Copyright ©
Xiaojun Yang
2000-2023


GIScience Capstone

GIScience Capstone (GIS5950; 6 hours) is a required course for MSGIS students, which is normally offered in a Summer semester. I directed the GIScience Capstone program from Summer 2008 to Summer 2016, and now direct this program again in connection to my new appointment as the MSGIS Program Coodinator. MSGIS students who plan to take this course should pay attention on the information below. Note that I also create a canvas site for GIS5950 but you would have to enroll the course before you could access the materials there.

  • This course is for students who are within the MSGIS Program. Anyone who is not within this program but wishes to register the course should contact the course instructor for permission.
  • MSGIS students who plan to take this course will need to complete at least 20 hours of the MSGIS course work (including the courses he/she currently takes). Waiving this prerequisite can be made on a case-by-case basis, largely based on an individual's prior GIS experience in combination with his/her current course work. This is to say that an individual who has not completed sufficient amount of the course work but does have some GIS practical experience may still take this course. Those who have not completed a sufficient amount of the MSGIS course work and do not have any real-world GIS experience WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to take this course. We understand this may affect his/her progress of the program study but we have to stick to some minimum academic standards.
  • We are NOT able to give credits to any prior internships or any research completed before actually registering this course. Occasionally, we might consider an internship that starts from a Spring semester but its substantial portion of work (at least 70% of the work) extends through the immediate Summer semester.
  • Those who have a full-time or part-time job may NOT use his/her routine assignments to satisfy the course requirements. He/she may need to do something significantly different from the regular assignments in order to satisfy the course requirements.
  • We do not provide placement service and you have to find an internship position by you own; finding an internship position by your own is part of the course objectives.
  • An internship could be physically at the FSU campus or anywhere in the United States.
  • Please read through the information from my course syllabus before registering this course, and make sure you submit the required documents before the specific due days.

A copy of the course syllabus for Summer 2022 is posted here. You can also find several other relevant documents below:

  • Introductory letter (after obtaining an internship placement, please forward a copy of my letter to your immediate supervisor)
  • Example of an internship offer letter outlining the work schedule and duties
  • Internship information form in pdf format (you can fill information)
  • Example of internship progress report in pdf form
  • Example of the final report in PDF format
  • Example of letter of evaluation

Contact the Instructor:

Dr. Xiaojun Yang
Professor Directing GIScience Capstone
Department of Geography
Florida State University
Room 321 Bellamy Building
Tallahassee, FL 32306
Fax: 850-644-5913
Email: xyang@fsu.edu

Last update: Friday, January 20, 2023 8:17 PM