Q: Will this program be available through distance learning?
A: No. The University of Redlands is a liberal arts institution that places
a high importance on the value of classroom interaction. Additionally, this program is designed to take advantage our of unique physical
location in Redlands, where we have not only the wonderful southern California
environment and a beautiful campus, but also the headquarters ESRI.
Frequent, face-to-face interaction with some of the 2000+ ESRI employees in
Redlands is a highlight of our program. Also, the varied GIS experience which
our students bring to the program and share with one another is essential in
building the intended broad-based foundation in geographic information science.
Given these advantages, offering it remotely would be a loss of these benefits.
Q: Will this program be available for working professionals?
A: Yes. We now have two options for completing a masters of science
degree. The first option is the one-year, fast-paced and very intensive--you
can get your degree finished in
one year by putting all your attention on your studies. Alternatively, we now
have a part-time option whereby you can design a course sequence (in
consultation with program faculty) which can last between 18 months and 2 years.
This part-time option is excellent for GIS professionals who don't have the
luxury of leaving their job in order to go to school.
Q: If I am new to the field of GIS, is your program a good place for me to
start?
A: No. Since this is an advanced graduate program, all incoming students
must have some experience working with GIS. Admission requires either real GIS work
experience or a combination of university level GIS courses and related
internship experience. If you want to start to learn about GIS,
consider attending a GIS certificate program at your local college or
university. If you need internship/professional GIS experience, please see
The Student Conservation
Association's website or the
Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) website for information regarding internships.
Q: What scholarships are available?
A: Please see the information about scholarships
on the Fees and Financial Aid page.
Q: What kind of computer facilities will students have access to?
A: Each student entering the program will get:
On campus we have a fully equipped, state-of-the-art GIS lab running XP and the latest versions of all ESRI software plus ERDAS. As well, we have licenses for all Microsoft products, including Office, FrontPage, Visual Basic, Visio and various developer products. All of this software can be installed on MS GIS student laptops. Our lab is on the campus high-speed network with our local area network maintained in the Redlands Institute where we have access to various server-based products such as Oracle, SDE, and ArcIMS, plus more than a terabyte of disk space, a high end HP plotter, several color and black and whiter printers of various formats, scanners and a full range of media readers and recording devices. In addition, we have a local wireless network which allows student laptops to connect remotely to the network from any of our classrooms and labs.
Q: Do I have to live in the campus housing?
A: No. However, we would encourage you to live in campus housing as the community that exists in our
shared housing is one of the features of our program.
Q: Will there be vacation periods?
A: You will have two 3-week breaks during the 12 month program. These
will come after the 2nd and 4th term. Many students find these breaks ideal
opportunities to get focused work done on their major individual projects,
though a few students have found a window in these breaks for a short vacation.
No meetings will be scheduled in these 3-week breaks and faculty are likely to
be unavailable.
Q: What kinds of jobs are available for graduates of this program?
Given the range of experience amongst our incoming students, the range of
jobs they take on graduation is very broad and reflected the diversity of GIS
jobs generally. We suggest you
explore http://www.giscafe.com/ or
http://www.geosearch.com/ for
some general information on GIS employment.
See the section on Program
Objectives for details on what you should expect to know and be able to do
upon graduation.
Q: I use several different names, which one should I use on the
application?
Please use your full legal name on all application documents.
Q: What are the furnishings in the apartments?
A: Each bedroom has one bed
(double/full size), one dresser, and one desk. Each living room has a sofa, a
chair, a lamp, and a coffee table. Each dining area has a dining table and four
chairs. The kitchens have a refrigerator, microwave, oven and stove. Each
kitchen is also provided with a basic set of dishes, pots, and pans.
Q: Can you tell me what exactly a basic set of dishes is?
A: A couple of
pots, with lids; a frying pan; a casserole; plates, cups, bowls, and flatware
for four; a can opener; measuring cups and spoons; paring knives; a mixing
spoon; and a cheese grater. Note that there is NO coffee or tea pot included!
(You can get your first morning's coffee at the cafeteria or cafe on campus.)
Q: When is my tuition payment due?
A: This information is shown on your tuition bill.
Q: Do I pay the full tuition immediately; does my scholarship go entirely for
the first payment?
A: No. You will be billed multiple times during the year, and
any financial aid administered by the University will be apportioned
proportionately.
Q: I have more questions about billing. Who should I contact?
A: Contact the Student Accounts
office at 909-748-8264.
Q: What will my shipping and mailing address be?
A: Your shipping (and mailing) address
is 1111 E Central Avenue Apartment #___, Redlands, CA 92374. You will be notified
of your apartment number as soon as the housing office has assigned it.
Q: What does my rent include?
A: Your housing fee includes gas, electric,
water, and trash, as well as use of the swimming pool in the complex. You will
be responsible for your own telephone service. Also, while the apartments are
cable-ready, you can have that activated at your own expense.
Last reviewed: May 21, 2007