Central's 3-course Certificate Program

Join us for an informative session about our 3-course GIS Certificate Program at CCSU. Whether you’re looking to launch a new career in the rapidly growing field of geospatial technology or enhance your current GIS skills to advance in your profession, this program offers a flexible and impactful path forward. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore what GIS can do for your future!

Details

Curriculum

Join us for an informative session about our 3-course non-credit GIS Certificate Program at CCSU. Whether you’re looking to launch a new career in the rapidly growing field of geospatial technology or enhance your current GIS skills to advance in your profession, this program offers a flexible and impactful path forward. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore what GIS can do for your future! The information session will cover all three classes and here is the link for details and to register.

The GIS Essentials Certificate consists of 2 courses (the first course is the fall semester) taught in the on-line/classroom hybrid format. Each course will run for 10 weeks (20 weeks for the certificate) during the spring and fall semesters.

https://pe.ccsu.edu/professional_courses/gis-fundamentals-gis-essentials-certificate-course-1/

The GIS Advanced Certificate course is designed to deepen and grow your expertise in geospatial technology with a strong focus on the latest cutting-edge applications and technologies.

https://pe.ccsu.edu/professional_courses/advanced-gis-certificate/

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) geographers earn an average of $85,430 annually. There are currently over 32,000 job postings seeking GIS skills. (Indeed, Feb 2025)

The average salary for GIS Professionals is arounds $75,000/year with advanced roles like GIS Developers and Administrators earning $100,000+ annually. (Geospy Research)

GIS Specialists salaries have increased 10% over the past 5 years, with projected job growth of 9%

Typical GIS Employers: Which Fields Can You Work In?

Based on job listings, here is a list of typical employers who hire GIS degree graduates:

Government (County, Ministries, and Parastatals)
Engineering
Utilities (Electrical, telecommunications)
Academic
Environment and natural resources
Military intelligence, emergency, and public safety
Agriculture and soils
Transportation and navigation
Surveying, engineering, and construction
Mining and oil
Health and epidemiology
Archaeology and history
And Many more!

Who Should Enroll

Anyone looking to add new skills to their resume. GIS skills are valued across many industries.

Instructor

Mr. Thad Dymkowski

Thad J. Dymkowski is a GISCI Certified GIS Professional with almost 2 decades of GIS experience ranging from technical, to analytical, to administrative. He is a double alumnus of Central Connecticut State University, with Baccalaureate and Master’s degrees in Geography with concentrations in GIS. Thad’s experience comes from years spent in the public, private, and academic professional environments. He is fluent in ESRI ArcGIS software products, and comfortably familiar with several others. He has also been known to compose usable lines of computer programming code in several programming languages and his maps can be found on walls, in reports, and on a few web pages throughout the State of Connecticut. He has presented and spoken at conferences, meetings, and public hearings throughout the State of Connecticut and New England Region. His proudest creation, aside from his children, is the GIS Certificate Program he teaches for the CCSU Department of Professional Education and the graduates it has produced.

Location

This information session will take place online.

Testimonials

Thad is clearly very knowledgeable about GIS. He was very quick to respond to emails-which I found immensely helpful due to the online class format. I would have typically preferred in classroom experience….But due to the amount of change that occurred in my personal life at this time (I moved across the country to Nevada)…I greatly appreciated the flexibility of the online format. Fall, 2020

I wanted to thank you for being a great teacher and further developing my GIS skills in the certificate course you teach at CCSU. The program taught me a lot and opened my eyes to the power and possibilities of GIS. Especially to start getting ahead of the curve with Online GIS, which I’m finding very helpful with many projects. My GIS skills/knowledge definitely helped me to get the position at CRCOG.

Hopefully, I’ll have some opportunities to work with you down the road on Statewide/Regional GIS projects. Once I settle into my new position, I’m hoping to get more involved with CT GIS groups and CCAPA. Fall, 2020

I really enjoyed the coursework and the instructor was very supportive to students regarding issues with the material. Spring, 2022