Masters Degrees in Cartography, United Kingdom

This Masters in Geoinformation Technology & Cartography focuses on understanding and managing the locational data required to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) together with visualisation and map production in a GIS environment. It is the only programme in the UK to have a significant emphasis on cartography; and our focus on the underpinning geomatics aspects and cartographic output is unique among GIS programmes.

Why this programme

• The MSc in Geoinformation Technology & Cartography is the only programme in the UK that focuses on cartography. The programme has been running since 1963 and celebrated its 50th birthday in 2013.
• You will benefit from access to our extensive computer laboratories and the latest software, including ArcGIS and MapInfo for GIS, graphic design packages and remote sensing processing software.
• The School of Geographical and Earth Sciences is proud to announce that it is ranked 28th in the world (QS World Rankings 2016).
• The School is consistently ranked amongst the top 10 in the UK and top 5 in Scotland, recently achieving 2nd in Scotland and 9th in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2017).
• If you are seeking a career in geographic information management or cartography and have little or no academic background in this subject: or if you have a technical/practical background in the subject and are seeking an academic qualification; this programme is designed for you.
• You will attend the three-day GIS Research UK conference as part of the programme (included in fees).

Programme structure

Semester 1 – 60 credits

• Fundamentals of Geomatics GEOG5008 (20 credits)
• Principles of Cartographic Design & Production GEOG5018 (10 credits)
• Principles of GIS GEOG5019 (10 credits)
• Principles of Land Surveying GEOG5020 (10 credits)
• Topographic Mapping and Landscape Monitoring GEOG5025 (10 credits)

Semester 2 – 60 credits

• Applied GIS GEOG5012 (10 credits)
• Geospatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration GEOG5013 (10 credits)
• Geovisualisation & Map Use GEOG5026 (10 credits)
• Internet & Mobile GIS GEOG5015 (10 credits)
• Remote Sensing of the Environment GEOG5056 (10 credits)
• Research & Professional Issues in Geomatics GEOG5021 (10 credits)

Summer – 60 credits

• MSc Project GEOG5085P (60 credits)

Career prospects

Career opportunities exist in both the private and public sectors and there is currently high demand for GIS skills. Positions include cartographer with map publishing company, government agency, or private service agency; GIS specialist, ranging from support in large corporations (banking, insurance, retail), environmental consultancies, local authorities, utility companies; mapping specialist with software house or geoinformation data provider. GIS Officer, Dundee City Council, Dundee, UK.

Graduates of this programme have gone on to positions such as:

GIS Cartographer at Arcus Renewable Energy Consulting

GIS Operator at Scottish Water

GIS Analyst at Forth GIS

GIS Cartographer at L&M Surveys

Cartographer at Harper-Collins Cartographic

GIS Analyst at Arcus

GIS Analyst at Natural Power

Estates Technical Surveyor at North Ayrshire Council.

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Your programme of study

Geographic information systems have become really interesting to all of us with the increased innovation in smart phones and IOT, whether we are searching for a venue to eat and drink or looking for something specific in a difficult to reach location. At one time GIS was heavily used in planning and map creation, now we all have access to those maps on our mobiles and tablets and we now expect sensors in our phones to connect automatically to satellite systems to tell us our every move, whether we are walking or in the car. This has made the discipline incredibly interesting and opened up a lot more opportunities in terms of work. On top of the more obvious GIS enabled systems many businesses rely on this technology to inform them about weather, shipping, coastal locations, risks and hazards, agriculture and energy and minerals exploration.

Geospatial technologies are increasingly important across all industries and this programme gives you skills in developing remote sensing, working with wide ranging expertise from coastal, marine, ecology, energy, geology, spatial planning, and archaeology. You learn some very useful skills in programming, simulation and modelling, spatial databases and global positioning systems, plus cartography, remote sensing, digital image processing, geographic information systems, field data capture for a variety of devices. 

It is worth visiting the Scottish Innovation Centres to find out more about innovations using GIS and the technologies it uses

Courses listed for the programme

Semester 1

• The History Origins and Evolution of GIS
• GIS Tools and Technologies
• People Management and GIS

Optional

• Data Systems and Big Data
• Aspects of Digital Mapping and Visualisation

Semester 2

• Fundamentals of GIS and Spatial Analysis
• Planning, Managing and Presenting a GIS Project
• UAV Remote Sensing, Monitoring and Mapping

Semester 3

Dissertation

Find out more detail by visiting the programme web page

Find out more about the online version

Why study at Aberdeen?

• Aberdeen is in a great location to test out your skills in a range of sea and energy, remote, rural and wild locations
• You are encouraged to go on field trips and out into these varied locations
• You are taught by experts from marine science, ecology, energy and environmental industry and academic experts
• Apart from learning your profession inside out career opportunities are rapidly developing in GIS across the world

Where you study

• University of Aberdeen
• Full time and Part Time
• 12 Months Full Time or 24 Months Part Time
• September or January start

International Student Fees 2017/2018

Find out about international fees:

• International
• EU and Scotland
• Other UK

Find out more about fees on the programme page

*Please be advised that some programmes also have additional costs.

Scholarships

View all funding options on our funding database via the programme page and the latest postgraduate opportunities

Living in Aberdeen

Living in Aberdeen

Find out more about:

Your Accommodation

• Catered Accommodation
• Self-Catering     

Campus Facilities

• University of Aberdeen: A Global Community
• University of Aberdeen: We are international
• Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire
• Student Support
• Clubs and Societies
• Sport
• Societies
• Review

Find out more about living in Aberdeen and living costs

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Ranked 2nd in the UK by Research Fortnight, our geomatics research is ground breaking. We publish in leading international journals, at conferences, in the media and through educational outreach programmes. Whether focusing on geodesy or geospatial engineering, you will work with experts to produce research of an international standard.

The School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences enjoys an international reputation for using the latest science to solve problems of global importance. Our research has significant relevance in non-academic settings and we regularly apply it through consultancy to industry, from the global offshore industry to local authorities and survey and engineering companies. We are a key part of the TSB Satellite Applications Catapult North East Centre of Excellence.

For geomatics we have MPhil and PhD supervision in the following areas:

Satellite geodesy

-GPS and geophysical modelling
-GPS/GNSS geodesy
-Precise orbit determination of altimetric and geodetic satellites
-Sea level
-Ice sheet mass balance
-Satellite altimetry
-Static and temporal gravity field and reference frame analyses from dedicated satellite missions
-SAR interferometry
-Geophysical and industrial deformation monitoring
-Geodynamics and geohazards
-Integration of GPS and INS
-Engineering geodesy

Geospatial Engineering

-Geoinformatics and advanced GIS
-Geospatial algorithm development
-Spatial modelling including network modelling, cellular automata and agent based approaches to spatial complexity
-Multimedia cartography and information delivery
-Temporal GIS
-Geospatial data management
-Airborne and satellite remote sensing applied to environmental impact assessment
-Land use, vegetation and pollution monitoring
-Earth observation of urban systems
-Photogrammetry
-Laser scanning
-Precise non-contact dimensional control

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The Masters in Geomatics & Management is aimed at graduates in geomatics (surveying and mapping). It will enhance your career progression in the field of geomatics, and provide you with the necessary skill set to succeed in managerial positions. The combination of geomatics with management offered by this programme has been strongly endorsed by industry.

Why this programme

• The School of Geographical and Earth Sciences is proud to announce that it is ranked 28th in the world (QS World Rankings 2016).
• You will be jointly taught by staff from the School of Geographical and Earth Sciences and the Adam Smith Business School and will benefit from their resources and expertise and from an industry-focused curriculum informed by experts in the field.
• The School is consistently ranked amongst the top 10 in the UK and top 5 in Scotland, recently achieving 2nd in Scotland and 9th in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2017).
• If you have a geomatics background, but with little management experience and you are looking to broaden your knowledge of management while also furthering your knowledge of geomatics, this programme is designed for you.
• The programme is split into two semesters and a summer session. One semester will be based in the Adam Smith Business School and is aimed at developing knowledge and skills of management principles and techniques. An applied approach is adopted, with an emphasis on an informed critical evaluation of information, and the subsequent application of concepts and tools to the core areas of business and management.
• The semester in Geomatics allows you to focus on land and hydrographic surveying, or GIS and cartography. Your programme will be customised depending on your background and interests.
• While taking advanced courses in Geomatics you will have benefit from access to the latest surveying equipment, including GPS and Terrestrial Laser Scanning, and industry standard processing software, GIS and graphic packages as part of this programme.
• You will attend either a week long survey field course or the three-day GIS Research UK conference as part of the programme (included in fees).
• This programme has a September and January intake*.

*For suitably qualified candidates

Programme structure

Semester 1 – 60 credits in Management

• Contemporary issues in human resource management MGT5210 (10 credits)
• Managing creativity and innovation MGT5213 (10 credits)
• Managing strategic change MGT5216 (10 credits)
• Marketing management MGT5219 (10 credits)
• Operations management MGT5222 (10 credits)
• Project management MGT225 (10 credits)

Semester 2 – 60 credits in Geomatics

• Research & Professional Issues in Geomatics GEOG5021(10 credits)

50 credits from:

• Applied GIS GEOG5012 (10 credits)
• Applied Hydrographic Surveying GEOG5098 (10 credits)
• Applied Land Surveying GEOG5099 (10 credits)
• Directed Studies in Geomatics GEOG5006 (10 credits)
• Engineering Surveying GEOG5007 (10 credits)
• Geodesy & GNSS GEOG5012 (10 credits)
• Geospatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration GEOG5013 (10 credits)
• Geovisualisation & Map Use GEOG5026 (10 credits)
• Hydrographic Survey GEOG5014 (10 credits)
• Internet & Mobile GIS GEOG5015 (10 credits)
• Remote Sensing of the Environment GEOG5056 (10 credits)

Career prospects

Career opportunities exist in both the private and public sectors and there are lots of possibilities for those with Surveying and Mapping skills. Positions include GIS specialist, ranging from support in large corporations (banking, insurance, retail), environmental consultancies, local authorities, utility companies, or mapping specialist with software house or geoinformation data provider. There is currently a very high demand for surveyors, especially in hydrographic survey, in support of offshore oil and renewable energy engineering and maintenance. In addition to the offshore energy industry, land surveyors are in demand in many parts of the world to support mining operations, major civil engineering projects and to provide surveying services for Land Registration.

Graduates of this programme have gone on to positions such as:

• Assistant Surveyor General at Dept of Surveys, Ministry of Lands and Housing, Malawi
• Regional Surveyor General at Dept of Surveys, Ministry of Lands and Housing, Malawi
• Surveyor at Rudan Engineering Ltd, Ghana
• Surveyor at KACST, Saudi Arabia
• Surveyor at Environmental Sciences Group Pelorus Surveys
• Senior Surveyor at North Ayrshire Council
• Surveyor at Line Surveys Transmission Consultancy

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Students will learn how to acquire knowledge from a range of sources including history, horticulture, architecture, garden archaeology and other subjects, to develop an appreciation of the study of garden history as a cultural discipline.

Students will be able to appreciate the differences in garden-making over time and in different countries, from the 16th century to the present day in Britain, Europe and America. Emphasis will be on design and management, ownership, and the culture from which these examples have evolved.

This degree will provide an academically rigorous environment in which students will learn a range of academic research and writing skills. Teaching will be undertaken at the Institute of Historical Research (http://www.history.ac.uk/), with a strong emphasis on tutor/student interaction in class. There will be practical sessions at museums and libraries, as well as visits to gardens in London. There will also be an optional field trip to Italy in the spring.

Structure

The course will be run on a full-time basis over one year. Teaching will take place on Thursdays from 10:00 to 17:00 and will be divided between two terms. The third term will be dedicated to dissertation preparation and writing. Please get in touch if you would like to see the full timetable.

Students must complete core module 1, core module 2 (selecting three options from the six provided), and core module 3 - a 15,000 word dissertation in order to be awarded the full MA.

However, there are a range of options available for flexible study:

Those wishing to pursue this course on a part-time basis can complete Modules 1 and 2 (the taught elements of the course) in their first year and Module 3, the dissertation, in their second year
Module 1 can be undertaken as a standalone unit leading to a PGCert, the credit for which can be banked should the student wish to complete the MA at a later date (within a prescribed time frame) Please enquire for further details.
Module 1: Researching Garden History (60 credits)

The first term will showcase the huge variety of resources available to study garden and landscape history from archaeology, architecture, cartography, horticulture, manuscripts, paintings and other works of art, from the sixteenth century to the present day.

Sessions include:

Early maps of gardens (British library)
Garden Archaeology (Hampton Court)
Gardens and Architecture referencing Drawings Collection at the RIBA and V&A
The Italian Renaissance and English Gardens
The eighteenth century garden + visit to Chiswick House
Gardening and Photographic images
Assessment

A 5,000 word report on the history of a garden chosen by the student and an accompanying presentation.

Module 2: Culture and Politics of Gardens (60 credits)

This module consists of six optional units of which students must choose three.

These sessions aim to:

Develop students’ knowledge and understanding of gardens and landscapes in different countries
Develop students’ critical analysis and judgement
Demonstrate the importance of context and the relationship of garden and landscape history to other disciplines such as literature, social history, film and visual media and the history of ideas
The module will look at Historiography, theory, the connection between culture and politics in landscape making and the expansion of the skills of term one across regional boundaries.

For instance, the influence in Britain of the Italian Renaissance’s new ideas on garden making, including architecture, sculpture and hydraulic engineering; iconography in gardens and landscapes; formality in garden-making as an indicator of the power of the owner, from the sixteenth century onwards, as in France; different aspects of the ‘natural’ garden from the eighteenth century onwards; conflict between the ‘natural’ and the formal in the nineteenth century between William Robinson and Reginald Blomfield in Britain; gender and garden making; and shifting boundaries between architect, landscape architect and plantsman relating to the status of those designing gardens and landscapes in the 21st century.

Students will choose one unit from each group:

Students will choose one unit from each group:

Group A
French gardens of the seventeenth century
The evolution of the English garden in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries

Group B
The eighteenth-century garden
The American garden

Group C
The Suburban Garden in England between the wars
Twentieth- and twenty-first-century gardens

Please note: Optional units are subject to change. Please consider this a guide only.

Assessment

Two 5,000 word assessed essays on two of the three options taken, and an assessed student presentation on the outline of the intended dissertation.

Module 3: Dissertation (60 credits), 15,000 words

Mode of study

12 months full-time or 24 months part-time.

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The Postcolonial and Global Literatures pathway offers students the opportunity to explore writing from the classic to the contemporary, in postcolonial and global contexts, while studying in the heart of London’s East End with its distinctive histories of migration.

Register your interest

Apply now

The pathway draws on our unparalleled academic expertise across this field – Queen Mary’s English department has one of the largest groups of postcolonial and global literary researchers in the UK. We specialize in a variety of regions, such as South Africa, India, Iraq and the Caribbean, among others, with interests that span from the graphic narrative to multilingualism and migrant identities. Our recent publications include work on Present Imperfect (by Andrew van der Vlies), World War I in Mesopotamia (by Nadia Atia) and Writing British Muslims (by Rehana Ahmed), and we have a number of ongoing and forthcoming projects, including works on Bad English (Rachael Gilmour), Memories of Empire (Bill Schwartz) and Contemporary Partition Literature (Charlotta Salmi). We are also home to Wasafiri, the renowned magazine for International Contemporary Writing, and its New Writing Prize.

One of the pathway’s compulsory modules, ‘Peripheral Modernities’, will give you a thorough grounding in concepts of modernity, globalisation, and culture as viewed from the global peripheries. You will also be able to shape the pathway through our elective modules, whether studying literatures from Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East, South Asia and its diasporas, or the East End of London; or exploring interdisciplinary fields like translation studies, cartography, or book history in postcolonial and global contexts. You will have the opportunity to use research resources like the Black Cultural Archive, the George Padmore Institute Archive, and the India Office Records at the British Library.

This is a broad and interdisciplinary pathway, which nevertheless provides a specialized, research-led programme of study ideal for those wishing to go on to pursue PhD study in related fields. The programme also engages with the critical present and provides a wide range of academic and transferable skills allowing graduates to pursue a wide range of career pathways, including teaching, publishing, or working within the cultural industries.

 

Compulsory modules

• Peripheral Modernities
• Resources for Research (non-assessed)
• Researching Modern Culture (non-assessed)
• Dissertation

Option modules

• In 2018-2019 we hope to offer the following:Imagining South Asia and its Diaspora
• Reading the Middle East
• What is World Literature?

Students can choose to substitute one of their electives with an elective from another pathway within the MA English Literature.

You may, subject to availability and the approval of the School, take one of your option modules from across a range offered by other Schools in the Humanities and Social Science Faculty, or from other Colleges of the University of London.

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Researchers can specialise in geography, geographical information science, environmental studies, development studies, international childhood studies, or community, youth and voluntary sector studies. Our MPhil/PhD programmes aim to train you to conduct research of the highest academic standard and to make an original contribution to the subject through your research. Our doctoral programme aims to respond to the needs and interests both of students seeking an academic career or other professional employment and of those who wish to pursue a line of intellectual enquiry for its own sake. We aim to recruit both recent graduates and mature students who now have the time to pursue an intellectual enthusiasm, perhaps after a lifetime of professional work.

Our students benefit not only from the advisory insight of specialist academics within the department, but also from a wider culture of support and advice from staff and other research students. We see our research students as a central part of our community, who play a key role in the vitality of the wider research process. Those completing our research degrees in the past have often moved on into highly skilled occupations in both the commercial and academic worlds.

Research students in GEDS are able to participate in subject-specific doctoral seminars and can attend relevant modules on any of the MSc degrees offered within GEDS as part of their research training. Students also have the opportunity to participate in guest lectures, films and workshops offered both within the department and in wider groupings such as the Birkbeck Institute for Social Research, the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, the Institute of Voluntary Action Research, and the London International Development Centre. We offer financial assistance for conference attendance where appropriate.

Studying for an MPhil in any of the areas offered in GEDS involves working closely with a small group of staff on an independent research project. This means that we are only able to accept students whose proposed research project lies within the areas of expertise of our staff. If there is a particular member of staff you would like to work with, please contact them to discuss your project before applying.

Community, Youth and Voluntary Sector Studies

The department offers supervision in theoretical perspectives and understandings of community theory and practice and youth and voluntary sector studies. Staff in this research area have established excellent links with professional organisations in their fields and also have international links with academic institutions in the USA and South Africa, working collaboratively on issues concerning religion and race in public life.

Development Studies

The department offers supervision in theoretical and empirical research on practices and experiences of development. Our research areas include ageing, childhood, gender and development, migration, NGOs and political activism, regional specialisation in Latin America and South Asia, rights, social policy, urban and rural poverty, and visual culture and development.

Geography

Research study in geography can take a wide variety of forms across the social and physical sciences dependent on topic, but the common thread is the distinctive perspective, often interdisciplinary, that a geographical approach to research offers. Key research interests are: cities and socio-spatial inequality, coastal geomorphology and coastal policy, food security and climate change, flooding and flood insurance, impact of environmental change on nature and agriculture, long-term river behaviour and climate change, remote sensing, renewable energy, and social and urban geography.

Geographical Information Science

At Birkbeck, we pride ourselves in offering one of the longest-running GISc programmes. The Birkbeck GISc academic team works in a broad range of areas of geographic information knowledge, including spatial analytical methods, cartography and visualisation, remote sensing, and geocomputation and their research activities are at the forefront of GIS development.

International Childhood Studies

The department offers supervision in theoretical and empirical research on practices and experiences of childhood. Our research areas include cultures of childhood, visual culture and representation of childhood, the governance of childhood, childhood and social identities, and histories of childhood.

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This MSc is an intensive study of the technical, analytical and professional aspects of modern land surveying. The programme gives students a broad range of experience in methods of spatial data acquisition, with a curriculum that includes exposure to terrestrial survey equipment, close range sensors, aerial imagery and GNSS techniques.

See the website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught/degrees/surveying-msc

Key Information

As preparation for the MSc if you are offered a place, you will be expected to revise your knowledge of mathematics in certain topics such as trigonometry, geometry and differential calculus if you have not studied these for some time. The most comprehensive text to use would be "Engineering Mathematics" by K.A. Stroud (6th Edition), but many other text books covering an equivalent level of mathematics are also available.

- Application dates
All applicants:
Open: 5 October 2015
Close: 29 July 2016
Optional qualifications: This degree is also available as a PG Diploma with fees set accordingly.

English Language Requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.
The English language level for this programme is: Standard
Further information can be found on http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/life/international/english-requirements .

International students

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/international .

Degree Information

Students are trained in the techniques and methodology of data acquisition, and develop skills to apply those techniques to specific problems and to analyse the quality of results. Emphasis is placed on understanding the principles that underlie the analysis and use of spatial data.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of four core modules in term one, followed by two core modules and two specialist options in term two, and a research project.

A Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits) is offered.

- Compulsory Modules
Mapping Science
GIS Principles and Technology
Principles and Practices of Surveying
Data Analysis
Positioning
Survey Project

- Plus 2 Options:
Ocean and Coastal Zone Management
Terrestrial Data Acquisition
Airborne Data Acquisition
Spatial Data Management
Applied Building Information Modelling

- Dissertation/report
Students on the MSc programme embark on an individual project after the examinations in May, which lasts until the end of the programme in September. The department enjoys strong links with industry, and projects are often carried out in collaboration with organisations outside the college.

Teaching and Learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, practical work and field courses. Visits to government establishments and private companies may be organised in order to gain greater insight into current practice. Assessment is through written papers, coursework, the dissertation and an oral presentation.

Further information on modules and degree structure available on the department web site Surveying MSc http://www.cege.ucl.ac.uk/teaching/Pages/Postgraduate/Surveying.aspx

Funding

Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed (where available) below. For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/scholarships .

- Brown Family Bursary - NOW CLOSED FOR 2015/16 ENTRY
Value: £15,000 (1 year)
Eligibility: UK students
Criteria: Based on both academic merit and financial need

- Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme (CSSS)
Value: Full fees, flights, stipend, and other allowances (1 year)
Eligibility: Overseas students
Criteria: Based on both academic merit and financial need

- SPDC Niger Delta Postgraduate Scholarship - NOW CLOSED FOR 2015/16 ENTRY
Value: Tuition fees, plus stipend, flights and allowances. (1 year)
Eligibility: Overseas students
Criteria: Based on academic merit

More scholarships are listed on the Scholarships and Funding website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/scholarships

Careers

Surveyors have good prospects in research organisations, in government mapping agencies such as the Ordnance Survey and the Hydrographic Office, and in the private sector in both large multi-nationals (such as oil companies), smaller specialised surveying, mapping and laser scanning companies, and civil engineering/construction companies. Several of our graduates have also gone on to undertake research degrees.

Top career destinations for this degree:
- Tunnel Surveyor, Skanska (2011)
- Site Engineer, Site Engineering Surveys (2011)
- Surveyor, Mayim Ltd (2014)
- Surveyor, Surveying and Mapping Malaysia (2014)
- Surveyor, Severn Survey (2012)

Why study this degree at UCL?

UCL Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering at UCL is an energetic and exciting environment in which to explore surveying.

Students benefit in particular from the advanced research work being carried out in laser scanning and global navigation satellite systems and from the department’s strong links to industry.

The department has worked particularly closely with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) who have accredited this programme and a satisfactory performance on the programme will grant students exemption from the RICS's final written examinations.

Student / staff ratios › 95 staff including 43 postdocs › 200 taught students › 170 research students

Application and next steps

- Applications
Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

- Who can apply?
The programme is suited to applicants from diverse backgrounds (engineering, geography, science) who are seeking a career in the surveying profession. We also have some students sponsored by employers for further career development.

What are we looking for?
When we assess your application we would like to learn:
- why you want to study Surveying at graduate level
- why you want to study Surveying at UCL
- what particularly attracts you to this programme
- how your personal, academic and professional background meets the demands of a challenging programme
- how this degree fits to your career aspirations

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

For more information see the Applications page http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/apply .

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There is ever-growing national and international demand for qualified professionals and scientists who have expertise in one or more domains of social and environmental modelling and GIS-based spatial analysis and decision support. The UCL's Geospatial Analysis MSc provides rigorous scientific and vocational training for the next generation of scientific modelling and decision-support professionals.

See the website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught/degrees/geospatial-analysis-msc

Key Information

- Application dates
All applicants:
Open: 5 October 2015
Close: 29 July 2016
Optional qualifications: This degree is also available as a PG Diploma and a PG Certificate with fees set accordingly.

English Language Requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.
The English language level for this programme is: Good
Further information can be found on http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/life/international/english-requirements .

International students

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/international .

Degree Information

The programme combines a rigorous treatment of underlying theory for, and methods of implementing and exploiting, spatial analysis and decision support. Optional courses provide the opportunity to develop expertise in modelling and analysis in one or more areas of social and environmental science with social and policy dimensions.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of four core modules (60 credits), four optional modules (60 credits) and a research dissertation (60 credits).

A Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits, full-time nine months, part-time two years) is offered.

A Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits, full-time 12 weeks, part-time one year) is offered.

- Core Modules
GIS Principles and Technology
Mapping Science
Principles of Spatial Analysis
Representation, Structures and Algorithms

- Options
Airborne Data Acquisition
Climate Modelling
Geodemographics and Population Geography
GIS Design
Network and Locational Analysis
Spatial Decision Support Systems
Spatio-temporal Analysis and Data Mining
Surface Water Modelling
Terrestrial Carbon: Modelling and Monitoring
Web and Mobile GIS

- Dissertation/report
All MSc students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of approximately 12,000 words and a poster presentation.

Teaching and Learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and laboratory and computer-based practical classes. Assessment is through independent project work, practical-based and written coursework, and the dissertation.

Further information on modules and degree structure available on the department web site Geospatial Analysis MSc http://www.ucl.ac.uk/gis

Funding

Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed (where available) below. For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/scholarships .

Careers

There is a national and international need for scientists with skills in GIS-based analysis and decision support complemented by a deep knowledge of domain-specific models and analytical methods that can be brought to bear on environmental issues and their social consequences. The MSc provides an ideal foundation for PhD research, or for prospective employment within research organisations, consultancies, government departments and a wide range of industries.

- Employability
A student on the first cycle of the course came with work experience in water engineering in several Middle Eastern countries. He took the options in Spatial Decision Support, Network and Locational Analysis, Geodemographics and Population Geography, and Spatio-Temporal Analysis and Data Mining to broaden and add depth to his skills base; his dissertation was undertaken with Kuwait's Environmental Public Authority. He spent a year acting as a consultant on water engineering projects worldwide and returned to UCL in September 2013 to study for a PhD.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The Geospatial Analysis MSc is run by UCL Geography, which enjoys an outstanding international reputation for its research and teaching. The programme brings together the department's strong expertise in spatial science and social and environmental modelling.

Contributions to the programme are also made by UCL Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, providing complementary expertise in geographic information systems.

Students enter a vibrant, enthusiastic, and international research environment in which collaboration and free-ranging debate are strongly encouraged. UCL's location, in central London, provides easy access to many key intellectual venues and resources, such as the British Library.

Student / staff ratios › 43 staff including 15 postdocs › 158 taught students › 70 research students

Application and next steps

- Applications
Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

- Who can apply?
The programme is particularly suitable for students with an undergraduate degree in Geography, Earth or Environmental Science, Geomatics, Oceanography, or another relevant discipline. Applicants with relevant professional experience in geographic information systems, spatial analysis or decision support will also be considered.

What are we looking for?
When we assess your application we would like to learn:
- why you want to study Geospatial Analysis
- why you want to study Geospatial Analysis at UCL
- what particularly attracts you to this programme
- how your academic and/or professional background meets the demands of a challenging academic environment
- where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

For more information see our Applications page http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/apply .

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Our MPhil/PhD research degree programme offers you:

Wide variety of research interests
The Institute of Science and the Environment has a strong mix of academics with a high degree of professional and personal experience, enabling you to get the most out of your programme. Our staff have expertise in river science, glacial geomorphology, environmental geology, GIS and remote sensing.

Excellent supervision
Benefit from a professional and challenging relationship with your supervisory team, drawn from experienced academics working at the forefront of their disciplines.

Resources
Access to the University of Worcester’s virtual resources and its state of the art library facilities. The Physical Geography team at Worcester have an excellent range of resources available to support your learning and your research project, including; field equipment including a Teledyne StreamPro Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), a 2D Flow Tracker, six Valeport Electromagnetic current meters, three portable YSI multi-parameter water quality probes, an ISCO automatic liquid sampler, Solinst water level and water temperature data loggers, Tinytag water temperature data loggers and tipping bucket logging rain gauges. Two hydrological monitoring sites on local streams (Leigh Brook and Bow Brook) continuously monitor water level and various water quality parameters (pH, temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, turbidity) with data logged every 15 minutes and accessible online via telemetry in real-time. Each site also has an ISCO automatic liquid sampler The field equipment and hydrological monitoring sites are managed and maintained by a specialist Physical Geography technician and field equipment can booked out through him.

Survey equipment includes a Draganflyer X6 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) with three staff licensed with the Civil Aviation Authority to fly it in the UK, mapping and survey grade GPS, a Leica Terrestrial Laser Scanner, total stations, quickset levels and laser distance measurers.

The Institute of Science and the Environment has a fully-equipped GIS, Mapping and Visualization Suite, which provides access to high-end computers, industry-standard GIS (ArcGIS) and statistical analysis software (e.g. Primer-E, Matlab, SPSS) and other mapping and remote sensing software (e.g. ENVI and Photoscan Pro (Agisoft LLC)). This facility is run by GIS technicians, who provide advice and training to students and the suite also has its own A3 colour laser printer and A3 scanner for staff and student use. The Institute also has digital camcorders, cameras and microphones which students can use for data capture. A further six science and geography technicians offer support with field and laboratory based work.

Recent successful projects have included Dr Caroline Wallis who evaluated the Spatial Configuration and Temporal Dynamics of Hydraulic Patches in Three UK Lowland Rivers (2014), Dr Martin Wilkes who examined The Hydrodynamics of River Ecosystems: Towards an Objective and Ecologically Relevant Classification of Mesohabitat (2014), and Dr Amy Woodget who quantified Physical River Habitat Parameters Using Hyperspatial Resolution UAS Imagery and SfM-photogrammetry (2015). Some of our current research students are exploring The influence of physical habitat heterogeneity on macroinvertebrate community response to fine sediment deposition in river ecosystems (George Bunting).

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