http://www.utdallas.edu/dept/socsci/
This degree program is
jointly offered by the
Professors: Carlos Aiken (Geosciences), Brian J. L. Berry (Economic, Political and Policy Sciences),
Ronald Briggs (Economic, Political and Policy Sciences), Daniel Griffith (Economic, Political and Policy Sciences), James
Murdoch (Economic, Political and Policy Sciences), Edwin Sha (Computer
Science), Robert Stern (Geosciences)
Associate Professors: Tom Brikowski� (Geosciences), John Ferguson (Geosciences), Paul Jargowsky (Economic, Political and Policy Sciences), Michael Tiefelsdorf (Economic, Political and Policy Sciences), Fang Qiu (Economic, Political and Policy Sciences), Kang Zhang (Computer Science)
Assistant Professors: Mohammed Abdelsalam (Geosciences), Timothy Bray (Economic, Political and Policy Sciences), Kevin Curtin (Economic, Political and Policy Sciences), Karen Hayslett-McCall (Economic, Political and Policy Sciences), Latifur Kahn (Computer Science), �Fang Qiu (Social Sciences), Weili Wu (Computer Science)
Objectives
Powerful new technologies
have emerged in recent years to collect, store, manage, and analyze information
regarding the features of the Earth's surface and to combine these with other
types of environmental, social and economic information. These technologies,
which include geographicl information systems (GIS),
the global positioning system (GPS), and satellite-based remote sensing, are
used in many ways from digital maps in rental and delivery vehicles, to the
management and maintenance of city infrastructure,� regional agriculture and forest lands,
to the policing of communities, and to the conduct of� modern warfare.� The objective of the PhD in Geospatial
Information Sciences is to develop individuals capable of advancing this field
by developing new knowledge or capabilities relevant to it.
The degree program is
jointly offered by the
The
curriculum requires students to have mastery of Geospatial Information Sciences
Technologies and Theory, have a Technological Specialization, have a� Specific Application area (possibly derived
from their master�s degree), and evidence research skills through a Ph. D.
dissertation for a total of 90 semester credit hours beyond the bachelors
degree.
Students have access to state-of-the-art GIS computing facilities housed at
the
The University�s general admission requirements are discussed here.
The PhD program in Geospatial Information Sciences seeks applications from students with a baccalaureate, Master of Arts, Master of Science or professional masters-level degree in any field relevant to geospatial information science including, but not limited to, computer science, economics, engineering, geography, geology, management information systems, marketing, natural resource management, public affairs and public administration, statistics, and urban and regional planning,. Applicants will be judged and evaluated by the existing admission standards as set forth by the University in its Graduate Catalog and by the standards set forth here by the Geospatial Information Sciences program. A bachelor�s degree from an accredited institution or its equivalent and fluency in written and spoken English are required. A grade average of at least 3.25 in undergraduate and graduate course work, and a combined verbal and quantitative score of 1150 on the GRE are desirable.�
Students must submit transcripts from all higher education institutions attended, three letters of recommendation, and a one-page essay outlining the applicant�s background, education, and personal objectives as they specifically relate to a Ph.D. in Geospatial Information Sciences.
The following
pre-requisites/co-requisites will also be required for admission to the PhD
program: (i) college mathematics through calculus,
(ii) competence in at least one modern programming language equivalent to� GISC 5317 Computer
Programming for GIS, or CS 5303 and CS 5330 Computer Science I & II
or MIS 5321 Computer Programming or
MIS 6322 Visual Basic or MIS 6323 Java, or their equivalents, and (iii) at
least one course in inferential statistics through to regression analysis
equivalent to POEC 5313 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics or GEOS
5306 Data Analysis for Geoscientists. Graduate courses taken at UTD to
meet these pre-requisites may be counted as electives toward the 90 credit
hours for students entering the Ph.D. program directly from a B.A. or B.S.
degree, but they shall not be considered substitutes for any other specified
course.�
Students may transfer up
to 36 hours of course work from another institution and have them apply to
degree requirements set out below.
Because
of the cross-disciplinary nature of this doctoral program, to ensure adequate
preparation and appropriate course sequencing, every doctoral student is
required to consult with the student�s designated advisor and/or the GIS Doctoral
Program Director prior to registration in every semester.
The University�s general degree requirements are discussed here.
To receive the PhD in Geospatial Information Sciences, students must complete the Geospatial Science Core (15 SCH) to achieve a mastery of appropriate Geospatial Information Science technologies and theory, have a Geospatial Specialization Area (15 SCH), have a� Specific Application area or Technical field (12 SCH), evidence research skills through successful completion and defense of a Ph. D. dissertation, and take� related electives as necessary �for a total of 90 semester credit hours. In addition, students must satisfy a set of exams and qualifiers. Other courses may be substituted for those listed below with the written permission in advance of the Director of the GIS Doctoral program.
Geospatial Science Core� (15 SCH)
GISC 6381 GIS Fundamentals
GISC 6382 Applied GIS
GISC 6384 Spatial Analysis and Modeling
GISC 6385 GIS Theories, Models and Issues
GISC 6387 GIS Workshop
Geospatial Specialization Area selected from one of the following, with a minimum of 15 SCH:
I. Geospatial Computing and Information Management
CS 6378 Advanced Operating Systems
CS 6359 Object
Oriented Analysis and Design
CS 6360 Database
Design
CS 6V80 Spatial Data
Management
CS 6364 Artificial
Intelligence
CS 6366 Computer
Graphics
CS 6384 Computer
Vision
CS 6381 Combinatorics and Graph Algorithms����������
CS 6375 Neural Nets and Machine Learning
GISC 6383 GIS Management and
Implementation
GISC 7363 Internet Mapping and
Information Management�
GISC 6488 GIS Application Development
*MIS�� 6326 Database Management Systems
(* may not be used in conjunction with certain other courses. Consult GIS Doctoral Program Director)
II. Spatial Statistics and Modeling
CS
5343 Data Structures
*ECO 6309 Econometrics I
*ECO 6310 Econometrics II
*ECO 6314 Structural Equation Modeling
*GEOS 5306 Data Analysis for Geoscientists
GISC
7360 Pattern Analysis
GISC
7361 Spatial Statistics
GISC
7363 GIS Network Modeling
GISC
7364 Demographic Analysis and Modeling
GISC
7368 Spatial Epidemiology
GISC
7384 Advanced Raster Modeling
*POEC 5313 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics
*POEC 5316 Advanced Regression Analysis ���
POEC 7371/ECO 6315 Time
Series Analysis
(* may not be used in conjunction with certain other courses. Consult GIS Doctoral Program Director)
III. Remote Sensing and
Satellite Technologies
GEOS
5422 GPS Surveying Techniques
GEOS 5489 GIS Applications in Geosciences
GEOS 5325 Intro to Remote Sensing
GEOS 5328 Radar Remote Sensing
GEOS 5329 Applied Remote Sensing
GEOS 5326/GISC 7365 Remote Sensing �Digital Image
Processing
GEOS 7327 Remote Sensing
Workshop
EE 6360 Digital Signal
Processing I
EE 6363 Digital Image
Processing
IV. Customized Geospatial Specialization� (15
SCH)
Identified
by the student with approval in advance by the Director of� the GIS Doctoral Program.
Application
Area or Technical Field (12
SCH)
Twelve
semester-credit hours of specialized course work in an application area or technical
field relevant to GIScience.�
Normally, these will derive from the student�s masters
degree. These hours may be transferred from another institution, or taken at
UTD in an existing master�s program area and may be applied toward a master�s
in that area.
Application area examples: planning, public affairs, criminal justice, health and epidemiology, geoscience, forestry, hydrology, marketing, real estate, economics, civil engineering.
Technical field examples: statistics, computer science, software engineering, management information systems, image analysis, operations research/location science, instrumentation.
Research and
Dissertation (24 to
48 SCHs)
GISC 7389 GIS PhD
Research Project Qualifier
GEOS 6205 Geoscience Presentations
POEC 5310 & 6342
Research Design I & II
GISC 7387 GIS
Research Design
GISC 8V29 Research
in GIS
GISC 8v99 or GEOS
8v99 or CS 8v99 Dissertation
Other Related
Electives ( 0 to 24 SCH)
Students may
choose up to 24 SCHs in related electives with
consent of the GIS Doctoral Program Director.
Exams and
Qualifiers
1. Ph.D.
Research Project Qualifier
The student must register for and complete GISC 7389 Geospatial Information Sciences (GI Sciences) PhD Research� Project Qualifier �according to uniform guidelines established by the GIS program.�
2. Grade
Point Qualifier
The student must have a GPA of at least 3.25, and preferably 3.5, in courses taken at UT-Dallas at the time they register for GISC 7389 Ph.D. Qualifier, or they must� petition the GIS faculty for an exemption for extenuating circumstances beyond the student�s control.
3. Qualifying
Examination and Defense of Proposal
After meeting the Research Project Qualifier, the� student must (1) demonstrate through a general exam his/her competency in the area chosen for their dissertation, and (2) successfully present and defend a dissertation proposal through an oral examination, according to uniform guidelines established by the GIS program.
4.�� Defense of Dissertation
A dissertation must be prepared and defended successfully following the procedures established by the Dean of Graduate Studies.