Bachelor’s to Master’s in GIScience Pathway

Students enrolled in the combined Bachelor/MSGIS Pathways Program are expected to begin the Graduate Program in the term immediately following completion of their undergraduate studies (either Spring or Fall). Applications submitted during the semester directly after graduation will receive priority consideration, providing the applicant has a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students who apply more than one semester after finishing their undergraduate degree will be evaluated alongside the general applicant pool. 

Once an MSGIS Pathways student is admitted into the graduate program, they can request one semester off with the approval from the MSGIS Program Coordinator. Leave of absence or 2 or more consecutive semesters off (e.g. due to medical or personal hardship) requires a formal process of approvals. Students who take 2 or more consecutive semesters off without approval will be discontinued from the program and will need to reapply.

Graduate-level courses approved to double count in undergraduate and graduate studies will be transferred to count in both degrees’ regardless of when a student starts the graduate program.

Important policies for taking Graduate level courses as an undergraduate student at FSU:

Students who choose to pursue a degree at another institution or in a different FSU program are not guaranteed that the graduate coursework completed through our combined pathways program will transfer or be counted toward the requirements of the new programs.

Graduate-level courses must be completed with a B- or higher to count in the Graduate Degree.

Per FSU relevant policies, students can double count up to 12 credit hours, ONLY 6 hours per semester.

Step 1: Complete Undergraduate Requirements

• Complete the following course with a grade of B or higher:
  • (4) GIS4043/L – Intro to GIS & Lab
• Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• Junior or Senior Status to begin graduate-level courses.

Step 2: Applying to the Combined Pathways Program

Currently enrolled undergraduate students at FSU may qualify for the Combined Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathways where up to 12 credit hours of approved graduate-level coursework will count towards requirements for both degree programs (BA/BS and MS). The Combined Pathways only accepts applications for the spring and fall semesters.

Once you have satisfied the above requirements, please contact the Academic Program Specialist, Kristina Svec (k.svec@fsu.edu), to learn the procedure for applying to the Combined Pathways Program. Upon admission to the program, you will be eligible to take graduate-level courses and subsequently begin your graduate application.

Step 3: Registering for Graduate Level Courses as an Undergraduate Student

Undergraduate students can take 6 hours of graduate coursework per semester and up to 12 hours to double count toward their FSU undergraduate degree AND their FSU Master’s degree in GIScience. 

Submit a Request to Take Graduate Classes
A “Request to Take Graduate Classes Form” must be submitted to the registrar prior to taking graduate-level courses each semester. Please email the Academic Program Specialist, Kristina Svec (k.svec@fsu.edu), with the course(s) you plan to take prior to registration closing each term. The registrar will add you to the submitted course(s).

Approved Elective Courses – Must be completed with a B- or higher

(3) GEO5165C – Quantitative Geography (Fall)
(3) GIS5013 – GIS Programming (Fall)
(3) GIS5112 – GIS Databases (Spring)
(3) GIS5131 – Geographic Visualization (Spring)
(3) GIS5305 – GIS for Environmental Analysis and Modeling (Fall)
(3) GIS5331 – Florida GIS Applications
(3) GIS5400 – GIS Applications in Social Sciences (Fall)
(3) GIS5605 – GIS Local Government (Spring)

Please note that while a semester is listed for most courses above, actual offerings may vary and some courses could be scheduled for a different semester. For advising on graduate-level courses, please contact the MSGIS Program Coordinator, Dr. Yang (xyang@fsu.edu).

Step 4: Submit a Graduate Application

Submit an application for the MSGIS program. The application term you select should be the semester you plan to begin the Graduate program after graduating with your Bachelor’s degree (or during the last semester of your undergraduate studies at FSU). You can begin the application process here: APPLY!

Deadlines to submit a Graduate Application for Spring 2026:  October 1, 2025; for Fall 2026: July 1, 2026

Components of a complete application:

• $30 Application Fee
• A GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Statement of Purpose
• Three (3) Letters of Recommendation
• Resume/CV
• Official transcripts

Graduate Orientation
You should attend a department orientation after you graduate with your bachelor’s degree and begin your first semester as a Graduate student.

Internal Transfer Form
To have your graduate-level coursework double counted, you will need to email the Academic Program Specialist with the list of courses you wish to have transferred to your graduate transcript (double counted).

Degree Requirements (30 hours)
MS GIS Digital Degree Checklist  

Required Courses (13 Hours) – Must be completed with a B or Higher
(4) GIS5034/L – Remote Sensing & Lab (4) (Fall)*
(3) GIS5106 – Advanced GIScience (3) (Spring)
(6) GIS5950 – GIScience Capstone (6) (Summer)

*Anyone who has taken GIS4035/L or equivalent and earned a B or higher can waive this requirement, but they would need to take 4 additional hours of elective courses.

Electives (17 hours) – Must be completed with a B- or Higher
Please see here for our complete list of electives offered by the department, specific courses offered each semester are sent out by the department prior to registration and can also be found using the course search.

Pathways students admitted to the MSGIS program are strongly encouraged to develop a course plan with the Academic Specialist at their earliest convenience. Please note that due to our resource limits, some required courses can only be offered in certain semesters. For example, GIS5034/L is offered in the Fall, GIS5106 in the Spring, and GIS5950 in the Summer only.

*Completed double-count electives will be applied to these hours.

Undergraduates in the FSU Department of Urban Planning (DURP) also have a pathway to obtaining the MSGIS degree from the Department of Geography. The professions of planning and geographic information science overlap in a number of ways. Many positions in planning depend on competency in spatial understanding and mapping. In fact, an introductory GIS course is currently required for planning students. GIS students can move beyond technical employment options and have more professional pathways from which to choose. Students complete 63 credit hours, with 33 hours in Urban and Regional Planning (MSP degree) and 30 hours in Geography’s GIS coursework (MS GIS degree). For DURP-specific advisement, contact the DURP Academic Program Specialist.