Geospatial Science Bachelor of Applied Science
Program Description
This program is designed for students wanting to complete a four-year BAS Degree in Geospatial Science and enter the workforce. Students explore both theoretical and practical experience in geospatial science. This degree path prepares students to perform professional geospatial science-based work using geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, programming, databases, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technologies. Upon completion, students will be qualified for career opportunities in numerous fields such as analyst, scientist, instructor, and biological science or security agency environments. Students will also be qualified to continue on to a Master's program in a geospatial field if desired.
This BAS degree is intended to be a continuation of the AAS in GIS from Front Range Community College, but the courses are open to non-degree seeking students as well. All students must complete the GIS Certificate coursework along with MAT 1260 (Introduction to Statistics), and ENG 1021 (English Composition I) prior to beginning upper-level coursework for the BAS.
Transfer credits from accredited programs will be considered.
Learn more about this program.
What You Will Learn
Upon completion of the program you will be able to:
1. Explain how and why industry-specific tools, such as software and equipment, are used and implemented in the GIS industry
2. Use and understand industry vocabulary
3. Demonstrate the ability to properly select geographic and projected coordinate systems
4. Utilize the fundamental concepts involved in the capture, use, and interpretation of remotely sensed information
5. Identify characteristics and importance of statistical relationships in spatial data
6. Create geospatial software programs using programming language
7. Emulate professional standards expected when entering into careers in the GIS industry
8. Work both independently and as a member of a team within typical GIS project scenarios, such as troubleshooting and arriving at a desirable outcome
9. Apply various GIS methods used to collect and interpret data
My Academic Plan: Full-Time
Courses are displayed in a full-time sequence showing the fastest path to your degree. Follow the pathway below to complete your degree. For more information, please see your Academic Advisor.
Fall Semester 1
| ENG 1031 | Technical Writing I: GT-CO1 | 3 |
| GIS 1040 | Vector Based GIS | 3 |
| GIS 1010 | Intro to Cartography for GIS | 3 |
| GIS 1050 | Relational Database Mgmt for GIS | 3 |
| MAT 1260 | Intro to Statistics: GT-MA1 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester 2
Summer Semester 3
| GIS 2042 | UAS Operations/Data Processing | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Semester Note: GIS 2042 is offered in the Summer semester only.
Fall Semester 4
| GIS 2035 | INT Remote Sensing/Image Analysis | 4 |
| GIS 2160 | Land Surveying for GIS I | 2 |
| GIS 2005 | GIS Applications | 3 |
| General Education | Personal Finance (BUS 1016), Intro to PC Applications (CIS 1018), Any COM, Any World Language (1001 or higher), or Any GT Pathways Course | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 13 |
Semester Note: GIS 2005 is offered in the Fall semester only.
Spring Semester 5
Summer Semester 6
| GIS 2161 | Land Survey for GIS Field 1 | 1 |
| GIS 2261 | Land Survey for GIS Field 2 | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 2 |
Fall Semester 7
Semester Note: Upper division courses (3000/4000 level) follow a 2-year rotation schedule. This semester represents courses offered in Fall EVEN years. Students must plan carefully to take courses when they are offered to avoid delays.
Spring Semester 8
Semester Note: This semester represents courses offered in Spring ODD years.
Fall Semester 9
| GIS 3012 | Advanced Remote Sensing | 4 |
| GIS 3011 | Advance Spatial Analysis | 4 |
| GIS 3005 | Programming for GIS | 3 |
| Any GT-SC1 | Any GT-SC1. Prefer: Conceptual Physics w/Lab (PHY 1105) or Science of Biology w/Lab ( BIO 1005) or Botany w/Lab (BIO 2121) or Chemistry in Context w/Lab (CHE 1005) or Phys Geo: Landforms w/Lab (GEO 1011) | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Semester Note: This semester represents courses offered in Fall ODD years.
Spring Semester 10
| GIS 4012 | Photogrammetry and LiDAR | 4 |
| GIS 4088 | Practicum | 4 |
| Elective | Geospatial BAS Degree Electives* | 3 |
| Elective | Geospatial BAS Degree Electives* | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 13 |
Semester Note: This semester represents courses offered in Spring EVEN years.
My Academic Plan: Part-Time
Courses are displayed in a part-time sequence providing flexibility for the working professional. Follow the pathway below to complete your AAS degree within 18 semesters. This pathway may be accelerated by applying transfer credit, credit for prior learning, and/or completing one or more additional courses each semester. For more information, please see your Academic Advisor.
Fall Semester 1
| ENG 1031 | Technical Writing I: GT-CO1 | 3 |
| GIS 1040 | Vector Based GIS | 3 |
| GIS 1050 | Relational Database Mgmt for GIS | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 9 |
Spring Semester 2
| GIS 1010 | Intro to Cartography for GIS | 3 |
| MAT 1260 | Intro to Statistics: GT-MA1 | 3 |
| GIS 1031 | Global Positioning Sys for GIS | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 9 |
Summer Semester 3
| GIS 2042 | UAS Operations/Data Processing | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Semester Note: GIS 2042 is offered in the Summer semester only.
Fall Semester 4
Spring Semester 5
| GIS 2260 | Land Surveying for GIS II | 2 |
| GIS 1065 | GIS Project Management | 3 |
| CSC 1019 | Introduction to Programming | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 8 |
Semester Note: GIS 1065 is offered in the Spring semester only.
Summer Semester 6
| GIS 2161 | Land Survey for GIS Field 1 | 1 |
| GIS 2261 | Land Survey for GIS Field 2 | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 2 |
Fall Semester 7
| GIS 2005 | GIS Applications | 3 |
| GIS 2035 | INT Remote Sensing/Image Analysis | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 7 |
Semester Note: GIS 2005 is
offered in the Fall semester only.
Spring Semester 8
| GIS 2011 | Spatial Data Modeling & Analysis for GIS | 4 |
| CSC 1060 | Computer Science I: (Language) | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 8 |
Summer Semester 9
| General Education | Personal Finance (BUS 1016), Intro to PC Applications (CIS 1018), Any COM, Any World Language (1001 or higher), or Any GT Pathways Course | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Fall Semester 10
Spring Semester 11
Fall Semester 12 (Represents EVEN Year Rotation)
| GIS 3001 | GIS for Natural Sciences | 3 |
| GIS 3050 | Advanced Database for GIS | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 7 |
Semester Note: Upper division courses (3000/4000 level) follow a 2-year rotation schedule. This semester represents courses offered in Fall EVEN years. Students must plan carefully to take courses when they are offered to avoid delays.
Spring Semester 13 (Represents ODD Year Rotation)
| GIS 3005 | Programming for GIS | 3 |
| GIS 3012 | Advanced Remote Sensing | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 8 |
Semester Note: This semester represents courses offered in Spring ODD years.
Fall Semester 14 (Represents ODD Year Rotation)
| GIS 3035 | Geospatial Statistics | 4 |
| GIS 4010 | Geomorphology and GIS | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 8 |
Semester Note: This semester represents courses offered in Fall ODD years.
Spring Semester 15 (Represents EVEN Year Rotation)
| GIS 4011 | Hydrology Analysis with GIS | 4 |
| GIS 4012 | Photogrammetry and LiDAR | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 8 |
Semester Note: This semester represents courses offered in Spring EVEN years.
Fall Semester 16
| Any GT-SC1 | Any GT-SC1. Prefer: Conceptual Physics w/Lab (PHY 1105) or Science of Biology w/Lab ( BIO 1005) or Botany w/Lab (BIO 2121) or Chemistry in Context w/Lab (CHE 1005) or Phys Geo: Landforms w/Lab (GEO 1011) | 4 |
| MGD 1012 or MGD 1033 or MGD 1041 | Adobe Illustrator I (MGD 1012) or Graphic Design I (MGD 1033) or Web Design I (MGD 1041) | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 7 |
Spring Semester 17
| General Education | Personal Finance (BUS 1016), Intro to PC Applications (CIS 1018), Any COM, Any World Language (1001 or higher), or Any GT Pathways Course | 3 |
| Elective | Geospatial BAS Degree Electives* | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
Fall Semester 18
| GIS 4088 | Practicum | 4 |
| Elective | Geospatial BAS Degree Electives* | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
Total Credit Hours: 120
Prior Learning eligible course
• Learn more about Credit for Prior Learning
• View all eligible courses
FULL-TIME BAS Students:
Upper Division Course Rotation (Semesters 7-10)
Upper division courses (3000/4000 level) are offered on a 2-year rotation cycle. Students must plan carefully to take courses when they are offered.
Rotation pattern:
- Fall EVEN years: GIS 3001, GIS 3050, GIS 4011
- Spring ODD years: GIS 3005, GIS 3012
- Fall ODD years: GIS 3035, GIS 4010
- Spring EVEN years: GIS 3011, GIS 4012
Critical Planning Advice:
- This MAP assumes students begin upper division coursework in Fall of an EVEN year
- If you start upper division in an ODD year, you will take courses in a different order than shown in this MAP
- Work closely with your advisor to ensure proper course sequencing based on your actual start year
- Missing a course in the rotation may delay graduation up to 2 years
Prerequisites for Upper Division Courses:
- All 3000/4000 courses require: GIS 2040 (Raster Based GIS) completed
- GIS 3005, 3011, 3012, 3035: Also require CSC 1019 or CSC 1060 completed
- GIS 3011: Requires GIS 2011 and MAT 1260 completed
- GIS 3050: Requires GIS 1050 completed
- GIS 4010, 4011: Require GEO 1011, GEY 1135, or GET 1111 completed
- GIS 4012: Requires GIS 2035 completed
- See the catalog for complete prerequisite requirements
PART-TIME BAS Students:
Upper Division Course Rotation (Semesters 12-15)
Upper division courses (3000/4000 level) are offered on a 2-year rotation cycle. Semester numbers in this MAP are illustrative and represent the sequence of courses, not actual calendar years.
Rotation pattern:
- Fall EVEN years: GIS 3001, GIS 3050, GIS 4011
- Spring ODD years: GIS 3005, GIS 3012
- Fall ODD years: GIS 3035, GIS 4010
- Spring EVEN years: GIS 3011, GIS 4012
Critical Planning Advice:
- Work closely with your advisor to map your actual start year to the rotation cycle
- If you start upper division in Fall of an ODD year, you will take courses in a different order than shown in this MAP
- Missing a course in the rotation may delay graduation up to 2 years
- Prerequisites must be completed before taking upper division courses (see catalog for details)
Prerequisites for Upper Division Courses:
- All 3000/4000 courses require: GIS 2040 (Raster Based GIS) completed
- GIS 3005, 3011, 3012, 3035: Also require CSC 1019 or CSC 1060 completed
- GIS 3011: Requires GIS 2011 and MAT 1260 completed
- GIS 3050: Requires GIS 1050 completed
- GIS 4010, 4011: Require GEO 1011, GEY 1135, or GET 1111 completed
- GIS 4012: Requires GIS 2035 completed
- See the catalog for complete prerequisite requirements
Flexibility in Course Order
- Semesters 1-11 should generally be completed in the order shown to meet prerequisites
- Semesters 12-18 can be adjusted based on when you start upper division and which rotation year you enter
- General education courses and electives can be moved to balance credit loads
Important Program Notes:
*Geospatial BAS Degree Electives: May be taken from any of the following areas of study: Any GT-SC1 or GT-SC2 Course, Business (BUS), Computer Information Systems (CIS), Computer Web-Based (CWB), Computer Science (CSC), Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD), Electronics (ELT), Engineering Graphics Technology (EGT), Entrepreneurship (ENP), Geospatial Information Science (GIS), Fire Science Wildland (FSW), Horticulture & Landscape Technologies (HLT), Management (MAN), Marketing (MAR), Multimedia Design (MGD), Natural Resources (NRE) and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).
You must complete a minimum of 120 credits to complete this degree. If receiving financial aid, you should only take courses and credits as required for this degree. Check with your advisor to monitor your completion progress.