The Department of Geosciences offers educational opportunities that are designed for students that are looking for a career in the Geospatial Sciences. According the U.S. Department of Labor’s (USDOL) Employment and Training Administration ‘Industry ‘Snapshots’, Geospatial Technology is considered a ‘High Growth Industry’. Data from USDOL indicate that the public sector accounts for more than one-third of total revenue, and federal, state, and local sectors were among the earliest adopters of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Geospatial solutions play a large decision-making role in the in homeland security, disaster planning and relief, the military and intelligence communities, public health, transportation, environmental planning, farming, forestry, and the list goes on and on. USDOL statistics show that the commercial sector is currently growing at a rate of 100 percent per year. More information about rapidly growing Geospatial Sciences career opportunities can be found at the following USDOL site: https://www.doleta.gov/brg/indprof/geospatial_profile.cfm
Geospatial Science is changing business practices for public and private companies worldwide, and the Department of Geosciences provides education opportunities that are aligned with the certification requirements that new professionals seek, including certification via the American Society of Photogrammetry’s CMS certification program, and the GIS Certification Institute. Our curriculum and ‘hands on’ laboratory exercises that utilize real-world data not only enhance student opportunities for successful careers in government and industry, but Geospatial Sciences faculty bring their research publication experience to the M.S. and PhD programs that often lead to academic appointments.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have designated Mississippi State as a Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Geospatial Sciences, and the Department of Geosciences serves as the lead for this Center. The program is designed to "keep America on the leading edge in the application and use of geospatial sciences for national security, military planning and operations, homeland security and disaster management, earth sciences, and global security issues in energy, health and the environment," according to the NGA. The designation is well-deserved recognition of the outstanding faculty, staff and students pursuing geospatial sciences-related study, teaching and research interests at MSU in the Department of Geosciences, and in other MSU departments, colleges, and research centers including the College of Forest Resources, the Department of Forestry, the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, the Geosytems Research Institute, the Social Science Research Center, the Institute for Clean Energy Technology, and the National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center. Many of our undergraduate and graduate students, and our former students have held or currently hold positions as researchers in these MSU research centers.
Here are some links to other pages devoted to job and career opportunities in the geospatial sciences:
Please feel free to contact any of our faculty if you have questions about careers in the geospatial sciences and/or how Mississippi State University can help you achieve your career goals.
