Master of Science in Geographic Information Science with Concentration in Community and Global Health Applications (STEM)

at Clark University USA

Clark’s master’s degree in GIS combines rigorous academics with widely varied, highly applied learning opportunities. Our two-year program offers ample opportunities to take what you learn in the classroom and put it to work in the wider world through creative engagements with communities, nonprofits, government, and the private sector. By working hands-on with partners, you gain valuable experience applying theories and implementing your creative solutions to complex problems.

In addition, we offer four concentrations within the GIS degree that enable you to focus your studies: GIS for Development and Environment, Conservation Applications, Global and Community Health Applications, and Remote Sensing. Each requires the completion of a set of concentration-specific courses, and each provides a valuable set of skills — and credentials — that will serve you well throughout your career.

GIS for Development and Environment - Concentration
The concentration in Geographic Information Science for Development and Environment is intended for students interested in applications of geospatial technologies to address the challenge of sustainable development. The issues are many, ranging from natural resource development while protecting biodiversity, smart development and planning of infrastructure to social issues such as disaster management, humanitarian assistance, water and sanitation, poverty and hunger alleviation, climate change impacts, conflicts, and migration.

The GISDE concentration builds upon the broad strengths of the Department of International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE), the Graduate School of Geography and Clark Labs. Accordingly, this concentration allows considerable flexibility in tailoring an individual program, crafted with the assistance of a faculty advisor.

Clark’s master’s degree in GIS combines rigorous academics with widely varied, highly applied learning opportunities. Our two-year program offers ample opportunities to take what you learn in the classroom and put it to work in the wider world through creative engagements with communities, nonprofits, government, and the private sector. By working hands-on with partners, you gain valuable experience applying theories and implementing your creative solutions to complex problems.

In addition, we offer four concentrations within the GIS degree that enable you to focus your studies: GIS for Development and Environment, Conservation Applications, Global and Community Health Applications, and Remote Sensing. Each requires the completion of a set of concentration-specific courses, and each provides a valuable set of skills — and credentials — that will serve you well throughout your career.

Community and Global Health Applications - Concentration
The concentration in GIS for Community and Global Health Applications is intended for students interested in applications of geospatial technologies in areas of community and global health. The program is aimed at individuals who plan to work as GIS Analysts/Specialists in international health organizations (such as WHO, International Red Cross), federal, state and local government agencies (CDC, FEMA, state and municipal health departments), NGOs (Partners in Health, Planned Parenthood, etc.) or research organizations and Universities (Schools of Public Health, Health GIS Research Labs).

Putting information into a spatial context allows exploring the spatial relationships among health and behavior indicators, health outcomes, environmental risk factors, and demographic and cultural characteristics at a particular location. GIS and remote sensing allow visualizing and analyzing spatial patterns of disease distribution, accounting for spatial dependencies in the data, and investigating how health outcomes and processes that drive them differ from place to place. GIS maps may indicate connections and trends that would be otherwise not readily apparent, if the data were not integrated together via spatial overlays. Graduates with this concentration will have a solid understanding of health issues facing communities (both domestic and global), and of the policy environments affecting global and community health. They will also develop competency in a wide range of GIS analytical methods, with particular emphasis on techniques applicable to community and global health issues.

Faculty this concentration have developed strong partnerships with local and global organizations, including the City Worcester (Department of Public Health), Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc., Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Departments of Obstetrics/Gynecology and Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical School/UMass Memorial Health Care, Partners in Health, and others. Several MS students have done summer internships in some of these organizations or worked as research assistants with faculty on health-related GIS projects, and co-published academic papers in peer-reviewed journals.

There’s a digital revolution taking place at this very moment. Harnessing the power of data, innovation, and collaboration, businesses are thinking bigger and progressing further. In a world where data is king, professionals skilled in data management and the practical application of technologies like machine learning are in high demand. Effectively analyzing big data helps businesses become better, smarter, and faster – which is why experts in data analysis are urgently required. Looking ahead, the need for data analytics experts will only surge higher and demand for analysts far exceeds the number of qualified professionals out there.

With courses focused on advanced analytics and data operations, you’ll learn how to translate data into a usable asset. Our Master’s of Science in Data Analytics will prepare you for a career in a technology-driven business environment — you’ll delve deep into Python programming, advanced statistical analysis, and data mining and warehousing. Clark will prepare you to lead your organization to better business decisions and outcomes with confidence and skill by giving you the tools to find the story behind vast amounts of data.

No matter your area of non-business specialization, you can kickstart your career with general management expertise and increase your value within your current organization. Our M.S. in Management program is specifically designed to make students with non-management backgrounds feel at home in the world of business.

The Clark University offers a close-knit management program within a small world-renowned liberal arts university. Here, we provide a comfortable environment in which to gain the broad business acumen that will boost your earning power. Data from a national survey of corporate recruiters indicates that nearly 60% of all employers are looking to hire professionals with master’s degrees in management. At Clark University, you can enhance your career prospects and professional value on a schedule that fits your life.

At Clark University, our M.S. in Finance program will equip you to unlock the complex principles that drive global financial markets and to step into a wide range of roles in banking, investment management, trading, insurance, corporate finance, and other industries. Armed with a strong foundation in quantitative methods, analytical tools, and critical thinking, you will be prepared for success in any high-stakes financial environment worldwide.

Gain knowledge in every step from project inception to completion, including project definition, cost and risk estimation, schedule planning and monitoring, budget management, negotiation and conflict resolution, leadership, presentation, and evaluation. Our master’s in project management curriculum provides standalone skills-based training to a working professional audience across multiple industries.

Our focus is to help you understand the concepts, tools, and tasks of a project manager, while ensuring you gain the practical leadership skills needed to excel on the job. Our instructors have specific topical expertise and provide an optimized learning process and practical application of the technical and soft skills learned. With easy access to an additional portfolio of potential electives, providing expertise in cybersecurity, and IT architectures and analytics, students can construct an educational experience that is uniquely focused on their own career aspirations, including pursuing a concentration in Lean Management.

The required coursework includes two foundation courses that provide students with fundamental knowledge of accounting and business analytics, four accounting and three data analytics core courses to enhance students’ understanding of contemporary accounting issues as well as develop strong analytics skills, and three accounting analytics core courses to utilize the accounting knowledge and analytical skills to identify accounting problems, analyze the big data, and provide innovative and practical solutions.

You’ll use critical thinking skills to gather, evaluate, and interpret information, and enhance your leadership and management skills as you learn how to collaborate with diverse stakeholders within organizations.

Business leaders today must embrace a new type of leadership where ethics, corporate responsibility, sustainability, and social innovation are essential for success. So the Clark MBA does more than deliver core competencies in accounting, management, marketing, finance, and analytics. We prepare students to who can meet the demand for socially-conscious business practices.

Build confidence and your resume

Through classroom and experiential learning, you will learn by doing, and benefit from a broad range of perspectives and acquire leadership qualities that are in demand. And you will translate your academic insights into real-world practice through student projects and internships that build confidence as well as your resume.

Get credit for your work experience

We value your professional work experience. If you have spent three or more years in a managerial position, you may be eligible for a course waiver, allowing you to earn your Clark MBA faster.

MBA Concentrations

• Accounting
• Expanded Accounting (offers specified courses that prepare you for the CPA exam)
• Finance (STEM Program)
• Management
• Information Management and Business Analytics (STEM Program)
• Marketing
• Social Change and Sustainability

Our curriculum includes a required introduction to literary studies, as well as elective special-topics seminars in a range of geographical contexts and time periods. Working closely with your adviser, you will identify an area of focus for your thesis research and complete a project that builds on your unique scholarly interests.

Most students earn their degree in three or four semesters. Students must be in residence for at least one year (two years are required for recipients of a teaching assistantship award).

In addition, students must:

• Attend the Departmental Colloquia, a noncredit course in which faculty and students present work in progress, share thesis updates, and hear guest speakers. Successfully complete an oral defense of their thesis before two or more faculty readers.

Our students engage capacities and skills that have import within and beyond the study of literature. Such skills entail:

• Analyzing both written texts and broader cultural narratives that shape the political and social world. Crafting insightful and illuminating arguments. Conducting independent and in-depth research with a range of archival sources.

Covering everything from traditional advertising and PR to digital design and SEO, marketing is a broad field that is constantly evolving in the digital age.  Marketers must understand both the business and marketing/creative side of the workplace.  At Clark University, our M.S. in Marketing program is perfect for the aspiring marketing leader. Learn to understand your audience, analyze trends, and position your business to be competitive and successful.

The program gives students the skills to be both creative and practical by applying innovative marketing strategies in practical ways; providing students the language to understand and speak to both sides while allowing their creative ideas to expand and soar.  A fit with nearly any undergraduate degree, the MSMK will provide you with a foundation in business and an in-depth understanding of marketing strategies and research.