Geographic Information Sciences for Development and Environment (GISDE) Program

The Master of Arts program in Geographic Information Sciences for Development and Environment (GISDE) teaches students to become professionals in careers where they apply the world's most advanced computer mapping technologies to address crucial issues concerning socioeconomic development and environmental science.

A program in collaboration with IDCE and Clark University's Geography Department, GISDE program is unique is a variety of ways. It focuses specifically on the application of Geographic Information Science (GIS) to issues of natural resource management for the sake of satisfying fundamental human needs. Topical strengths include: watershed management, biodiversity conservation, brownfield redevelopment, landscape ecology, land-use change, climate change, public participation, fire management, and food security. Clark University produces the GIS software, Idrisi, which thirty-five thousand professionals use worldwide. Therefore, GISDE students learn both how to use GIS and how to create GIS. GISDE alumni pursue their passions concerning sustainable development and environmental protection in meaningful careers where they apply hi-tech skills that they learned in the GISDE program.

Most GISDE student finance their education through a combination of savings, loans, scholarships, and grants. IDCE supplies information concerning funding opportunities. We have also compiled a Scholarships and Resources for GIS Students sheet for GISDE-only students that you may find helpful. Some applicants find it useful to apply to the GISDE program early, then use the letter of acceptance in their applications to funding agencies.

The GISDE Experience

Numerous opportunities exist for students to conduct collaborative research with faculty members as they pursue their research on issues such as water quality, land use change and global climate change the world over. Many GISDE students have co-published findings of their research with faculty members in respected journals in the field. Click here to learn more about their projects.

We have had recent success with our GISDE students winning monetary awards for their research papers. To learn about future opportunities, visit the Association of American Geographers and The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association.

“The GISDE program at Clark University gave me practical geospatial expertise and applications knowledge, in addition to professional skills valued by the industry. The reason I was hired at Cabrera Services, Inc. as a GIS professional was because of my degree and experience from my education during the GISDE program at Clark University. The hiring manager told me that it is well known that this is ‘the best program for remote sensing and GIS’."
Boriana Pangelova (GISDE/M.A. '05)

“If you are working in the GIS industry, a MA from Clark will open a lot of doors for you. It gives you a competitive edge necessary to survive in a highly competitive industry. Moreover, you will have an opportunity to think beyond how to maintain data and use software. You will have the chance to address real world problems.”Sarah Elliott (GISDE/M.A. '04)

"My education at IDCE positioned me to get a job where I could apply GIS technology to development issues. I had worked in GIS and remote sensing production, but to do GIS analysis, I needed a graduate degree. Clark was a perfect fit. It had an emphasis on GIS analysis rather than GIS production, and I could find professors with the expertise in my interests: land-use change in the context of international development and natural resource management."
Louis Paladino, (GISDE '04), Peace Corps, Paraguay; GIS Research Engineer, I Sciences, LLC

"What I liked most about Clark's program was the quality of the teaching. Clark does an excellent job of stressing GIS concepts rather than merely teaching how to use software. I also found that having the Idrisi Office nearby was another big advantage, both for employment opportunities and for the chance to observe cutting-edge developments in GIS software."
David Benz GISDE/MA '03; RPCV, Central African Republic
Remote Sensing Research Assistant, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium

"I was drawn to the interdisciplinary nature of the GISDE program which allowed me the flexibility to pursue unique and innovative research. In addition, the advice and support of IDCE faculty, staff and fellow students played a major role in my Fulbright fellowship award, one of the most rewarding experiences of my life."
Miguel Castrence (GISDE/MA'03), Fulbright Fellow