Master of Urban Spatial Analytics
A new program at the University of Pennsylvania provides an important opportunity
for future leaders who wish to apply spatial technology solutions to business
and public sector decision-making. The Master of Urban Spatial Analytics (MUSA)
offers professionals, current doctoral students and recent college graduates
the chance to earn a pioneering degree in one of the country’s fastest
growing knowledge-based fields.
The implementation of geospatial technology tools is undergoing broad expansion.
As a result, demand is increasing for professionals skilled in the use of geographic
information, digitized spatial data, and spatial analytics. Recently, the Department
of Labor identified geospatial analysis as one of twelve fastest growing knowledge-based
professional fields. The Master of Urban Spatial Analytics program at Penn offers
technical training in relevant methods and tools as well as academic and field
knowledge in urban content areas. The goal of the Master of Urban Spatial Analytics
degree is to provide individuals with technological training and the understanding
of the urban context for which these techniques can be deployed to improve public
and private decision-making. The MUSA degree will accomplish these goals by
helping students:
- develop a multidisciplinary portfolio of geographic information systems (GIS) skills and comprehension of relevant spatial analysis techniques
- integrate geo-science with urban-specific applications
The Master of Urban Spatial Analytics provides instruction in urbanism with
training in place-based analytical techniques, including GIS, remote sensing,
spatial statistics, geo-database management, and computer-based modeling. The
skill set developed through this program will be useful in a wide variety of
fields, ranging from housing analysis to epidemiology.
The Master of Urban Spatial Analytics degree is a one-year, 9-course, professional
masters program with a core GIS training requirement and 9 areas of concentration:
Criminology; Design; Economic and Community Development; Education; Local and
State Government; Public Health; Real Estate and Land Use; Social Welfare; Transportation;
and Urban Demography.
Prospective Students
The MUSA program is a rigorous course of study intended for students with a serious interest in the application of spatial sciences to urban problem solving. Students in the MUSA program combine solid quantitative and statistical skills and computer literacy with an interest in urban issues, business or policy-making.Students in the MUSA program represent a diverse background and have a wide range of personal and professional interests. MUSA students may be working professionals or recent college graduates seeking to work in an analytic position in health, education, criminology, welfare, planning, real estate, insurance, marketing, economic consulting, or other similar fields. They may also be researchers interested in continuing their studies to earn a Ph.D. in a related field.
The Master of Urban Spatial Analytics will be administered by Penn’s College of General Studies (CGS), the continuing education division of the School of Arts and Sciences. The oldest continuing education program in the Ivy League, CGS has been committed to providing lifelong learning opportunities to adult students since 1892.
For more information on this program, or to be added to our mailing list, please contact CGS at 215.898.7326 or cgs@sas.upenn.edu.