The GIScience certificate is open to any admitted undergraduate or graduate student that satisfies the prerequisites of introductory GIS (3-6 credits of introductory geography.) Professionals may pursue the certificate by applying for admission to the university as "non-degree-seeking" students. Professionals who have previously earned a bachelor's degree may then register for 500-level courses for possibly application of credits to university degree programs or subsequent transfer.

The certificate is available to fit your schedule, so it takes as long as you pursue it. To the extent possible by faculty staff, required courses are offered every semester. Most full-time students complete the requirements within a year and a half. Professionals may pursue the certificate on their own schedule, one or two courses per semester until completed. Given the dynamic nature of software, students are encouraged to immerse themselves insofar as their schedules allow.

The faculty of the Geography Program offer most courses in the GIScience certificate and provide the state-of-the-art in theory and application, from a geographic and spatial analytical perspective. Since there is no national accreditation or curriculum program in GIScience, the Old Dominion GIScience Certificate routinely models itself upon the trends in leading programs nationwide. Individual courses are modified virtually ever semester to maintain currency and excellence of instruction.

Old Dominion University maintains a site license for ESRI GIS and Leica Geosystems' Erdas IMAGINE software. In addition to a variety of productivity, statistical, and visualization software, these are the staple systems used in most GISci courses.

The GIScience certificate is awarded in the final semester of coursework. For graduating students, the certificate is awarded pending final course grades after commencement ceremonies. For graduate students and professionals, the certificate is awarded pending course completion. It may then be picked up from the department or mailed to your permanent address. The certificate is only awarded upon completion of courses and the required application form.