The MS in GIS bachelor+master (B+M, also known as 4+1) degree program allows students to complete both a Geography bachelor’s and the MS in GIS degree at an accelerated pace. Students currently enrolled in the BA or BS in Geography program may be admitted directly into the MS in GIS program and share up to 20 credits of graduate level credit. These shared credits are graduate level courses that are applied to both the bachelor’s and master’s degree. Students can complete both degrees in 4 + 1 years. For more information on the MS in GIS program, see https://www.pdx.edu/geography/master-science-geographic-information-science.
To complete the MS in GIS B+M degree, students must meet both the geography bachelor’s and the MS in GIS degree’s requirements with their regular credits and the shared graduate credits. See the MS in GIS Handbook (https://sites.google.com/pdx.edu/gis-ms) for the 4+1 degree maps (https://sites.google.com/pdx.edu/gis-ms/degree-maps) to see how to plan for the 4+1 curriculum within a 5-year time frame. See Portland State University Bulletin (https://www.pdx.edu/academic-affairs/psu-bulletin) for geography program requirements.
Admission Requirements
Geography majors may apply for admission to the MS in GIS B+M program provided the following conditions have been met:
- Completed Geog 210, Geog 230, and Geog 380U with a B or higher
- Completed with a B or higher or currently enrolled in GEOG 488
- On track to complete at least 139 undergraduate credits, to include at least 36 upper division credits, towards the Bachelor’s degree before the term in which the student wishes to begin the B+M program.
- A GPA of 3.5 or above is required for all geography classes taken prior to entry into the program, along with a PSU institutional GPA of 3.3.
Applying for Admissions
Students can apply for the MS in GIS B+M program before completing their junior year, usually in the Spring of their junior year, to be eligible to take 500-level courses in their senior year. The B+M program must begin in their final year as an undergraduate with enrollment in Geog 522: Research Design and Geog 591: GIS Professionalism in Spring of their senior year.
Students may submit an initial application to the B+M to the Geography MS in GIS Graduate Program Director. Initial applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with 3 annual deadlines:
• May 1 for a Fall term start
• October 15 for a Winter term start
• January 15 for a Spring term start
Initial Application Materials: Applications will require evidence of having met the admissions criteria, answering specific questions (e.g. career goals) in their personal statement, the names of two Geography faculty members who support the application, and an (unofficial) transcript from PSU. Students will not be required to submit GRE scores. Please send all application materials to geographygrad@pdx.edu with the subject line '4+1 MS in GIS Application'.
If the Geography Department approves the initial application, the Geography Graduate Coordinator will send the student an email inviting them to submit a formal application to the Graduate School for the MS in GIS program in Geography.
Upon completion of the bachelor’s degree, students who meet these requirements will be guaranteed admission to the master’s program with shared credits. Despite the guarantee of admission, students will still have to submit a formal graduate application through Slate during their senior year. Students who do not meet these requirements would need to apply for admission to the master’s degree program without the benefit of B+M shared coursework.
Transfer students may also apply to the MS in GIS B+M degree program. However, in order to be eligible for the B+M program, students must meet PSU Residence credit requirements, that is, excluding credit by examination, to earn 45 of their final 75 or 150 of their total credits toward the bachelors from PSU.
Continuing Requirements
After admission to the B+M program, students must maintain an institutional undergraduate GPA of 3.30 or higher throughout their bachelor’s program and earn a B grade or higher in graduate courses taken for shared credit, achieve a 3.0 or higher graduate GPA each academic term after admission to the B+M program, and resolve any incomplete courses before being officially admitted into the MS in GIS program. All undergraduate geography classes must receive a grade of C- or better. No P/NP credit accepted for either geography or MS in GIS program.