Master of Spatial Analysis

Program Overview

The Master of Spatial Analysis with its unique MSA degree designation is an academically rigorous yet professionally oriented, one-year graduate program. Through project-based lectures and labs, a work placement, and a major research paper or thesis, MSA students are prepared to think geographically and master geographic information systems (GIS) to support operational and strategic decision-making in government and industry.

Spatial analysts work for major banks, retailers, and real-estate developers to delineate market areas, estimate sales potentials, and recommend facility locations. Other career fields include environmental analysis and consulting, crime analysis, epidemiology, telecommunications, and natural resource management, to name just a few. Through the effective use of GIS-based analysis, mapping, and reporting, our graduates are shaping the economic and social wellbeing of cities, the settlement and conservation policies of regions, and the health and connectivity of people across the globe. MSA students are also increasingly involved in faculty research and scientific publication, and decide to pursue doctoral studies after graduation.  

The MSA program has its academic home in the Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, Faculty of Arts, at Toronto Metropolitan University in downtown Toronto, Canada’s economic engine and one of the most progressive, multi-cultural, and vibrant cities in North America. Toronto Metropolitan University’s Centre for the Study of Commercial Activity (CSCA) was a founding partner of the MSA program, and remains a key contributor to the business geomatics field of study.