Obtaining a Graduate Certificate in Spatial Analytics opened an entirely new world of data and methodology that I could apply to the study of International Security. As my dissertation developed, it became apparent that the issue of transnational intraethnic conflict was heavily influenced by spatial factors. The courses I took with the Spatial Sciences Institute helped me develop a sharper research design and conduct the analyses necessary to answer my dissertation’s most critical questions. Working in the migration space, my interdisciplinary background has given me the tools to draw on a broad range of research methods, including spatial analytics. The research that goes into my work has given my organization unique advantages that our direct competitors lack.
— Michael R. Pfonner, Ph.D., Political Science and International Relations ’22; Graduate Certificate in Spatial Analytics ’20, University of Southern California
Application criteria
This graduate certificate is only available to currently enrolled USC Ph.D. students in good standing.
To learn how to add the Graduate Certificate in Spatial Analytics to your doctoral course plan, please email Dr. Darren M. Ruddell, associate professor (teaching) of spatial sciences and Spatial Sciences Institute director of graduate studies, at druddell@usc.edu.
Courses
-
The role of spatial computing in understanding the world, knowing and communicating our relationships to specific places, and navigating through those places.
-
The theoretical foundations and techniques of spatial analysis and the ways in which they have been used to identify spatial processes and patterns.
-
An introduction to spatial models identifying the key issues influencing the success of these models in simulating key social and environmental processes and health exposures.
