GIS Certificate Curriculum
The GIS program offers two certificate options so you can choose the path that fits your goals:
GIS Standard Certificate: Provides a broad foundation in geographic information systems, covering core concepts, cartography, spatial analysis and database management.
GIS with a Concentration in Environmental Analysis Certificate: Builds on the standard GIS foundation with additional courses focused on applying GIS to environmental issues such as land use, natural resources and public health.
GIS Standard Certificate Curriculum
To earn the GIS Standard Certificate, you must complete at least 17.6 CEUs, 11 courses.
Standard Certificate Required Courses
All six online courses are required.
| Course Title | CEU | Term Offered |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 9003: Introduction to GIS | 1.6 | FA/SP |
| GEOG 9004: Managing a GIS Project | 1.6 | FA/SP |
| GEOG 9009: Cartographic Design for GIS | 1.6 | FA/SP |
| GEOG 9015: Database Management for GIS | 1.6 | FA/SP |
| GEOG 9022: Working with GIS Data (Formerly Data Acquisition for GIS) | 1.6 | FA/SP |
| GEOG 9038: Introduction to ArcGIS Online | 1.6 | FA/SP |
Standard Certificate Electives
Five courses are required.
| Course Title | CEU | Term Offered |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 9008: Raster GIS and Analysis | 1.6 | FA |
| GEOG 9010: Using GPS for GIS (In Person) | 1.6 | SU |
| GEOG 9011: Introduction to Remote Sensing | 1.6 | FA |
| GEOG 9013: Spatial Analysis and Modeling | 1.6 | SP |
| GEOG 9019: Remote Sensing for GIS, Part II | 1.6 | SP |
| GEOG 9021: GIS Programming with Python | 1.6 | SP |
| GEOG 9020: Scientific Visualization in GIS | 1.6 | FA |
| GEOG 9023: GIS and Remote Sensing Applications for Coastal and Marine Science | 1.6 | SP |
| GEOG 9024: Watershed GIS | 1.6 | SP |
| GEOG 9030: Building a Geodatabase | 1.6 | SP |
| GEOG 9031: Introduction to R | 1.6 | SP |
| GEOG 9032: Ecological Applications of GIS | 1.6 | SP |
| GEOG 9035: Advanced Remote Sensing | 1.6 | SP |
| GEOG 9036: 2D and 3D Mapping with Drones (In Person) | 1.6 | SU |
| GEOG 9037: Climate Vulnerability and Resilience Assessments Using GIS | 1.6 | FA |
| GEOG 9039: Introduction to ArcGIS API for Python | 1.6 | SP |
GIS with a Concentration in Environmental Analysis Curriculum
To earn the GIS, Concentration in Environmental Analysis Certificate you must complete at least 19.2 CEUs, 12 courses.
Required Courses for Certificate with Concentration in Environmental Analysis
Seven online courses are required.
| Course Title | CEU | Term Offered |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 9003: Introduction to GIS | 1.6 | FA/SP |
| GEOG 9004: Managing a GIS Project | 1.6 | FA/SP |
| GEOG 9009: Cartographic Design for GIS | 1.6 | FA/SP |
| GEOG 9015: Database Management for GIS | 1.6 | FA/SP |
| GEOG 9022: Working with GIS Data (Formerly Data Acquisition for GIS) | 1.6 | FA/SP |
| GEOG 9038: Introduction to ArcGIS Online | 1.6 | FA/SP |
| GEOG 9008: Raster GIS and Analysis OR GEOG 9013: Spatial Analysis and Modeling | 1.6 | FA OR SP |
Applied Environmental Methods Electives
Four courses are required.
| Course Title | CEU | Term Offered |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 9008: Raster GIS and Analysis* | 1.6 | FA |
| GEOG 9010: Using GPS for GIS (In Person) | 1.6 | SU |
| GEOG 9011: Introduction to Remote Sensing | 1.6 | FA |
| GEOG 9023: GIS and Remote Sensing Applications for Coastal and Marine Science | 1.6 | SP |
| GEOG 9032: Ecological Applications of GIS | 1.6 | SP |
| GEOG 9035: Advanced Remote Sensing | 1.6 | FA |
| GEOG 9036: 2D and 3D Mapping with Drones (In Person) | 1.6 | SU |
| GEOG 9037: Climate Vulnerability and Resilience Assessments using GIS | 1.6 | FA |
*A student may take both GEOG 9008 and GEOG 9013, where one may be counted as core and the other may be counted as an elective. No courses may be "double-counted."
Programming and Modeling Electives
One course is required.
| Course Title | CEU | Term Offered |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 9013: Spatial Analysis and Modeling* | 1.6 | SP |
| GEOG 9020: Scientific Visualization in GIS | 1.6 | FA |
| GEOG 9021: GIS Programming with Python | 1.6 | SP |
| GEOG 9031: Introduction to R | 1.6 | SP |
| GEOG 9039: Introduction to ArcGIS API for Python | 1.6 | SP |
Substitutions for SFSU Students
Direct substitutions are allowed for College of Professional & Global Education GIS Certificate courses if you are a matriculated SFSU student. If you have questions, contact the Academic Coordinator, Chloe Martin, at cmartin9@sfsu.edu.
GIS Certificate Equivalencies
Core Courses
| Course Number | Course Name | Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 9003 | Introduction to GIS | GEOG 603 OR Combination of USP 492 + 493 |
| GEOG 9004 | Managing a GIS Project | - |
| GEOG 9009 | Cartographic Design for GIS | GEOG 606 |
| GEOG 9015 | Database Management for GIS | - |
| GEOG 9022 | Working with GIS Data (prev. Data Acquisition for GIS) | GEOG 603 |
Current Electives
| Course Number | Course Name | Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 9008 | Raster GIS and Analysis | GEOG 621/721 |
| GEOG 9010 | Using GIS for GPS | - |
| GEOG 9011 | Remote Sensing in GIS, Part I | GEOG 610 |
| GEOG 9013 | Spatial Analysis and Modeling | GEOG 620/720 |
| GEOG 9020 | Scientific Visualization in GIS | GEOG 621/721 |
| GEOG 9021 | GIS Programming with Python | GEOG 625 |
| GEOG 9024 | Watershed GIS | GEOG 642 |
| GEOG 9027 | Spatial Analysis of Public Health Data | - |
| GEOG 9029 | Processing GIS Data with Modelbuilder and Python | Combination of GEOG 620/720 + 625 |
| GEOG 9030 | Building a Geodatabase | GEOG 620/720 |
| GEOG 9031 | Introduction to R | GEOG 604/704 |
| GEOG 9032 | Ecological Applications of GIS | - |
| GEOG 9033 | GIS for Sustainable Planning and Urban Design | - |
| GEOG 9034 | Building JavaScript Web Mapping Applications | - |
| GEOG 9035 | Advanced Remote Sensing (prev. Remote Sensing with LiDAR) | - |
| GEOG 9036 | 2D and 3D Mapping with Drones | - |
Non-Current Electives
| Course Number | Course Name | Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 9019 | Remote Sensing in GIS, Part II | GEOG 611/711 |
| GEOG 9023 | GIS and Remote Sensing for Coastal & Marine Science | GEOG 629 |
| GEOG 9026 | GIS in Crime Analysis | - |
| GEOG 9099 | Further Exploration of ArcGIS | - |
Details
All instructors in the GIS Certificate Program have formal education in GIS and extensive professional experience. As a student, you will learn from experts working in transportation, agriculture, database management, biogeography, education, geomorphology and state and local government GIS.
Quentin J. Clark
Education: GIS Graduate Certificate, Portland State University; M.A. geography, San Francisco State University
Employment: San Francisco State University
Email: qclark@sfsu.edu
Courses: Introduction to GIS, Cartographic Design for GIS, GPS for GIS
Quentin is the administrator for the California State University GIS Specialty Center, helping facilitate GIS needs for all 24 campuses in the CSU system. In addition to his role in the Specialty Center, Quentin is a lecturer in the Department of Geography and Environment at SFSU, where he teaches courses in environmental science, natural resource management and GIS. His research and GIS interests include cartographic design and theory, GIS data management and GNSS data collection.
Jerry Davis
Education: Ph.D. geography, University of Georgia
Employment: San Francisco State University
Courses: GIS for Watersheds, Raster GIS, Introduction to Programming ArcGIS
Jerry is director of the California State University GIS Specialty Center. He specializes in geomorphology, soils, field methods and GIS. Jerry developed the GIS curriculum at SFSU and his current research interests focus on karst geomorphic processes and the use of computers and GIS for field data collection and processing.
Seth Hiatt
Education: M.A. geography, San Francisco State University
Employment: Santa Clara County
Courses: Introduction to R, Ecological Applications of GIS, GIS for Scientific Visualization, Database Management
Seth has been using GIS to support environmental planning and decision-making for more than 12 years. After working as a remote sensing and GIS analyst in the Earth Science Division at NASA Ames Research Center, he served as associate director for the SFSU Institute for Geographic Information Science. He currently works in the Planning Division of Santa Clara County Parks and also teaches GIS and geography at Foothill College in Los Altos. His GIS interests include ecological modeling, spatial statistics, tool building, open-source software, web GIS and field data collection.
Xiaohang Liu
Education: Ph.D. geography, University of California, Santa Barbara
Employment: San Francisco State University, professor
Courses: Building a Geodatabase, GIS for Public Health
Professor Liu’s teaching and research interests are in GIS, remote sensing and spatial statistics, and their application in socioeconomic issues such as urban land use and cover change, population distribution and environmental modeling. Her ongoing research includes the linkage between built environment and public health, environmental justice and using internet GIS to promote public participation in neighborhood revitalization.
Dara O’Beirne
Education: M.A. geography, San Francisco State University
Employment: City of Sacramento
Course: GEOG 9029 Processing GIS Data with Model Builder and Python
Dara earned both his B.A. and M.A. in geography from SFSU and is a GIS analyst with the City of Sacramento’s Department of Utilities. His master’s thesis examined error in measuring tree heights in an urban environment using field methods and airborne LiDAR data. Dara is a GIS professional with more than 10 years of GIS and Python programming experience. He is also co-author of ArcPy and ArcGIS: Automating ArcGIS for Desktop and ArcGIS Online with Python.
Ana Pelegrini Guimaraes
Education: M.S. GIS, San Francisco State University
Employment: ENTRUST Solutions Group
Course: Introduction to ArcGIS Online and Web GIS
Ana is a senior GIS consultant specialist at ENTRUST Solutions Group, where she works in geospatial data engineering and cartography. She has led projects focused on data automation and visualization and is a subject matter expert in field data collection using ArcGIS Online, Field Maps and Survey123. Ana earned her master’s degree from SFSU, where her research examined the impact of urban greenspace and bluespace on the mental health of pregnant women. She is also a certified GIS professional (GISP).
Tom Robinson
Education: B.A. ecology, University of California, San Diego; M.S. GISci, San Francisco State University
Employment: Tom Robinson Consulting
Email: tsrobins@mail.sfsu.edu
Course: Managing a GIS Project
As principal of Tom Robinson Consulting, Tom leads strategic planning and analysis projects that serve the public good. He previously worked as director of conservation, science and innovation at Bay Area Open Space Council and conservation GIS analyst at Sonoma County Ag + Open Space. He holds a bachelor’s degree in ecology and a master’s degree in GISci and is a Switzer Environmental Leadership Fellow.
Sally Shatford
Education: M.S. GIS, San Francisco State University
Employment: AECOM
Courses: GPS for GIS, Working with GIS
Sally is a GIS specialist at AECOM. She received her master’s degree in GIS from SFSU, where she studied residential segregation and affordable housing. She focuses on tailoring GIS solutions for project needs, managing data across project life cycles and creating cartographic products for web and print. She also uses ArcGIS Online and other GIS servers for digital data collection and sharing.
Core Courses
Some core courses may be waived and replaced with electives based on your prior experience or coursework. Waivers do not reduce the total CEUs required for the certificate. After completing all required courses, you must submit an application for the certificate of completion.
Textbooks and Materials
All course materials are provided and included in the cost.
Location and Frequency of Classes
Courses are fully online with live instruction and interaction. Sequences begin twice a year, in early February and early September. Some in-person classes are also offered in summer. In-person classes meet for two full days, Friday and Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Equipment Requirements
To take GIS classes, you will need a device that can run ArcGIS Pro. This software is used in most classes and is only compatible with Windows operating systems. See the ArcGIS Pro Installation Instructions for details.
Waivers
You may waive GEOG 9003: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems if you have completed an equivalent course at another university. No other courses may be waived.
Because all courses use ArcGIS Pro, we recommend reviewing ESRI Training tutorials if you are new to this software. You must still complete the minimum CEUs (19.2) to earn the certificate after waiving GEOG 9003.
If you have work experience that may qualify you to waive GEOG 9003, contact the GIS program academic coordinator, Chloe Martin, at cmartin9@sfsu.edu.
Once you have completed the necessary coursework, submit the Certificate of Completion Request Form for your certificate.