Is URISA using the "P" in GISP correctly?

[MiguelMartinez2]

• What is your opinion on this question: if a person has or is doing a Masters in GIS, should he or she also pursue the URISA GIS Certification??? I have seen a lot of professionals with much higher degrees in GIS than a certification, but in their profiles, they only present themselves as GISP. I think that this certification is becoming more like a trend and is not really making the correct used of the term Professional. In most disciplines, you add the suffix “Professional” when you achieve an official license after passing an exam validated by a Department of State. So, when URISA came at the beginning with the GISP, it was nice because at that moment, there weren’t many certifications nor degrees. But nowadays, I feel that URISA has taken ownership of the term, and a lot of GIS people, thinks that a GISP is like the ultimate GIS goal. And you see a lot of job posts adding the GISP requirements. How can you require something that was created by an association?

  I mean, let’s say that the US finally comes with a Professional License in GIS, what will the suffix after your last name??? And if a person has a professional license in GIS and the URISA GIS certification, will they put GISP, GISP after their names? I think that URISA should start renaming the acronym of their certification to a more accurate term like GISCERT or GISCIT or some term that really reflect that the acronym is a certification and not a professional degree.

  Now, this is just an opinion, I might be wrong, what are your thoughts about this?

[DEWright_CA]

Maybe edit my grammar a bit; replying to threads on a phone isn't always pretty.... 😉

[JoshuaBixby]

For people and groups that focus on the infrastructure side of "spatial IT," GISP certifications are mostly worthless.  Even GIS degrees have limited value since most degree programs are myopically focused on teaching GIS as a desktop tool.  When I am on hiring panels, I like to see foundational majors and minors like geography, engineering, computer science, etc....

Getting back to GISP....  What the GIS Certification Institute (GISCI) has done with GISP is not unique, i.e., it is quite common for certifications from associations to include the word "Professional" in them.  For example, there are Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) certifications, Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications, Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) certifications, ISA Certified Automation Professional (ISA-CAP) certifications, etc....  In terms of licensure, it is more common to see the word "Professional" at the start of the title, e.g., Professional Engineer, Professional Educator, Professional Geologist, etc....

I don't begrudge GISCI for creating a GISP certification, but I do take issue with how they try to lay claim to the term GIS professional.  In their website, they like to state:

The "GIS Professional" and "GISP" designations are protected as federal registered trademarks owned by the GIS Certification Institute, which reserves all rights.

Although GISP is a federally registered trademark, "GIS Professional" is not, and there is no indication it ever has been.  Maybe GISCI has some alternative facts they are using to make the claim.

At the end of the day, people's opinions on GISP don't matter much unless they are the hiring manager.  If the jobs you are interested in commonly require it, then you should probably become a GISP.  Right or wrong, you have to play the game to get hired.

[BarryWaite1]

I was part of the group that put the GISP program together. Even though I never thought it was a good idea, I wanted at least to make sure we did no harm. The basic problem is that there is no common body of knowledge you can use for a test. You may think there is, but when you try to compare your list to others' you will find they don't agree. A degree tells me much more than letters after your name. What you have actually done tells me far more than your degree. More education is always helpful in doing more. Get the certification if you have to for a particular job. Otherwise, go impress people with your work.

[JohnSteed]

I fully agree Barry Waite. 

I have encouraged professional certifications across my team, and a whip smart and highly productive colleague recently pursued the GISP.  He is a star performer on the team, with over ten years of professional experience and two geography degrees.  He did not pass the test, but there is no question that he is a GIS Professional.

I believe that certifications are certainly valuable, but they don't necessarily define who is a professional.

[Anonymous User]

I think you are correct, according to the definition of Professional:

GISP can be used by anyone who fits the definition above. It's not a trademark or URISA's it's just something that states Geographic Information System Professional. If you sent in a few pieces of paper years ago you are now a GISP according to URISA. Now they have a test. All the GISP's should be required to take the test to keep the status of GISP. I am been working with GIS and mapping for over 15 years and not having this never stopped me from getting a job, because it really means nothing. I was a Class A PGA Golf Pro for nearly 20 years. I had to past a player ability test and shoot 150 in 36 holes and then take all types of classes, pass them, and then I got to use Class A PGA Professional with my name. So technically everyone who gets paid to do GIS work is a GISP!

[DanielSampson]

My opinion? Useless cert where the P should actually be replaced with $$$. Sorry GISPs.

[theGISguru]

Why not get both a Masters degree and the GISP certification?

If you get the Masters degree, you're working in the field of GIS, and you're participating the GIS community, then all you have left to do is past a test to get a GISP certification.

It seems to me like achieving the education points is the most difficult part of getting the GISP certification. I have the education points in the bag with my Masters degree, so getting the GISP certification is a fairly easy thing for me to do. I just passed the GISP exam. There's a lot of complaints in blogs about a lack of study resources, but the exam was easy for me. I mostly just listened to this Youtube channel to study for the exam: https://www.youtube.com/@GISPStudy