GIS Practicum

Overview

Students in the program must complete a project-based practicum. The practicum requires the presentation of the student’s practicum project in a topic approved by the student's graduate committee. The project may be done in collaboration with a community partner, or it may be a self-defined project. Some examples of community partners are:

• A faculty member, department, or university center 

• A non-profit organization

• A municipality or governmental agency

• Or an existing internship (or co-op) position that aligns with the learning objectives and outcome identified by the student.

The practicum represents a beneficial contribution to the practice of GIScience and normally involves working with a community partner. However, entry-level GIS tasks in the practicum would not be desirable nor advisable. A final oral presentation of the project and a comprehensive project report are required for the completion of the practicum.

Timeline

Failure to adhere to the timeline might delay the graduation term and might require additional practicum credits to complete the program.

• Identify a PSU faculty to serve as the chair of the practicum committee and start developing a feasible practicum project idea by the end of the first year. The practicum committee must include at least three committee members, including the committee chair, with at least two of the three committee members from the MS in GIS Program Committee.

• Present the practicum project proposal to the practicum committee, usually by the end of the first year or in the first term of the second year. A copy of the proposal should be shared with the committee members 10 days prior to the presentation. No practicum proposal or final presentation can occur during Summer. Students can start their GIS practicum only after their proposals are approved by the committee.

• Start working on the practicum project and work closely with your committee chair to complete a draft of the practicum report, usually by the end of second term before graduation.

• Once you have completed all of your coursework, practicum project, and have written your practicum report, the final step before graduation is presenting your project. A practicum presentation consists of an oral presentation on your practicum project that is open to the public followed by a Q&A session from the audience and the committee members. Students are required to submit a final draft of their report to all committee members at least two weeks (10 working days) prior to a scheduled presentation date, usually in the last term before graduation. 

• Once the final project presentation date and room are scheduled, please send an email announcement with a digital copy of the presentation flyer to geography@pdx.edu for public distribution.

• Present the practicum project no later than the 10th week of the last term of the program and submit a digital copy of the final, revised practicum report to the committee within 5 weeks after the presentation.

GEOG 509 Practicum Credits

Students sign up practicum credits (GEOG 509) with a PSU faculty member who is interested in the practicum's subject area by submitting a by-arrangement request (https://www.pdx.edu/registration/how-register#By-Arrangement). It is recommended that they register for 2 credits of GEOG 509 a term before the completion of their practicum project to develop a partnership with their community partner and a feasible practicum proposal. The practicum proposal should be submitted to the MS in GIS Committee before the end of the fifth week of the term. Once the proposal is approved by the MS in GIS Committee, students can register for the remaining 4 credits of GEOG 509 in the subsequent term to complete the practicum, which includes completing the practicum tasks, giving an oral public presentation, and submitting a final report.

GIS Practicum Proposal

The practicum proposal must include:

• A statement of the beneficial contribution to the practice of GIScience 

• Learning objectives and outcome

• A description of the community partner

• A timeline

GIS Practicum Report

The practicum report should clearly echo the student's proposal and have the following components:

• An introduction of the GIS practicum project (to include the timeline and, if applicable, the organization partner) and how the project contributes to the practice of GIScience

• A description of the learning objectives and outcome achieved in the project

• Lesson learned and recommendations for future works (for example, discussion on the obstacles and potential solutions)

Students will work closely with their GEOG 509 instructor on writing the practicum report which must be approved by the instructor and one additional readers from the MS in GIS Committee. Students' GIS practicum reports will be published on PDXScholar for public access.

Consult the MS in GIS committee members if there is any question about the GEOG 509 credits.

GIS Practicum Report Formatting Requirements

All MS in GIS practicum reports are published on PDXScholar (https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/geog/) under the Masters in GIS Practicum Reports category. A submitted final practicum report should follow the PSU electronic thesis and dissertation (ETD) formatting requirements (https://www.pdx.edu/gradschool/etd-formatting-requirements) with the exception that the department accepts reports with single-spaced texts. Consult the MS in GIS committee members if there is any question about the report formatting requirements. You can find a sample copy of the GIS Practicum Report's title page below.