Master’s in Environmental Geographic Information Science

Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing for Ecological Applications

Students will act as a geospatial analyst and are tasked with developing a research study topic. They will begin by creating a proposal for a topic of interest. They will research ways to refine the methods and data needs, and develop preliminary results.

Creating Maps and Graphics of Ecosystem Change

Story maps are a way to combine the maps you make with narrative text, images, videos, and more to tell a cohesive story. Students will pick a topic of interest that they will research and using GIS software and cartography techniques, create a series of maps. This project will build skills that students will need to advance in their GIS career.

Modeling Our Changing World

Students will learn to use ArcGIS Pro’s Suitability Modeler software to create multi-layer maps. They will study environmental issues and learn the mapping and GIS technology advantages, limitations, and challenges. This comprehensive approach equips students to become skilled GIS professionals, capable of using statistical analysis to discover how to make changes for a sustainable world.

Unity Alum, Jason Kaitchuck works as a Sportfish Biologist for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

“Since graduating from Unity I have left the US fish and wildlife service and accepted a job with the Arizona Game and Fish Department as a Sportfish Biologist. I get to sample all the lakes in my region by fishing or using nets. I follow this up by writing reports on the survey efforts and management plans. Sometimes I get to hike into remote areas and sample streams for native fish with the native fish biologist. Unity prepared me well for this opportunity and helped me get a competitive edge with my master’s degree. I have been able to use some of the GIS software I was taught while in school. My goal was to land a permanent job in this field and with my master’s from Unity I was finally able to accomplish this goal and am located in beautiful northwest Arizona and loving every second of it.”

Unity Alum, Eric Skrivseth, works with the Moshannon Creek Watershed Association.

“I was nearing the end of my career in management at a major railroad, and signed up for an introductory class in GIS at Unity. I decided I liked the subject enough that I decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in GIS.

For my coursework I chose to study drainage and coal mining impacts. In western PA, there are substantial legacy impacts from this problem. I discovered that some of my co-workers at my railroad employer were heavily involved in the Clearfield Creek Watershed Association. I learned a great deal from them and they were generous in offering me access to their data. I also discovered that Moshannon Creek, probably the most mine drainage impaired watershed in Western Pennsylvania, if not the whole state, did not have a watershed association. One existed that disbanded in 2014.

For a class assignment, I emailed a pitch for founding a Moshannon Creek Watershed Association which was well-received. We were able to incorporate and become a 501C3 non-profit. I am now the president of the organization. We have been awarded two grants that are being used to update conditions in the watershed and perform an initial evaluation and repairs on a set of six mine drainage treatment systems that had been unmaintained since a local chapter of Trout Unlimited disbanded. From the watershed evaluation, we are developing a recovery plan for the watershed. We are currently preparing a grant application in partnership with the Susquehanna River Basin Commission for design and permitting money for new treatment systems to address three mine discharges that are the first of many that will need to be addressed to improve the impaired parts of Moshannon Creek.”

Jenna Stacy-Dawes, Master’s in Environmental Geographic Information Science, Unity class of 2021.

“I enrolled at Unity to gain more experience in GIS and I am so thankful for what I was able to take away from this program. I work on a giraffe conservation program in northern Kenya where we use GIS to better understand giraffe populations as well as how they interact and share their environment with livestock and people. Since enrolling at Unity I’ve already been able to apply a lot of what I learned through this program to help inform and develop vital conservation and management plans that we hope will contribute to conserving giraffes in Kenya!”

Dr. Jessica Morgan

Graduate Adjunct Faculty

Dr. Jessica Morgan earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Science from the University of Rhode Island and a B.S. in Physical Geography and M.S. in Geography from Texas State University – San Marcos. Dr. Morgan completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the EPA Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division Laboratory, where she developed geospatial models to analyze the effects of scale on land use/land cover data, in support of water quality analyses.

Dr. Morgan brings value to her students with her continued fieldwork. Her research interests include remote sensing and GIS analysis for environmental applications, ecological response to stormwater best management practices, and scaling issues in land use/land cover data analysis. Outside of academia, Dr. Morgan served as the Low Impact Development Coordinator for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for three years. She was also a whale trainer at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. Dr. Morgan has over 15 years of experience in environmental geospatial analysis and is passionate about working with students to help them develop the skills needed to develop solutions to complex environmental issues.