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The experienced professors and interactive classes helped to provide me with a quality education and that allowed me to learn and understand GIS applications/tools and its real-world uses
I got my master’s degree in GIS from Sam Houston State University (SHSU). Being an international student (Nepal) in the US is bit challenging, but I was fortunate to join SHSU. The GIS faculty and department provided me with incredible resources, support and guidance to meet my goals and objectives. The experienced professors and interactive classes helped to provide me with a quality education and that allowed me to learn and understand GIS applications/tools and its real-world uses. Upon graduation from SHSU, I did an internship with an energy company in downtown Houston, and subsequently obtained a full time position as a GIS Analyst. Currently, I am working as a GIS Project Lead at Gulf Interstate Engineering in Houston. My focus is pipeline GIS and I have been part of multiple US and international pipeline projects.
Chandan Rasaily (GIS M.S. Graduate, 2012)
The Geography Department at Sam Houston State "found" me
You will not discover a more eclectic group of enthusiastic, caring, and inspiring faculty to ‘talk story’ with. The faculty-student ratio is built for personalized success and degrees can be tailored to a myriad of research interests. The melting pot of ideas and sense of community will stick with you far past graduation and serve as a valuable networking tool. Further, I always acknowledge that it is because of those at Sam Houston State that I was able to attend graduate school at the University of South Carolina. My mentors ensured that I was aware of funding opportunities that as a first-generation student, I would have otherwise overlooked. I am now in the Ph.D. program and am serving as a NOAA Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in Washington D.C. for a year. I highly recommend this department to students interested in bridging the gap between society and the natural world, broadening their research/life experience, and to those who wish to have a strong sense of community within their studies. Mahalo, and Eat ‘em up Kats!
Michelle Harris (Geography B.S. Graduate, 2016)
The geological background and skills I learnedduring my time with the department were invaluable to mein my postgraduate career
The hands on, field focused aspects of the program as well as the emphasis on the theoretical knowledge required to bring it all together, have allowed me to find work as a geologist and excel in grad school. I wouldn't be half the geoscientist I am today without SHSU. Danny is currently an intern with the USGS in Denver and is working on a MS degree at the Colorado School of Mines.
Danny Schmidt (Geology B.S. Graduate, 2019)
Sam Houston State University Environmental and Geosciences program provided me with more than a degree
Sam Houston State University Environmental and Geosciences program provided me with more than a degree, it provided me with options. I received fully funded admission to continue an advanced degree after I graduated and subsequently a great career. I eventually worked my way up to become the Technical Team-Lead of Geosciences for North America for the largest Oil and Gas Services company in the world. I owe all of this to my humble beginnings at SHSU and the path the faculty set me upon. This truly is a world-class geoscience education in the heart of East Texas. Jeff is a geologist/Technical team leader.
Jeff Cook (Geology B.S. Graduate, 2009)
It only took one geography course for me to know it was exactly what I wanted in a career... variety and flexibility. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline so there are no limitations to what you can study or what field you can work in. I loved how I could go from learning about different tribes in Africa, to music in the south, to natural resources then to making beautiful maps depicting political and population boundaries all in one semester.
The GIS and geospatial knowledge I gained at Sam Houston State University helped me land my internship and ultimately a job offer with Apache Corporation. I started shortly after graduation and have been there ever since. In my time with Apache Corporation, I’ve been able to attend trainings and conferences all over the USA and even traveled to India to assist with a software start up in 2017. I obtained a MGsc in Geoscience with a concentration in GIS in the Petroleum Industry from Texas A&M University in 2018 which added to the already great foundation I received from the Geography and Geology Department at Sam Houston State University. Brittney is currently a Data Integration Analyst in the World Wide Exploration group working with various types data from all over the world.
Brittney Liesman (Geography Graduate, 2010)