Geographic Information Science and Technology - BS, Earth Systems Analysis Track
The BS degree in Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIST) requires coursework in either the Computation, Design, and Analysis (CDA) track, Earth Systems Analysis (ESA) track, or the Human Systems and Society (HSS) track.
The Earth Systems and Analysis (ESA) track is designed to attract students interested in applying GIST to physical geography. It applies geospatial technologies to the study of the Geosciences and assessing the Earth’s natural resources by providing students with a foundation in biogeography, climate, geomorphology, soil science, geology, ecosystem science, as well as a strong grounding in GIST.
Students will receive a rigorous and modern-day education and training in GIST with application knowledge in physical and human geography. Employers require problem solvers, not button pushers, to address problems in various application domains. The B.S. in GIST is designed to:
- Provide modern-day exposure to the rapidly changing field of GIST
- Balance education and training with a focus on competency
- Provide application and problem-solving experiences
- Support student activities and research
- Provide students with professional experience
- Produce high-quality geographers with strong GIST knowledge and skills
Geospatial technology graduates are in extremely high demand and, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, are one of the highest growth areas in the federal government, particularly in homeland security activities, as well as in energy, software and engineering firms, biomedical and biohazard research, among many others. A 35% annual rate of growth in geospatial technology-related degrees are projected by the U.S. Department of Labor. Students have employment opportunities with the following corporate and government entities:
- Government agencies (federal, state, county, and city): management and planning of urban infrastructure, inventory and assessment of natural resources including agriculture, forestry, and water resources.
- Energy industry: assessing biofuel production and identifying locations suitable for renewable energy resources and mineral exploration.
- Health science industry: determine hotspots of health events and explore causes.
- Military and intelligence community: numerous opportunities exist in military branches and agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and other intelligence organizations.
- Commercial industries: business analytics and marketing, as spatial information can be used to target marketing campaigns, and suitable site assessment to locate companies.
- Geospatial industries: software development, geotechnical engineering, and technology development.
Students select courses with the assistance of the academic advisor in an individualized advising system.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Semester Credit Hours | |
| GEOG 203 & GEOG 213 | Planet Earth and Planet Earth Lab | 4 |
| MATH 140 | Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences | 3 |
| Life and physical sciences 1 | 4 | |
| Select from the following: | ||
| Weather and Climate and Weather and Climate Laboratory | ||
| Botany | ||
| Introductory Biology I | ||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry I | ||
| Principles of Geology and Principles of Geology Laboratory | ||
| College Physics | ||
| Communication | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOG 201 | Introduction to Human Geography | 3 |
| MATH 142 | Business Calculus | 3 |
| POLS 206 | American National Government | 3 |
| Life and physical sciences 1 | 4 | |
| Select from the following: | ||
| Zoology | ||
| Introductory Biology II | ||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry II | ||
| Historical Geology | ||
| College Physics | ||
| Oceanography and Oceanography Laboratory | ||
| Communication | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| GEOG 232 | Cartography and Visualization | 3 |
| POLS 207 | State and Local Government | 3 |
| American history | 3 | |
| Creative arts | 3 | |
| Social and behavioral sciences | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOG 352/GEOL 352 | GNSS in the Geosciences | 3 |
| STAT 303 | Statistical Methods | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Global Climatic Regions | ||
| Geomorphology | ||
| Pattern and Process in Biogeography | ||
| American history | 3 | |
| Language, philosophy and culture | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| GEOG 361 | Remote Sensing in Geosciences | 4 |
| GEOG 390 | Principles of Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Economic Geography | ||
| Introduction to Urban Geography | ||
| Cultural Geography | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Global Climatic Regions | ||
| Geomorphology | ||
| Pattern and Process in Biogeography | ||
| Semester Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| ESSM 459 or GEOG 391 | Programming for Spatial Data Applications or Geodatabases | 3 |
| GEOG 312 | Data Analysis in Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 475 | Advanced Topics in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) 3 | 4 |
| Direct elective 3 | 4 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
| Introduction to Bioenvironmental Sciences | ||
| U.S. Environmental Regulations | ||
| Sampling and Environmental Monitoring | ||
| Watershed Analysis and Planning | ||
| Fundamentals of Environmental Decision-Making | ||
| Forest Ecology | ||
| Geographic Information Systems for Resource Management | ||
| Natural Resources Policy | ||
| Fire Ecology and Natural Resource Management | ||
| Wetland Delineation | ||
| Spatial Project Management | ||
| Physical Geology | ||
| Sedimentology and Stratigraphy | ||
| Hydrogeology | ||
| Fundamentals of Ecology | ||
| Environmental Impact Assessment | ||
| Principles of Statistics I | ||
| Principles of Statistics II | ||
| Semester Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| GEOG 477 | Terrain Analysis and Mapping | 4 |
| Directed elective 3 | 6 | |
Select two of the following: | ||
| Introduction to Bioenvironmental Sciences | ||
| U.S. Environmental Regulations | ||
| Sampling and Environmental Monitoring | ||
| Watershed Analysis and Planning | ||
| Fundamentals of Environmental Decision-Making | ||
| Forest Ecology | ||
| Geographic Information Systems for Resource Management | ||
| Natural Resources Policy | ||
| Fire Ecology and Natural Resource Management | ||
| Wetland Delineation | ||
| Spatial Project Management | ||
| Physical Geology | ||
| Sedimentology and Stratigraphy | ||
| Hydrogeology | ||
| Fundamentals of Ecology | ||
| Environmental Impact Assessment | ||
| Principles of Statistics I | ||
| Principles of Statistics II | ||
| Track elective 2 | 6 | |
Select 6 hours from the following: | ||
| Environmental Change | ||
| Global Climatic Regions | ||
| Resources and the Environment | ||
| Geomorphology | ||
| Pattern and Process in Biogeography | ||
| Natural Hazards | ||
| Coastal Processes | ||
| Workshop in Environmental Studies | ||
| GIS Programming | ||
| Interpretation of Aerial Photographs | ||
| Arid Lands Geomorphology | ||
| Hydrology and Environment | ||
| Principles of Plant Geography | ||
| History and Nature of Geography | ||
| Past Climates | ||
| Field Geography | ||
| Digital Image Processing in the Geosciences | ||
| Dynamic Modeling of Earth and Environmental Systems | ||
| WebGIS | ||
| Global Change | ||
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOG 479 | Principles of Geocomputation | 4 |
| GEOG 476 | GIS Practicum | 3 |
| Directed elective 3 | 9 | |
Select three of the following: | ||
| Introduction to Bioenvironmental Sciences | ||
| U.S. Environmental Regulations | ||
| Sampling and Environmental Monitoring | ||
| Watershed Analysis and Planning | ||
| Fundamentals of Environmental Decision-Making | ||
| Forest Ecology | ||
| Geographic Information Systems for Resource Management | ||
| Natural Resources Policy | ||
| Fire Ecology and Natural Resource Management | ||
| Wetland Delineation | ||
| Spatial Project Management | ||
| Physical Geology | ||
| Sedimentology and Stratigraphy | ||
| Hydrogeology | ||
| Fundamentals of Ecology | ||
| Environmental Impact Assessment | ||
| Principles of Statistics I | ||
| Principles of Statistics II | ||
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 120 | |
| 1 | 8 hours required. Department requires that you take two in the same discipline to meet this requirement. |
| 2 | Track electives comprise 6 hours of focused coursework. The track and specific courses within the track are to be chosen in consultation with the advisor and/or faculty mentor. |
| 3 | 19 hours required. To be selected from the following or chosen in consultation with an advisor. |
Two courses in the degree plan must be Writing Intensive courses designated by the department in the schedule of classes. Also, International and Cultural Diversity Elective (3 hours) and Cultural Discourse (3 hours) must be incorporated into the degree.