Overview
This is a one-year course consisting of graduate level papers and a research project. For our PGDipSci programmes in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Surveying, the course of study is flexible and can be tailored to the needs and interests of a particular student. This is an excellent program for either a BSc or a BSurv student wanting to specialise on a particular subject by undertaking a single year of postgraduate study. Entry into such a program is restricted to those students who have an appropriate undergraduate (or equivalent) degree.
The PGDipSci in GIS has been designed as a one-year primer in GIS (equivalent to the coursework year in a two-year master's) and the primary groups of people it is aimed for are professionals wishing to augment their skill set or graduates who have completed their bachelor's and would like to specialise (surveying and geography would be two of the main complements).
The course assumes no prior experience with GIS. In the first semester you would start a year-long dissertation project on some aspect of GIS that you would like to investigate in further detail (SURV590). Supplementing this are a choice of five courses over both semesters: there are courses on Introduction to Remote Sensing Technologies, Management Issues in GIS and Geovisualisation and Cartography to choose from in the first semester. Also, for those coming in fresh to GIS, there is room in this semester to take the Introduction to GIS course (though as a 200-level course it will not count towards the PGDipSci).
In the second semester, as well as finishing the dissertation you would pick the remainder of your courses out of these three: Spatial Databases, Spatial Analysis and Modelling and Resource Mapping / Image Processing. Alternatively, if you wanted to pursue a more computational / programming aspect to GIS as part of your PGDip then the Programming in Python course running out of Information Science is a possible option (you would have to have taken a prior course in either the Java or Python programming languages, not as a part of the PGDipSci).
Find out about PGDipSci Dissertations completed at the School
Contact
For any enquiries about the postgraduate diploma please contact:
Dr Tony Moore
Rm 128, 310 Castle Street
Tel +64 3 479 7589
Email tony.moore@otago.ac.nz
Programme requirements
Postgraduate Diploma in Science (PGDipSci) in Surveying
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Postgraduate Diploma in Science (PGDipSci) in Geographic Information Systems
Subject offered from 2027.
120 points from papers listed for the subject in schedule D.
Review relevant papers under Master of Science (Applied) and Master of Science (Thesis)
Regulations
Regulations for the PGDipSci can be found on the qualification page:
- Postgraduate Diploma in Science (PGDipSci)
Further information
This information must be read subject to the statement on our Copyright & Disclaimer page.
Regulations on this page are taken from the 2026 Calendar and supplementary material.