OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2024-25
Geography - Geographic Information Science Major (B.S.) |
Major code BS4235
College of Arts and Sciences
Geography Department
N378 Lindley Hall
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: 740.593.1140
www.ohio.edu/cas/geography
Edna Wangui, Chair
wangui@ohio.edu
Yeong Kim, contact person
kimy1@ohio.edu
Program Overview
Geography bridges the natural and social sciences. Geographers focus on spatial patterns to study physical and cultural environments and how people interact with those environments. Geography is important to humanity because most of the world’s problems require deep understanding of the interdependence between human activities and the natural world. Geographic theories and methods provide students with fundamental analytical skills relevant to any occupation focused on solving social and environmental problems. Reflecting the diversity and breadth of geography, the department of Geography offers nine majors to help students specialize in a subfield of their choice.
The Geography - Geographic Information Science (GIScience) major provides students a strong technical background in quantitative and computational geographic analysis, geographic information systems, and related geospatial science and mapping technologies. The curriculum ensures a balanced background in the theoretical foundations of mapping and geospatial analysis, applied use of geospatial technologies and general computational and information analysis skills. Whether pursuing a career or graduate studies, students completing the major will be proficient with GIS, remote sensing, and cartographic theory and software-based applications.
The Geography Department at Ohio University is committed to excellence in both teaching and advising. Several of our faculty members have received teaching awards. We are known across campus for the highest quality of student advising. As a geography major, you will meet one-on-one with your faculty advisor every semester during advising week, and you are always welcome to talk with your advisor at any time throughout the semester whenever questions may arise. In addition to advising our students about their academic programs, we provide timely information about internships, nationally competitive awards, and other opportunities as they arise. Many of our students complete internships and several of our students have received nationally competitive awards.
For more information about our program, please view this video , visit our website , or reach out to the faculty contact person, whose information is listed above.
Admissions Information
Freshman/First-Year Admission
No requirements beyond University admission requirements.
Change of Program Policy
No selective or limited admission requirements.
External Transfer Admission
No requirements beyond University admission requirements.
Opportunities Upon Graduation
Career opportunities for students with a degree in Geographic Information Science (GIS) are abundant in both the private sector and with government agencies. Career tracks include, but are not limited to, the following: geospatial data technician, geospatial database manager/administrator, cartographer, remote sensing imagery analyst, GIS analyst, software designer, GIS educator, and project manager.
Browse through dozens of internship opportunities and full-time job postings for Ohio University students and alumni on Handshake , OHIO’s key resource for researching jobs, employers, workshops, and professional development events.
Requirements
University-wide Graduation Requirements
Ohio University requires the completion of a minimum of 120 semester hours for the conferral of a bachelor’s degree. This program can be completed within that 120-hour requirement. For more information on the minimum hours requirement and other university-wide requirements, please review the Graduation Requirements – University-wide page.
Liberal Arts and Sciences Distribution Requirement
View the College and Liberal Arts and Sciences Distribution Requirements .
Geography - Geographic Information Science Major (B.S.)
The major requirements for the B.S. degree in Geography - Geographic Information Science is a minimum of 45 hours of geography.
Geography Foundations
Complete the following geography foundation courses with at least the minimum grade indicated for each course. Ideally GEOG 2680 and 2710 should be taken before your junior year.
- GEOG 1100 - Physical Geography Credit Hours: 4
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(C or better grade required)
- GEOG 1200 - Human Geography Credit Hours: 3
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(C or better grade required)
- GEOG 2680 - Introduction to GIS and Mapping Sciences Credit Hours: 4
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(C or better grade required)
- GEOG 2710 - Introduction to Statistics in Geography Credit Hours: 3
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(C- or better grade required)
- GEOG 4799 - Foundations for Capstone Research in Geography Credit Hours: 1
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(Offered only in Spring semester)
- GEOG 4800 - Capstone Experience in Geography Credit Hours: 3
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(Offered only in Fall semester)
Geography Regional Course
Complete one regional course from the following:
- GEOG 3300 - Geography of Europe Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3310 - Geography of Africa Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3330 - Appalachia: Land and People Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3340 - Historical Geography of the United States Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3350 - Geography of Latin America Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3380 - Geography of Asia Credit Hours: 3
Core Courses
Complete the following three required courses:
- GEOG 3600 - Principles of Cartography Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 4660 - Principles of Remote Sensing Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 4730 - Principles of GIS Credit Hours: 4
Core Electives
Complete two of the following courses:
- GEOG 3610 - Cartography II Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 3650 - Air Photo Interpretation Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 4670 - Advanced Remote Sensing Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 4710 - Quantitative Methods in Geography Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 4760 - Advanced Spatial Analysis and GIS Applications Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 4770 - Advanced Topics in GeoInformatics Credit Hours: 3
Applied and Topical Courses
Complete 2 courses at the 3000/4000 level for at least 6 hours, excluding courses listed as foundation courses, regional courses, core courses, or core electives, as well as non-lecture courses that serve to provide credit for internships, independent study, honors thesis, and honors tutorials.
Recommended Courses
The following courses are highly recommended and students are encouraged to take some of them to satisfy the University General Education Requirements and the College of Arts and Sciences Requirements.
- CE 4150 - Geodetic Surveying Credit Hours: 2
- COMS 2400 - Communication for Innovation Credit Hours: 3
- CS 2300 - Computer Programming in JAVA Credit Hours: 4
- CS 2400 - Introduction to Computer Science I Credit Hours: 4
- CS 2401 - Introduction to Computer Science II Credit Hours: 4
- ET 2100 - Engineering Programming Credit Hours: 4
- ETM 3030 - Applications of Object Oriented Programming Credit Hours: 3
- PHIL 1200 - Principles of Reasoning Credit Hours: 3
- QBA 1721 - Introduction to Information Analysis and Descriptive Analytics for Nonmajors Credit Hours: 3
- VICO 3310 - Multimedia Production for Visual Communication Credit Hours: 3
- VICO 2561 - Introduction to Basic Web Design Credit Hours: 3