GIS education resources

Many colleges and universities and private companies across the commonwealth provide courses to help you learn GIS.

GISdegree.org has a comprehensive list of programs across the U.S.

University of Massachusetts

Amherst Campus
The Department of Geosciences offers a full range of GIS and remote sensing courses.

611 North Pleasant Street
233 Morrill Science Center
Amherst, MA 01003-9297

Boston Campus
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Dorchester, MA 02125-3393

Lowell Campus
One University Avenue
Lowell, MA 01854

Other Massachusetts state universities

Bridgewater State University
131 Summer Street
Bridgewater, MA 02325

Fitchburg State University
160 Pearl Street
Fitchburg, MA 01420-2697

Framingham State University
100 State Street
Framingham, MA 01701-9101

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
375 Church St
North Adams, MA 01247-4100

Salem State University

Salem State University (SSU) has one of the longest running GIS Master’s programs (started in 1992) and undergraduate Cartography & GIS degrees (1984) in the country. The Geography and Sustainability department offers a BS (and Certificate) in Cartography and GIS as well as a graduate Certificate in GIS (15 credit hours) and a GIS Master’s degree (30 – 32 credit hours). An integrated and applied curriculum provides practical, real-world training in the utilization of leading geospatial technologies for research, planning, spatial data management, and project implementation. The program provides extensive student-teacher interactions with most courses having in-class instruction. Graduate classes are held in the evenings and on-line to provide flexibility for working adults. The graduate Certificate program takes two semesters while the Master's program takes one to three years depending on the desire of the student. SSU Graduates have been successful in securing GIS-related jobs throughout the Commonwealth and beyond.  

352 Lafayette Street
Salem, MA 01970

Westfield State University
577 Western Avenue
Westfield, MA 01086-1630

Worcester State University
486 Chandler Street
Worcester, MA 01602

Community colleges

Berkshire Community College
1350 West Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201

Bristol Community College
777 Elsbree Street,
Fall River, MA 02720

Cape Cod Community College
2240 Iyannough Road
West Barnstable, MA 02668

Holyoke Community College
303 Homestead Avenue
Holyoke, MA 01040

Springfield Technical Community College
Armory Square
Springfield, MA 01102-9000

Private colleges and universities

Boston University
Stone Science Building
675 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215

Boston College
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

Clark University
950 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01610

Harvard University
Massachusetts Hall
Cambridge, MA 02138

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307

Northeastern University
50 Nightingale Hall
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115-9959

Suffolk University
73 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02115-9959

Tufts University

Check out the GIS Certificate Programs

UEP
97 Talbot Avenue
Medford, MA 02155

Private software focused training

Caliper Corporation - Maptitude
1172 Beacon Street, Suite 300
Newton MA 02461-9926, USA

Environmental Systems Research Institute - ArcGIS
35 Village Road, Suite 501
Middleton, MA 01949-1236
978-777-4543

Professional organizations

  • The New England Chapter of URISA (NEURISA) was founded in 1986 with a goal of providing students and industry professionals with opportunities for education, training, mentorship, and professional networking. Contact neurisa@gmail.com for more information.
  • The Northeast Arc Users Group (NEARC) is an independent, volunteer organization dedicated to helping users of Esri GIS software be more successful. The geographic area encompassed by the group includes New England and New York. NEARC hosts two conference annually; one in the Spring and one in the Fall. 

Contact   for GIS education resources

Help Us Improve Mass.gov  with your feedback

Please do not include personal or contact information.
Feedback