Most Ph.D. students in the specialization in GIS gain expertise in GIS, and use the software as a tool to enhance their research in urban and regional analysis, environmental geography, industrial geography, or other topics. Some students choose to specialize in GIS itself, especially in "Geographic Information Science", the science behind the software, developing and augmenting the theory behind GIS, extending the capability of the software, or studying the relationships between GIS and society.

In 1998, UB's excellence in multidisciplinary GI Science Doctoral Education was affirmed by the award of a prestigious multi-million dollar grant to support Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeships (IGERT) in GI Science. This program supports Ph.D. students in several academic departments including Geography. Students in the program acquire broad multidisciplinary backgrounds, as well as essential technical and professional skills. A limited number of enhanced funding packages are available to new applicants.

The IGERT academic program has been captured in the Department of Geography's Advanced Certificate in Geographic Information Science. This certificate concentration is available to students who complete all the requirements for a Doctorate in their home academic department, as well as complete graduate courses in Geographic Information Science, Geographic Ontology, Databases, and Research Ethics, plus two electives.

 

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training Requirement

All students initially admitted to a Ph.D. program for the Fall 2009 semester or thereafter are required to document successful completion of "Responsible Conduct of Research" (RCR) training when they submit their Application to Candidacy (ATC) for their Ph.D. degree. This training requirement may be fulfilled by either (1.) enrolling in and passing PHI 640 Graduate Research Ethics or RPN 541 Ethics and Conduct of Research or (2.) completing the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) online Responsible Conduct of Research course with an average score of 80% or higher. Students opting to complete the CITI online course must supply documentation of its successful completion with their Application to Candidacy http://www.grad.buffalo.edu/policies/phd.php#conduct .

Required Core Courses

GEO 500 Introduction to Graduate Geography (3)
GEO 501 Research Design (1)
GEO 505 Univariate Statistics in Geography (4)

Elective Courses

In consultation with their advisor, students develop a program of study that matches their own research interests and satisfies the general requirements of the doctoral program in Geography. Courses are selected from the GIS course offering as well as from other specializations within the Geography Department. Given the strong research-orientation of the program, students also typically take over 12 credit hours in other UB departments.

Suggested electives

GEO 520 Transportation and Spatial Information (4)
GEO 530 Urban Geography (4)
GEO 550 Introduction to Graduate Cartography (4)
GEO 551 Cartography and Geographic Visualization (4)
GEO 552 Special Topics in Cartography (4)
GEO 553 Remote Sensing (4)
GEO 554 Network and Location Analysis (4)
GEO 555 GIS Algorithms and Data Structures (4)
GEO 556 GIS Design (4)
GEO 557 Thematic Cartography (4)
GEO 559 GIS and Environmental Modeling (4)
GEO 564 Mobility and Flows (4)
GEO 574 Urban Transportation and Land Use Modeling (4)
GEO 575 Landscape Modeling with GIS (3)
GEO 591 Introduction to Geographic Information Science (3)
GEO 592 Cognitive Geography and Geographical Cognition (3)
GEO 594 Geographic Information and Society (3)
GEO 595 Database Design for Geographic Information Systems (3)
GEO 597 Geostatistics (4)
GEO 605 Spatial Statistics (3)
GEO 655 Advanced Topics in GIS (3)

Admission Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree, Masters degree recommended

  • Good GRE and TOEFL scores

  • Three letters of reference

  • Online application at www.gradmit.buffalo.edu

Core GIS Faculty

Jared Aldstadt, Assistant Professor, geojared@buffalo.edu

Ling Bian, Professor, lbian@buffalo.edu
Thomas Bittner, Associate Professor, bittner3@buffalo.edu

Scott Mackay, Professor, dsmackay@buffalo.edu
David Mark, SUNY Distinguished Professor, dmark@buffalo.edu
Chris Renschler, Associate Professor, rensch@buffalo.edu
Peter Rogerson, Professor, rogerson@buffalo.edu

Leo Wang, Associate Professor, lewang@buffalo.edu

Enki Yoo, Assistant Professor, eunhye@buffalo.edu


Department of Geography University at Buffalo