Pennsylvania State University · College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (online geospatial programs)

Master of Science in Spatial Data Science

Awarded degree: Master of Science in Spatial Data Science

Master'sMSData science degree Fully online

Overview

A 33–36 credit online M.S. in Spatial Data Science through Penn State World Campus, combining GIS and spatial analysis with data science, visualization and programming, and ending with a scholarly paper or research thesis. Tuition is $1,048 per credit for 2026–27 (11 or fewer credits per semester); GRE scores are not required.

Official program name: Master of Science in Spatial Data Science
Awarded degree: Master of Science in Spatial Data Science
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Degree level: Master's
Program classification: Dedicated data science degreeThe awarded degree or official program title is data science itself.Focus: Specialized focus
School: Pennsylvania State University — College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (online geospatial programs)
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Location: University Park, PAWhere the university is located. Study is online; this is not a residency requirement and does not decide whether you may enroll from your state.
Required credits: 33–36 credits
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Duration: Not verified
Start terms: Spring, Summer, Fall
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)

Why this program is listed

Specialized master's degree whose title names data science (Spatial Data Science).

Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

We list data science bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees — dedicated, joint, and (separately labelled) related degrees with an officially named data science concentration. Eligibility rules

Format and attendance

Delivery, required in-person attendance, class schedule and study intensity are shown separately, each only as the university states it. “Fully online” appears only when official wording supports it.

Academic delivery: Fully onlineAll coursework is online and the university states no required in-person attendance for this program.
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
In-person attendance: In-person requirements: not published
Class schedule: Asynchronous
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Study intensity: Not published

The pages we checked do not say whether any orientation, residency, exam or presentation must be attended in person. Ask the university before you apply — missing information is not “no requirement”.

Curriculum

Required courses (15 credits), spatial data science methods electives (9), application electives (6), and a scholarly paper or research thesis (3 or 6).
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Academic calendar

Accelerated 10-week terms.
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Other

Accelerated admission with a 3.67 GPA after three courses in an online geospatial certificate program.
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the university states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Prior degree: RequiredBaccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or comparable degree
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Statement / essay: RequiredPersonal statement, 2–3 pages
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required2 letters — Two references
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Résumé / CV: RequiredRésumé, one to five pages
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Application fee: RequiredNonrefundable application fee (amount not printed)
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredOfficial transcripts from each institution attended
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Not required
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
TOEFL iBT: RequiredInternational applicants, with some exceptions; TOEFL or IELTS.
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the university printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadline
July 1, 2027 · for Fall 2027
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Upcoming
Application deadline
Apply by November 1 to start January 6 · for Spring 2027
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed
Application deadline
Apply by April 1 to start May 19 · for Summer 2027
The university does not print a year with this date.
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
Online students — 11 or fewer credits per semester	$1,048	per credit · 2026-2027Estimated tuition$34,584 = 33 credits × $1,048 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required in-person sessions, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Online students — 12 or more credits per semester	$12,572	per semester · 2026-2027Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Estimated total tuition: $34,584 (33 credits × $1,048 per credit)

Comparison basis: Online students — 11 or fewer credits per semester, 2026-2027. Excludes mandatory fees, books, living costs and any rate changes during the program. How we calculate

Funding

Funding policy and awards exactly as the university publishes them. Available assistantships do not establish guaranteed funding; loans must be repaid and are not scholarships. Understanding funding

Funding classification: Funding not verified

We have not verified an official funding policy for this program. That does not mean funding is unavailable.

Scholarships, fellowships or assistantships for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Accreditation and enrollment restrictions

Two separate questions: is the university institutionally accredited, and does it publish restrictions on who can enroll (for online programs, usually by state of residence)?

Institutional accreditation

Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

Programmatic accreditation

No programmatic accreditation verified for this program. Institutional accreditation does not imply it.

Published enrollment restrictions (state authorization)

Not verified — check the university's state authorization page before applying from outside Pennsylvania.

International applicants

Not verified for this program.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 11, 2026.

DAPIP — MSCHE institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
worldcampus.psu.edu/degrees-and-certificates/penn-state-online-spatial-data-science-masters-degree — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026

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Data Science Degrees is independent and not affiliated with Pennsylvania State University. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the university.