Geographic Information Science Major (GISJ)

Geographic Information Science major provides students with a strong technical background in quantitative geographic analysis, geographic information systems, remote sensing, global navigational satellite systems, and related mapping technologies. Students who complete the major will be able to acquire, manage, analyze, visualize, and represent geospatial data, or information related to geographical locations. 32 hours are required for this major.

Required Core Courses (25-26 hours)

GEOG 1050 - Physical Geography Credits: 4 hours
GEOG 2050 - Human Geography Credits: 3 hours
GEOG 2650 - Our Digital Earth: An Introduction to Geospatial Technologies Credits: 3 hours
GEOG 3010 - Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems Credits: 4 hours
GEOG 3030 - Geographic Inquiry Credits: 4 hours
(Satisfies Baccalaureate-Level Writing requirement)

And one of the following GIS classes:

GEOG 4670 - GIS Projects and Programming Credits: 3 hours
GEOG 4685 - Internet GIS Credits: 3 hours
GEOG 5690 - Geospatial Workflows Credits: 3 hours
GEOG 3010 - Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems Credits: 4 hours
GEOG 5830 - Remote Sensing Credits: 3 hours

Electives (6-7 hours)

The remaining 6 to 7 hours may be selected from 2000-level and above geography courses as approved by the Department of Geography undergraduate advisor.

Accelerated Graduate Degree Program

Students in this major are eligible for the department’s Accelerated Graduate Degree Program (AGDP). Interested students should consult WMU’s Graduate Catalog and, in their sophomore or early junior year, contact the department for details.