New Master’s Program Connects AI, Geography and Healthcare

A male office worker sits at a white desk with multiple screens displaying GIS mapping data, pointing a stylus at a large monitor showing a 3D urban model and data charts.

The MPS in Geospatial Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare prepares students to use advanced analytics to improve health outcomes and equity.

As the healthcare sector undergoes a major digital transformation, organizations are generating large and increasingly complex sets of health, environment and spatial data that can be leveraged to address health disparities and emerging threats.

To help prepare students for the increasingly in-demand roles that these data opportunities create, the University of Maryland will launch a new, online Master of Professional Studies (MPS) program in geospatial artificial intelligence and healthcare during the Spring 2027 semester.

The interdisciplinary program is offered jointly by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences’  Department of Geographical Sciences (GEOG) and the Department of Health Policy and Management in the School of Public Health. The 30-credit, fully virtual program will prepare students to help solve complex health challenges—from identifying how and where diseases are spreading, to which communities and individuals may need greater resources—by having them take a deep dive into the intersection of AI, geospatial analytics and public health.

"Most graduate programs focus on either healthcare analytics, public health, geospatial science, or artificial intelligence independently," said Mengxue Li, a principal faculty specialist in GEOG who co-led the program's development. "This program is unique because it intentionally integrates all three disciplines into a single professional degree, enabling students to apply advanced technologies to solve real-world challenges. It is a strong example of cross-college collaboration, distinguished by its interdisciplinary focus and integration of AI into the classroom."

Students in the program will gain expertise in geospatial sensing, machine learning and deep learning, with a curriculum that includes courses like “Spatial Analysis for Public Health,” “Web GIS for Public Health,” and “Deep Learning for Geospatial Health Data.” The interdisciplinary partnership between GEOG and the Department of Health Policy and Management ensures that graduates gain a comprehensive understanding of both technical tools, and the healthcare systems in which they are applied.

“GeoAI and healthcare fuses patient location data with machine learning to map disease outbreaks, predict environmental health risks, address access and health disparities by identifying neighborhoods lacking medical services, and promote preventive care by flagging patients who are at high risk for hospital readmissions," said Clinical Professor Negin Fouladi of the School of Public Health. "This technology helps health systems anticipate where crises will happen and allocate resources exactly where they are most needed."

Graduates will be prepared for a variety of roles, including health data scientists, spatial epidemiologists and GeoAI analysts. Given the university's proximity to Washington, D.C., students in the MPS program will also benefit from increased access to federal agencies, and nearby healthcare organizations and technology partners.

The program is currently open for applications for the Spring 2027 semester. Find more information on the program's website.

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Published on Wed, 06/24/2026 - 10:28