MSU earns national accreditation for geospatial intelligence certificates
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.—From disaster response and food security to natural resource protection and national defense, geospatial intelligence helps address some of today’s most complex challenges—and Mississippi State is preparing students to meet them through nationally accredited undergraduate and graduate geospatial intelligence, or GEOINT, certificates.
MSU’s GEOINT program now is one of just two dozen fully accredited by the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation. The five-year accreditation recognizes schools as meeting national standards for preparing students to analyze geographic data and use advanced technologies to support informed decision-making across a growing range of fields.
“National security today encompasses much more than traditional defense and intelligence,” said Professor Shrinidhi Ambinakudige, leader of MSU’s accreditation initiative. “Food security, natural resources and disaster preparedness are also important national security concerns. Mississippi State has considerable expertise in agriculture, natural resources, geosciences, engineering and geospatial technologies. Our GEOINT programs bring these strengths together and prepare students to use geospatial intelligence to address these critical challenges.”
GEOINT combines tools such as geographic information systems, remote sensing, drone technology and spatial data analysis to turn geographic information into actionable intelligence. Applications range from national security and disaster response to agriculture, environmental monitoring and natural resource management.
Although housed in MSU’s Department of Geosciences, the programs draw on courses and faculty expertise from across the university, including political science, forestry, wildlife and fisheries, plant and soil sciences, agricultural and biological engineering, and electrical and computer engineering.
“USGIF accreditation is an important recognition of the strength of geospatial education at Mississippi State and the collaborative effort that went into developing our GEOINT programs,” said John Rodgers, professor and head of MSU’s Department of Geosciences. “Mississippi State has strong programs in GIS, remote sensing and geospatial technologies, and this accreditation provides an opportunity to build on these strengths while preparing students for a growing range of careers and national priorities.”
The USGIF is the only organization that accredits collegiate GEOINT certificate and degree programs. Its accreditation process helps ensure academic programs provide students with the foundational knowledge, technical skills and critical-thinking abilities needed to contribute to the geospatial intelligence community.
MSU’s undergraduate GEOINT certificate consists of 18 credit hours, including 9 hours of required coursework, 6 hours of electives and a 3-hour GEOINT capstone experience. The graduate certificate consists of 15 credit hours and combines required GEOINT coursework with advanced geospatial coursework and research experience.
Visit MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences and Department of Geosciences websites for more information.
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