The Master of Science in Spatial Informatics is an all course-work degree program of study that is available only through distance learning. Its goal is to serve place-bound students that desire strong theory, computational, analytical, policy and technical foundations in geographic information science and systems. This graduate degree is the online version of the on-campus MS in Spatial Information Science and Engineering degree and accommodates students from wide-ranging undergraduate degree backgrounds. Distance students take the same comprehensive graduate course content with the same high-caliber full-time professors as taken by on-campus graduate students.
Students build on foundations in computer science, mathematics, physics, geography, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, engineering, and related fields to study spatiotemporal phenomena and design intelligent spatial information systems. The terms "spatial information science and engineering" and "spatial informatics" may be used interchangeably to describe the field of knowledge that builds from and bridges to domains of geographic information science, computer science, cognitive science, and engineering.
The UMaine Spatial Informatics graduate program is designed to meet the growing demand in society for graduates with high-level geospatial technology skills and provide a path for women and men from diverse fields to rapidly transition to information system career paths by providing them with foundation graduate level courses in information systems and geographic information science.