Geographic Information Systems Minor
Coordinator: Associate Professor R. Kirk
Professor: MacFall
Associate Professors: Morgan, Xiao
Senior Lecturer: Kleckner
The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) minor is designed to prepare students with the basic training necessary to enter the rapidly expanding field of geographic information science. Employment opportunities are limitless for students who are proficient with this interdisciplinary tool. The U.S. Department of Labor has listed geospatial technologies like GIS as one of the three most important high growth industries in the 21st century. Well-qualified GIS specialists are sought in the areas of business, disaster mitigation, economics, education, emergency management, environmental studies, homeland security, law enforcement, physical sciences, political campaign management, public policy research and analysis, transportation, and urban development and planning. The minor provides students with fundamental knowledge and skills in GIS, and opportunities to explore application of these skills in courses selected from a wide variety of disciplines. Students are given hands-on experience with state-of-the-art computer programs and software.
This minor includes courses from the computing sciences, communications, economics, environmental studies, history and geography, marketing and entrepreneurship, political science and policy studies, sport and event management, and statistics departments. There are three components to the curriculum: a set of three core technology courses, a pair of elective disciplinary courses in which GIS can be a supporting tool, and a capstone experience consisting of a significant project or internship in the student’s area of interest.
Minor Requirements:
Choose six to eight hours from the following: 6-8 sh
| ISC 111 | DATA SCIENCE AND VISUALIZATION | 4 sh |
| GEO 150 | OUR SPATIAL WORLD | 2 sh |
| GEO 356 | INTRODUCTION TO REMOTE SENSING | 4 sh |
Required course: 4 sh
Select two discipline-specific courses from the following: 8 sh
| BUS 211 | MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS | 4 sh |
| CSC 130 | COMPUTER SCIENCE I | 4 sh |
| COM 360 | INTERACTIVE MEDIA | 4 sh |
| ECO 347 | INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMETRICS | 4 sh |
| ECO 440 | URBAN ECONOMICS AND PLANNING | 4 sh |
| ENS 111 | INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE | 3 sh |
| ENS 320 | RESTORATION ECOLOGY | 4 sh |
| ENS 330 | WILDLIFE ECOLOGY | 4 sh |
| ENS 340/GEO 340 | WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT | 4 sh |
| GEO 121 | GLOBAL PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTS | 4 sh |
| GEO 345 | GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE | 4 sh |
| ISC 245 | FUNDAMENTALS OF DATA | 4 sh |
| MKT 416 | GLOBAL MARKETING | 4 sh |
| PHS 301 | INTRODUCTION TO EPIDEMIOLOGY | 4 sh |
| PHS 302 | GLOBAL HEALTH | 4 sh |
| POL 220 | RESEARCH METHODS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE AND POLICY STUDIES | 4 sh |
| POL 321 | PUBLIC OPINION POLLING | 4 sh |
| PST 231 | PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION | 4 sh |
| SPT 226 | FACILITY AND VENUE MANAGEMENT | 4 sh |
| STS 327 | STATISTICAL COMPUTING FOR DATA MANAGEMENT | 4 sh |
COM 360, ECO 347, ECO 440, ENS 320, ENS 330, ISC 245, MKT 416, PHS 301, PHS 302, STS 327: Consult the course description for information on course prerequisites.
Capstone Project: 2 sh
Approved GEO 499 Research Credits, GEO 491 Independent Study, or internship with significant GIS component. Meet with GIS program coordinator to discuss and receive approval form.
Total Credit Hours: 20-22