The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs offers a certificate program in Urban Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The program is central to the College's mission to provide academic and professional education, expertise, and research capabilities to enhance the quality of life in urban communities. The certificate program consists of three courses for a total of twelve credits. The introductory course (UST 585) approaches GIS as a tool to provide students with basic technical, analytical, and management skills that can be used in other courses or in the work setting. The course focuses on the principles and concepts of GIS and tools of spatial information analysis that result in recommending fast and efficient solutions to everyday problems. The second course (UST 586) focuses on advanced professional and academic applications of GIS technology. The third course (UST 587) centers upon individual GIS-based projects and provides seminar-based discussions of current issues in GIS.