Cartography and Geographic Information Systems, B.A.

Program Overview

This undergraduate program in Cartography and GIS provides a comprehensive foundation in geographic concepts, skills, and techniques. Students develop proficiency in cartography, GIS, quantitative methods, and mathematics, preparing them for careers in the rapidly growing geospatial industry. The program culminates in a capstone project, providing hands-on experience and showcasing students' research and analytical abilities.

Program Outline

Outline:

Breadth

• 3 courses, 1 each from these areas:
• Human Geography
• People-Environment
• Physical Geography

Skills, Techniques & Methodology

• Core Cartography/GIS
• GEOG 370 Introduction to Cartography
• GEOG/ENVIR ST/F&W ECOL/G L E/GEOSCI/LAND ARC 371 Introduction to Environmental Remote Sensing or GEOG 379 Geospatial Technologies: Drones, Sensors, and Applications
• GEOG/CIV ENGR/ENVIR ST 377 An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
• GEOG 378 Introduction to Geocomputing
• Quantitative Methods (1 course)
• GEOG 560 Advanced Quantitative Methods
• STAT 301 Introduction to Statistical Methods
• STAT 324 Introductory Applied Statistics for Engineers
• STAT 371 Introductory Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences
• Mathematics Proficiency
• Complete one of the following by Placement or by completing the course
• MATH 112 & MATH 113 Algebra and Trigonometry
• MATH 114 Algebra and Trigonometry

Depth

• Two courses

Capstone

• Complete one of:
• GEOG 565 Colloquium for Undergraduate Majors

Careers:

Cartography and GIS is a booming profession, but remains one of the biggest secrets on campus because of the limited treatment of geography in K-12 education. The Department of Labor reported that there were 425,000 US residents working in the geospatial industry in 2010, and the National Research Council estimates this could exceed 2 million by 2020. Cartography and GIS recently was rated the #1 profession in engineering, in part due to its extremely low unemployment rate (less than 1% of students with degrees! ), strong future growth of the job market, and relatively low-stress rating. Our alumni work in local, national, and international government positions, as well as in private industry, including firms such as Apple, Google, Facebook, and Uber, and media outlets such as National Geographic, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.