What is GIS?
Geographic Information Science (GIScience) is the scientific discipline that conducts spatial analysis to examine economic, environmental, physical, and social phenomena. The study of spatial data structures and computational techniques to capture, represent, process, and analyze geographic information are essential to GIScience. GIScience overlaps with and draws from many research fields such as computer science, statistics, mathematics, and psychology, and contributes to progress in those fields. GIScience also supports research in many academic disciplines such as natural resource management, environmental science and engineering, geosciences, agriculture, marine sciences, sociology, history, public health, business, and anthropology.
Courses in GIScience enable students to develop capability in spatial thinking and gather in-depth knowledge in geospatial technology. Geospatial technology is a term used to describe the range of modern tools contributing to the geographic mapping and analysis of the Earth and human societies, e.g. geographic information systems (GISystems), remote sensing, the global positioning system (GPS), spatial statistics, web mapping and navigation technologies.
Potential Career Paths
The U.S. Department of Labor recognizes geotechnology as one of the three most progressive professions today, alongside nano technology and biotechnology. Graduates with GIS expertise are in extremely high demand. Potential career paths include:
- Asset Management
- Banking & Insurance
- Land Use & Urban Planning
- Environmental Science & Agriculture
- Transportation & Utilities
- Engineering & Construction
- Defense & Military Applications
Major Requirements
Students can obtain a B.S. or B.A. degree.
- The GIScience B.A. degree does not require students to take biology, chemistry, physics, or calculus, and focuses on classes related to spatial analysis of social issues.
- The GIScience B.S. degree requires students to take biology, chemistry, physics and calculus and is intended as preparation for students pursuing a career in natural science or engineering with geospatial technology.
The major in GIScience requires at least 31 credits of 2000-level or higher courses in the Department of Geography. GIScience majors complete basic core courses before beginning advanced courses.
Recommended Preparation |
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| Course | Title | Credits |
| GEOG 1302 | GIS Modeling of Environmental Change | 4 |
| GEOG 2410 | New Digital Worlds of GIS | 3 |
Required Core Courses (16 credits) |
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| Course | Title | Credits |
| GEOG 2500 | Introduction to GIS | 4 |
| GEOG 2505 | Applications of GIS | 4 |
| GEOG 3500Q | Geographic Data Analysis | 4 |
| GEOG 3510 | Cartographic Techniques | 4 |
| GEOG 3530 | Introduction to GeoComputing | 3 |
| GEOG W | Any Course (2000 level or above) | 1-3 |
GIS Electives (9 credits) |
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| Course | Title | Credits |
| GEOG 2510 | Visualizing Geographic Data | 3 |
| GEOG 3110 | Location Analysis | 3 |
| GEOG 3500Q* | Geographic Data Analysis | 4 |
| GEOG 3505 | Remote Sensing of Marine Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 3510 | Cartographic Techniques | 4 |
| GEOG 3512 | Introduction to Spatial Data Science | 3 |
| GEOG 4130 | Geographical Analysis of Transportation | 3 |
| GEOG 4230 | GIS and Remote Sensing for Geoscience Applications | 3 |
| GEOG 4515 | Web GIS | 3 |
| GEOG 4516 | Fundamentals of Spatial Database Systems | 3 |
| GEOG 4518 | Mobile GIS | 3 |
Human and Physical Geography Electives (6 credits) |
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| Course | Title | Credits |
| GEOG 2000 | Globalization | 3 |
| GEOG 2100 | Economic Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 2200* | Introduction to Human Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 2300 | Introduction to Physical Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 2310 | National Parks Unearthed | 3 |
| GEOG 2320 | Climate Change: Current Geographic Issues | 3 |
| GEOG 2400 | Introduction to Sustainable Cities | 3 |
| GEOG 3000 | Race, Sex, Space, and Place | 3 |
| GEOG 3200 | Urban Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 3310 | Fluvial Geomorphology | 3 |
| GEOG 3400 | Climate and Weather | 3 |
| GEOG 3410 | Human Modifications of Natural Environments | 3 |
| GEOG 3420 | Field Methods in Physical Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 4210 | Urban and Regional Planning | 3 |
| GEOG 4220 | Population Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 4300 | Advanced Physical Geography | 3 |
Related Courses (12 credits) |
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| 12 credits of related coursework taken in other departments. At least three credits of related courses must be selected from the list of Remote Sensing courses. The following is a list of pre-approved related courses that may be relevant to the GIScience major. Other courses can be used with approval of a student’s Geography advisor. | |
| Remote Sensing: | NRE 3535, 4535, 4545, 4575 |
| Computer Science and Engineering: | CSE 2050, 2100, 2102, 2300, 2304, 2500, 3000, 3100, 3150; 3300, 3400, 3500 CE 2251, 2310, 2410, 2710 |
| Math and Statistics: | MATH 2110Q, 2130Q, 2143Q, 2144Q, 2210Q, 2410Q, 2420Q, 3160, 3410, 3435, 3710 STAT 2215Q, 3025Q, 3115Q, 3375Q, 3445, 3515Q |
| Social Science: | ANTH 2510, 3003, 3090, 3503, 3512, 3513, 3514, 3515 INTD 3584, 3594 POLS 2062, 2072Q SOCI 3201, 3211Q URBN 2000, 2100, 2301Q, 2302, 2400, 3000, 3993, 3981/3991, 3998 COMM 2110, 2940, 3000Q, 3300 WGSS 2124, 2255, 2255W, 3255, 3255W, 3269 |
| Natural Science: | GSCI 2500, 3230, 4050W, 4210, 4735 EEB 4100, 4230W MARN 2060, 3000, 3014, 3030, 3812 |
| Economics: | ECON 2201, 2202, 2211Q, 2212Q, 2301, 2311Q, 2312, 2326, 2327, 3103, 3313, 3421, 3439 |
updated: 09-19-2019