Digital Mapping Certificate

The New Maps Plus graduate certificate in digital mapping is designed to serve the expanding landscape of mapping. This includes new professional sites and applications where maps are made by various people (from small business owners to non-profit managers to marketers) using all kinds of (often freely available) software and websites. Admissions requires a bachelor’s degree but no prior GIS or mapping experience is necessary. Holders of the graduate certificate will be able to:

• Identify the appropriate applications of different forms of geospatial data, analytical techniques and mapping software platforms.
• Gather, integrate, transform and analyze geospatial data from multiple sources.
• Create static and interactive maps and visualizations in accordance with prevailing and rigorous cartographic standards.
• Develop basic web-based programs and scripts utilizing web standards to enhance user interaction with maps.
• Identify and implement appropriate applications of design components to maximize the usability of maps.
• Construct a publicly-available online portfolio of data, code, maps and accompanying explanations on an online sharing platform such as Github.

Admissions Requirements

• The NewMaps+ Graduate Certificate follows standard Graduate School requirements for admission to a graduate certificate. There are no requirements that students need to be enrolled in a UK Master’s or Ph.D. degree and award of the NewMaps+ Graduate Certificate does not guarantee admission to the Master’s in Digital Mapping also proposed by the Geography department or any other degree at the University of Kentucky.
• Students seeking to be admitted to the NewMaps+ graduate certificate must contact the certificate Director.
• In order to receive the certificate, students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the three courses that form the certificate.

The Graduate Certificate in Digital Mapping requires 11 credit hours as follows: