Geographical Information Systems (GIS) MSc

Core modules:

Quantitative Analysis

This module introduces students to powerful and commonly used statistical methods in the social sciences. It assumes no prior statistical knowledge and focuses on the practical research priorities of selecting, conducting and interpreting the most appropriate test with an eye to, rather than an obsession with, the underpinning statistical foundations. The module uses weekly seminar sessions and R practicals to build practical software skills alongside conceptual understanding.

15 credits

GIScience: principles and applications

Geospatial approaches, including those commonly associated with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and spatial data analysis, are employed extensively in a variety of professional settings, from urban planning and architecture to health care and social research. In this module, we aim to consider the wider implications of GIScience in the context of applied GIS and urban analytics. This module is therefore focused on helping understand the core principles of GIScience as well as potential applications of GIS in helping identify and tackle spatial problems and undertake geospatial research in the real world. In particular, we encourage critical thinking about the applications of GIS and GIScience to spatial problems as well as exploring their limitations. The module is taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and case-studies.

15 credits

Foundations of GIS

This module introduces students to the core principles and skills of GIS. It covers the major sources of data used to study the lived environment and the variety of ways it can be displayed to aid both understanding and analysis. The module has a particular focus on techniques used in the analysis of socio-economic and demographic data and its potential applications. It is taught through a combination of lectures and practical workshops using ArcGIS software.

15 credits

GIS and Geovisualisation

The availability of software, hardware and data for geographical information systems (GIS) has increased rapidly in recent years. Alongside this, there have been exciting developments in cartography and visualisation methods. This module is focused on developing analysis and visualisation skills using a range of software but with particular focus on QGIS, the leading open-source desktop GIS. Students will learn through a combination of computer workshops and lectures and be exposed to the latest developments in the field. Assessment is by means of a spatial data visualisation and analysis project.

15 credits

Employability and Professional Skills

As professional skills become increasingly vital for workplace success, this module will allow you to develop a range of supporting skills that will enhance your learning experience at Sheffield and prepare you for a successful career.

The module has two elements: 1. Cultures of Learning and Professional Skills - understanding how we teach at Sheffield, how to get the most out of your study and how to develop key generic professional/soft skills 2. Employability Skills - preparing you for careers within planning, design, real estate, GIS and related professional areas.



The aims of this  module are: 

1. to provide a range of supporting skills for home and international students, which will help you get the most out of your learning in Sheffield

2. to prepare you for professional employment and career development at the end of your studies.

Core modules:

Advanced Spatial Analysis

This unit is aimed at students who already have a good degree of knowledge in GIS. The module aims to develop in students a high degree of competence in relation to advanced spatial analysis, understanding spatial approaches to problem solving, and the theories and precepts which underlie software applications in GIS. The module is taught in a series of inter-related computer workshops focusing on real-world data and problem scenarios. The assessment for this module is based on a multiple choice exam and a 2,000 word advanced methods report.

15 credits

The GIS Project

This is a project-based module in which students address a real-world problem for a client using a variety of different spatial datasets and GIS methods as appropriate. The aim of the module is to prepare students for professional practice in GIS and through a group-work approach which places emphasis on collaboration, team working and objective-setting. This module is taught through a short series of lectures and group seminars. The module is assessed through a combination of a group presentation, a group final report and an individual reflection.

15 credits

Optional modules: students will take two optional modules from this group:

Environment, Society and Development: Key Issues, Debates and Concepts

This module engages critically with the key theoretical debates that shape the relationships between the environment, society and international development. By looking at current questions in development theory and their relationship to development practice in the context of the Anthropocene and environmental change, it encourages students to think critically about the ways in which interdisciplinary approaches define issues and problems, and the theoretical viewpoints that inform their actions. The module is taught primarily through seminars: these structure students' learning, and provide an environment in which they can develop their skills in researching, presenting and debating arguments drawn from the academic literature on international development.

15 credits

Managing Climate Change

This module aims to provide students with a strong understanding of the social and physical science of climate change with relevance to international development. This understanding is then applied to consider the challenge of living with climate change in the Global South. The module is taught through seminars and lectures. Lectures introduce and impart factual knowledge while seminars allow discussion and an emphasis on applying key concepts to practical situations. Together these structure students' learning, and provide an environment in which they can develop their skills in researching, presenting and debating arguments drawn from the wide ranging literature on climate change.

15 credits

Spatial Data Science for Social Sciences

This module is designed to provide an introduction to the concepts and methods of 'data science' and, in particular, how they can be utilised in conjunction with spatial data. The module will particularly focus on applications within social sciences and demonstrate how these skills can be applied in urban contexts . The module will introduce students to how programming approaches can be used to tackle problems in data handling, data analysis, and data visualisation. This will be of particular interest to those who wish to develop their technical and analytical skills in a real-world, problem-oriented context and will add in-demand  employability skills.  It will also appeal to students who wish to understand 'data science' as an approach to investigating the world around us. No prior programming experience is required but students will be expected to have some familiarity with core concepts of coding (e.g variables, operators, assignment, loops and functions) through prior reading.

15 credits

PropTech and Real Estate Innovations (PGT)

This module introduces innovations in real estate with an emphasis on PropTech tools and platforms. It provides students with an understanding of the evolution of real estate digital systems and platforms through computing, internet, cloud, IoT, blockchain, virtual reality, AI, drones etc. The module will develop students' foundational knowledge and understanding of the theory and application of data science and analytics and how these can be applied to a variety of real estate operations and practice areas. The module will also enable students to appreciate and develop other soft skills such as creativity, communication, strategic thinking, ethics, entrepreneurship, and problem solving which have underpinned PropTech and other contemporary real estate innovations. The module will be delivered through a combination of problem-oriented, collaborative and project-based learning approaches and students will be encouraged to critically analyse existing real estate operations and practice enablers. The ultimate aim of the module is to enable students to develop innovative systems to further enhance the economic, physical, environmental and social efficiency of real estate operations and practice. Students will gain perspectives on different digital tools in commercial, residential and operational real estate and across the core real estate practice areas and sectors such as land management, development, construction, finance, investment, valuation, portfolio management, asset and property management, agency and brokerage. Students will also gain insight on other real estate innovative systems such as flexible, shared and third spaces, and the role of technology as enablers of these advancements.

15 credits

The Urban Climate Emergency (PGT)

Climate change is one of the most significant and urgent challenges of the 21st century. Cities generate over 70% of the world's CO2 and consume 60% of global energy, they will therefore play an important part in mitigating the extent of climate change and in adapting to the effects of the climate crisis and its impacts on societies and the global environment. This unit will explore the drivers of climate change and their implications for urban systems, critically considering how urban professionals can respond to these challenges in ways that promote just and sustainable transitions.

15 credits

Issues in Housing

This module will introduce students to a range of enduring housing challenges across different contexts, discussing historic and contemporary policy responses. The module will build both substantive knowledge about the causes and manifestations of housing problems and provide students with the skills to critically evaluate policies which seek to address these problems, grounding insights in relevant theories, concepts, and empirical research. The module will encourage an insight into the range of key actors involved in addressing housing challenges, build students' abilities to question the assumptions underpinning interventions, and develop an awareness of the relative strengths and weaknesses of policy approaches. By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate a nuanced awareness of the origins of contemporary housing problems, situating these within the relevant historical context, to evaluate policy approaches oriented to addressing these challenges, and to suggest new ways forward.

15 credits

Urban Informality

The overall aim of this module is to critically examine informality, with a particular but not exclusive focus on cities of the Global South. The module relies on a mixture of lectures, seminars and student-led group work, with the latter focusing on an in-depth case study of a selected city. It explores patterns and causes of informality and discusses the strengths and limitations of a range of theoretical approaches. It also analyses the success of different real-world urban planning responses (understood in broad terms), including government-led, donor-led and community-focused ones, in addressing key urban issues in the context of informality.

15 credits

Planning Law

The nature of planning activity and its outcomes are underpinned by legal frameworks, procedures and case law decisions. These legal frameworks are intended to ensure clarity and fairness in the exercise of planning powers. They also change over time to reflect changing circumstances and government priorities. 

The following module explores the role and underlying values of law and policy in the English planning system within an international context. Core themes include:

- the discretionary basis of UK planning

- the definition of development

- the legal process for undertaking planning decisions, 

- processes of planning appeal

- the changing status of development plans

- the role of enforcement.

The module will also explore examples where contemporary policy is shaped by legal decisions and the scope for flexibility in working within established legal frameworks. 

Overall the module will provide students with a thorough understanding of the procedures for controlling development through planning.

15 credits

Health, Wellbeing and the City

This module explores the urban environment as a determinant of health and well-being and examines how planning and urban design can contribute to improvements in health. Beginning with an exploration of the historic relationship between planning and public health, the module focuses on how the urban environments support or undermine health in relation to mental health, ageing, obesity, air quality and noise pollution. The module also introduces the notion of health impact assessment and further reflects on the contribution of planning to environmental justice and the reduction of inequalities in health.

15 credits

Urban Heritage and Conservation

This module aims to introduce the theories and practices of urban heritage conservation in a global context, and equip students with the basic skills to appraise heritage value and propose a planning response for conservation. This is achieved by discussing the evolution of the heritage movement and the shifting of conservation focus in the urban built environment. Critical questions will be debated in class such as how heritage is defined, by who, as well as the implications of conservation practices at different scales. We will look at the contemporary challenges to heritage conservation and the role of heritage in future place-making and sustainability. Using case studies, we will examine the creative conservation practices in the UK and internationally. Students will develop their own heritage project to critically apply the knowledge and skills to a real world case.

15 credits

Core modules:

Geospatial Dissertation

This module is a major research project that offers the opportunity for students to develop and manage an individual and [theoretically informed] empirical research project. In the course of this module, students will gain experience in the key stages of undertaking a research project, these include some or all of: identifying a topic; conducting a review of the literature; identifying research questions; selecting methods; designing and conducting a project of research; and presenting the outcome of the project in a logical and coherent written format. They will also develop an appreciation of the issues involved in managing a GIS research project, including experience in sourcing, handling, and processing spatial data in a research context, and will further deepen their knowledge and experience of GIS and spatial analysis skills in a chosen field of study.

60 credits