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Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Geographic Information Science

Potential careers include Cartographer, GIS Technician, GIS Analyst, GIS Developer, or Image Analyst in the following areas: urban planning, transportation management, facilities planning, forestry, landuse analysis, surveying, geodesy, logistics, environmental management, natural resource management, humanitarian relief, and government defense or intelligence.

Potential employers include federal agencies (e.g., Department of Defense, Central Intelligence Agency, National Park Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Census Bureau, U.S. Geological Survey), state government (e.g., Department of Transportation, Department of Agriculture), local government (e.g., Cook County, City of Bloomington), the private sector (e.g., ESRI, NAVTEQ), or non-governmental organizations (e.g., Direct Relief, World Vision, National Geographic, World Wildlife Fund). Following this concentration is good preparation for graduate studies in GIScience.

Requirements

Minimum of 15 hours from the following courses*:

  • GEO 138 Maps and Geographical Reasoning
  • GEO 300 Cartography
  • GEO 303 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
  • GEO 304 Advanced Geographic Information Systems
  • GEO 305 Remote Sensing
  • GEO 308 Statistics for Geographers II
  • GEO 351 Cartographic Design

Completion of Cartography (GEO 300) and Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GEO 303) is strongly suggested by the end of a student’s junior year.

Students are encouraged to pursue the Department’s GIS Certificate (contact Dr. Kostelnick). For information regarding curriculum and research assistantships visit the Student Information pages on the Institute for Geospatial Analysis and Mapping (GEOMAP).

Suggested complementary courses, especially if pursuing a graduate degree*:

  • ITK 165 Computer Programming for Scientists
  • PHI 210 Symbolic Logic I
  • ITK 177 Problem Solving for Information Technology
  • PHI 250 Philosophy of Science
  • ITK 178 Computer Application Programming
  • PSY 253 Cognition and Learning
  • ITK 208 Information and Database Access
  • PSY 361 Perception
  • ITK 277 Programming for Telecommunications
  • TEC 211 Architectural Drafting
  • MAT 131 Geometric Reasoning: Geometry as Earth Measures

*Some of these courses may have prerequisites.

Recommended Minors

Computer Science or Mathematics.

Faculty Mentor