Looking for Guidance: Masters in GIS

[ALaner]

Hi everyone! I'm looking for some advice from any mentors who have either considered or obtained a masters in GIS.

For those who have received their MSGIS, I'm wondering whether you have found your masters of be of great use in your roles and how so? Or have you found that many GIS roles are mostly a "learn on the job" type of situation and perhaps your coursework did not directly apply in the "real world" so to speak?

For those who decided against a MSGIS degree, did you do any other trainings or preparations that helped you get into your role without a degree?

For those with other industry-specific masters degree, how difficult did you find it to incorporate GIS into the coursework, if at all? 

I'm still pretty new in my GIS career and I'm really trying to figure out whether my next course of action should be a masters in GIS, a masters in the subject I want to eventually work in (for instance, urban planning), or just apply for roles and hope I'll be able to learn on the job.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts.

[Logan_Stevens]

Thank you for posting! I wrote a blog post last year around this topic, check it out! https://community.esri.com/t5/esri-young-professionals-network-blog/gis-advancement-options-for-youn...

I have a master's degree in Geography, so I'll share my perspective on the topic.

Obtaining a master's degree was a rewarding experience for me. My program offered both a thesis and non-thesis option, and I chose the thesis option. It required a lot of work, but it allowed me to publish my research in a scientific journal and gain expertise in my field. Not many folks can say they have a published journal article! Additionally, the self-paced nature of my program helped me develop strong time management skills, provided insightful research experience, and I learned quite a lot about myself throughout the process. While I don't use GIS on a daily basis, the "softer" skills I acquired during my master's program have been valuable in my career. Looking back, I wouldn't change anything about my academic journey.

However, it's important to consider the financial aspect if you don't receive funding for graduate school. There are more affordable alternatives to a master's degree, which I discuss in the article I linked above. In my opinion, real-world experience often surpasses what you can learn in a classroom. Working in the field allows you to gain practical skills that cannot be taught in an academic setting. I have colleagues who do not have a master's degree and are very successful, so success isn't always dependent on level of education. If you're undecided about pursuing graduate school, I recommend making a list of pros and cons for each option, reflecting on it, and revisiting it later to make an informed decision.

With all of that being said, make sure you consider what your short and long term goals are. If you're currently in the job market, I recommend researching the position(s) you're interested and reach out to some folks that are currently in that role to get their thoughts on this. Grad school often times provides you with experience that is very specific to a field. If that's what you're looking for, then go for it! For me, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do after I graduated undergrad. Then, an opportunity presented itself to pursue a master's degree, so that's what I did -- and loved it!

Keep in mind this is only my opinion and I am very curious on what others have to say on this topic! Best of luck!

[AdamCarnow]

Great questions and great advice from Logan, below. There are lots of options other than a graduate degree.

Here is my opinion/take. For context, I have a BA in Geography and a MA in Urban & Regional Planning. Like Logan I would not change my academic and career journey. Looking at your questions, I would ask you a few more like, what kind of position/career do you want? Do you want to be a GIS Manager? Do you want to be a planner? Do you want to stay technical with GIS? Do you want to be in the GIS industry, or use GIS as a tool in another industry?

Depending on the answers to those questions will help decide on another degree. When I graduated with my BA in Geography, my job options were limited because I did not have any GIS experience and I was interested in GIS as a career. I got my MA in Planning because the Planning Department at my alma mater had the best GIS lab and curriculum at the school. Plus, planning is closely related to geography and I thought if the GIS thing didn't work out, I could get a job as a planner. I have worked as a planner, but most of my career has been in GIS, but it didn't take me long to drop the technical work and move into management which was a great move for me.

My advice would be as follows:

• If you want to stay technical with GIS than a MS in GIS would probably be a good idea, but I would defer to someone who has gone that route.
• If you want a career in another related field where you use GIS as a tool, then planning is a good option.
• If you want to be a GIS Manager, I would not recommend a MS in GIS, I would recommend something like a MBA, MPA (if you want to work in the public sector), or a MS in CIS (Computer Info Systems, the business side of IT). Another option is that there are a graduate GIS programs that focus on GIS management/administration rather than the tech, I know that Univ. of West FL is one.
• One note to consider is that even if you want to stay technical in GIS, instead of a MS in GIS, you may want to explore a MS in IT as it would provide more flexibility and open up other opportunities.
• Also, one thing I know for sure is that the most valued skills in the job market are not the technical ones, they are what most people refer to as "soft skills". I think that term does a disservice and I think that they should be rebranded as "essential skills" (other terms are professional or leadership skills). Whatever path you take, make sure to focus on developing your essential skills, as they are harder to find and harder to master.

I hope this helps and good luck!

[ChristianWells]

Lots of good advice here from @Logan_Stevens & @AdamCarnow. The big takeaway on determining if a Master's degree is right for you and your career is a big "it depends."

In my undergrad, I started looking at schools for GIS or urban planning because I was planning on a Ph.D. route to teaching in higher education. I settled on an MS GIS program that offered the most financial assistance and lower cost, paired with the most significant opportunity to chart my path through Graduate Assistantships and research projects. Once I got into grad school, I eventually realized that the Ph.D. wasn't something I was interested in anymore. I wanted to become more technical in applying GIS, which I did through designing self-study classes and doing internships. 

The most significant benefit of graduate school is the ability to make the experience unique to you and your goals. In undergraduate programs, the classes, assignments, and tests are intended to reach the broadest group of people. Graduate programs are much more individualized, and while you can take the program as is, the environment is designed for you to self-direct and take full ownership of your learning experience. 

If you take this approach, the second benefit to graduate school is the development of essential skills. Graduate school will challenge you to improve your abilities in researching, logic/reasoning, professionalism, communication, collaboration, and strategic thinking, to name a few. While you can learn these on the job, I found that graduate school was a much more focused and intensive experience, and I was able to build depth in these areas very quickly. 

The third benefit of graduate school is the ability to specialize in something cutting-edge. If you want to stick with GIS, look at where the technology is going - deep learning, reality capture, service-oriented architecture, data science, programming, etc. If the program you're looking at doesn't have a curriculum that aligns with the future of GIS, I would look elsewhere. You want to be aligned with something that will future-proof your investment. 

My final advice is only to do a graduate program if you are positive you want to do it for the right reasons - learning the subject matter and growing yourself. While it has the potential (and likelihood) for increased income and career opportunities after graduating, there is no guarantee of those things happening. There is always the option of finishing your undergrad, working a few years, and then returning to graduate school once you know what the "real world" of GIS looks like. 

[ALaner]

Thank you @Logan_Stevens , @AdamCarnow , and @ChristianWells! I really appreciate your thoughts on the matter and definitely gives me a lot to think about.

Christian, great point about making sure the programs include classes focused on the direction of the industry like coding and deep learning. 

Cheers to all of you and thank you again.

[DStevens]

Thank you for this I am pursuing my masters in the fall and have bit a bit concerned since I am a few years our of school

[R__MichaelCousins]

I think this all depends on what you want to do with your career.... as a GIS Director at a private AEC firm, I'd rather have someone with a Bachelors and 1-2 years experience than someone with a Masters with zero years experience. Masters grad would start from the basics, while the person with direct 1-2 yrs exp in my field would more than likely come in slightly ahead.

Best of luck in your journey!

[AdamCarnow]

Interesting article on the number 1 skill in the AI era, and it's not #AI. It is #storytelling. And #GIS and #StoryMaps are key skills to have to enable effective storytelling...

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/08/scott-galloway-this-is-the-no-1-skill-young-people-need-it-isnt-ai.h...