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GIS Certificate

The Department of Geology and Environmental Science offers a Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS is a computer-based system that allows you to display virtually any type of information that can appear on a map.  As long as you have precise geographic coordinates, you can plot census data, geologic data, species data, historical data, economic data, and any other sort of information you can find onto maps that may highlight topography, geographic features, bedrock or surficial geology, ecologic setting, satellite imagery, etc.  GIS makes it easy to discover and display relationships between multiple types of information stemming from a range of sources.  GIS is thus a powerful tool for analyzing and understanding the past, present, and future of any given natural or human-made landscape.

GIS topics covered include the nature of geographic data, map projections, raster images, the basic elements of a GIS database, sources of data, and training in the Arc/Info software package.  Students also have the option of focusing on remote sensing, which focuses on how to convert raw data from satellites and air-born instruments to useful images that reveal new information about the geology and ecology of the Earth's surface.  Remote sensing topics include image analysis and processing, field validation of satellite and airborne datasets, GPS training, and the use of software packages such as ENVI, Erdas Imagine, ERMapper, and Trimble's Pathfinder Office.

GIS has become increasingly important in many areas of science, government, and industry.  Students who know GIS are at a distinct advantage when looking for jobs in geology, environmental science, city and regional planning, and engineering. This certificate is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed for immediate success in GIS-related jobs.

Requirements

As of Fall 2026, the GIS Certificate will be revamped with a new set of core and elective course requirements. The requirements listed below pertain to the updated certificate.

If you declared the GIS Certificate prior to Fall 2026, you may choose courses from either the old list or the new one. If you are declaring the GIS Certificate in Fall 2026 or beyond, please see below for the current (new) requirements. If you are unsure which list to use, please contact an advisor.

Core Courses (6 credits)

Elective Courses (6 credits)

Two elective courses may be chosen which have special relevance to the student's major or employment goals. Appropriate courses will be available from many different departments. Courses not on the following list may be selected contingent on approval by the certificate advisor.

800-Level (1 Maximum)

1000-Level

  • GEOL 1045: Statistics for Earth Science (Spring, 3 credits, prerequisite: STAT 0200 or STAT 0800 or STAT 1000 or STAT 1100)
  • GEOL 1060: Geomorphology (Fall and Spring, 4 credits, prerequisite: GEOL 0055)
  • GEOL 1446: Advanced Geographic Information Systems (Spring, 3 credits, prerequisite: GEOL 1445 or equivalent)
  • GEOL 1700: Introduction to Space Science (Fall, 3 credits)
  • GEOL 1701: Geology of the Planets (Spring, 3 credits, prerequisite: GEOL 0055 or GEOL 0800 or GEOL 0870 or GEOL 1700)
  • GEOL 1960 Field Camp (Summer, 4-8 credits at an approved field camp offered by another university, Department consent required)
  • ANTH 1551: GIS in Archaeology (Spring, 3 credits)

  • CEE 1712: Digitalization in Civil Engineering: From CAD to Virtual Reality

  • CEE 1996: Land Development and Geomatics

  • ECE 1390: Introduction to Image Processing

  • HIST 1030: Digital Methods for Humanistic Research

  • HIST 1157: History of Maps and Spatial Representation

  • HIST 1906: Digital Atlas Design Internship

  • HIST 1907: Interconnected Placed Lab

  • IE 1015:Geographic Information Systems

  • INFSCI 1500: Database Management Concepts and Applications

  • INFSCI 1530: Data Mining

  • INFSCI 1550: Geospatial Information Systems (GIS)

  • INFSCI 1560: Information Storage and Retrieval

  • PUBSRV 1320: Geographic Information Systems in the Public Service

2000-Level (Permission Required for Undergraduates)

  • GEOL 2460: Applied Remote Sensing and GPS Techniques

  • GEOL 2640: Advanced Geohazards and Risk Management

  • CEE 2410: Water Resources Engineering

  • PIA 2715: GIS For Public Policy

Urban Studies Courses

  • URBNST 0030: Introduction to GIS*

  • URBNST 0130: Applied GIS

  • URBNST 0150: GIS & Community Data

  • URBNST 0160: Data Visualization

Pitt Regional Campus Courses

  • GEOG 0420: Cartography (Johnstown)

  • GEOG 1440: Geographic Information Systems (Johnstown)

  • GEOL 0109: Concepts in GIS (Bradford)

  • GEOL 1320: Advanced GIS (Bradford)

Other courses may be appropriate if they contain GIS or remote sensing components.  To get these courses approved for your GIS Certificate, contact Dr. Daniel Williams for courses involving GIS and Prof. Michael Ramsey for courses involving remote sensing. Please send a syllabus and an explanation of what material is covered. Make sure to do this early (i.e. well in advance of your planned graduation semester!)

GEOL 1490 GIS/RS Independent Study Capstone (4 credits)

The independent study for the GIS & Remote Sensing Certificate is a major project intended to allow students to reinforce and polish their GIS and/or remote sensing skills. Students interested in projects primarily using GIS should register with Dr. Williams' section, whereas students interested in projects primarily using remote sensing should register with Prof. Ramsey's section. Students may either generate their own projects in consultation with their section advisor, or alternatively, if you are interested in another member of faculty's research, students are encouraged to reach out and work with them in their primary area of interest. After defining the scope, students should plan on spending at least five hours each week working on the project and having regular weekly/biweekly meetings with their advisor.  The purpose of these meetings is to ensure that adequate progress is being made and that the final product will meet the criteria of the capstone project. Sufficient work must be performed to earn four capstone credits. Projects must use GIS and/or Remote Sensing as a major tool, and result in a presentation, report, or poster that describes the results of the research and the final result maps. Click here for complete details on what you should hand in. 

A copy of your project should be turned in to your section advisor - either Dr. Daniel Williams (for projects that are mainly GIS) or Prof. Michael Ramsey (for projects that are mainly remote sensing).