Academic Programs
> Undergraduate > Geographic Information Systems (GIS) & Cartography
Purpose: The goal of this specialization is to provide students with basic cartographic skills and to prepare them for vocational activities in mapping establishments. It also serves as a basis for students to enter graduate studies in Cartography, Computer Cartography, and Geographic Information Systems. This specialization requires an in-depth training in those particular fields in which mapping plays an important role (e.g. physical and human geography, geology, regional planning, and economics)
Cartography is a field that has many applications in the public and private sectors. Geography majors who complete the course requirements for this cluster will be awarded a Departmental Certificate. This certificate program is designed to acknowledge professional training and competence in the field. The requirements are designed to include courses that correspond as well as possible with the current requirements for eligibility as GS-5 grade Cartographer with the Federal Government.
Participants in the Cartography cluster are required to take a sequence of courses both within and outside the Geography Department. Students wishing to specialize in Geographic Information Systems and Cartography must contact a Geography faculty member associated with this area of study prior to being accepted into the program. The advising faculty member will work out an appropriate course sequence with you.
Entry Requirements: To become an undergraduate in the Geography department a student should have completed TWO Geography coursed with a GPA of 2.0 or better and must have an overall (UB) GPA of 2.0 or better. Applicants with an overall UB average of less that 2.0 will not be considered.
Grades: It is required that all Geography courses be taken for a letter grade. The only exception is GEO496, Geography Internship, which must be taken as Pass/Fail (P/F) grading. In addition, all non-departmental courses needed to complete the certificate program must be taken for a letter grade. New majors who have previously taken any required course for S/U grades must petition for restoration of the letter grade to their transcript.
Transfer Credit: Students who wish to transfer credit for a course taken at another institution must provide a transcript AND a course description or outline of the course. This should be presented to the Director of Undergraduate Studies or a Geographic Information Systems and Cartography advisor for consideration and possible approval.
For more information, contact Dr. Peter Rogerson, Director of Undergraduate Studies at 645-0483, or an advisor from the list below. Office hours will be posted the first week of each semester.
| Dr. Jared Aldstadt | 117 Wilkeson | 645-0481 | geojared@buffalo.edu |
| Dr. Ling Bian | 120 Wilkeson | 645-0484 | lbian@buffalo.edu |
| Dr. Thomas Bittner | 130 Wilkeson | 645-0492 | bittner3@buffalo.edu |
| Dr. D. Scott Mackay | 113 Wilkeson | 645-0477 | dsmackay@buffalo.edu |
| Dr. David Mark | 301F Wilkeson | 645-0505 | dmark@buffalo.edu |
| Dr. Chris Renschler | 116 Wilkeson | 645-0480 | rensch@buffalo.edu |
| Dr. Leo Wang | 110 Wilkeson | 645-0474 | lewang@buffalo.edu |
| Dr. Enki Yoo | 112 Wilkeson | 645-0476 | eunhye@buffalo.edu |
Requirements for the Specialization in Geographic Information Systems include 12 Geogrpahy courses, 1 Math course and 1 Computer Science course.
GEO 101 - Earth Systems Science I
GEO 102 - Intro. to Human Geography OR GEO 103* - Geography of Economic Systems
GEO 120 - Maps and Mapping
GEO 211 - Univariate Statistics in Geography (formerly 410)
GEO 381 - Cartography
GEO 411 - Multivariate Statistics in Geography
GEO 481 - Geographic Information Systems
Two additional electives:
GEO 475 - Landscape Modeling W/ GIS
GEO 479 - GIS & Environmental Modeling
GEO 482 - Locational Analysis
GEO 483 - Remote Sensing
GEO 485 - Cartography and Geographic Visualization
GEO 488 - GIS Design
GEO 493 - Dynamic Modeling
One Earth Systems Science Geography Course:
GEO 345 - Water Resources
GEO 347 - Climatic Geomorphology
GEO 348 - Landform Development
GEO 350 - Landform Field and Lab Techniques
GEO 352 - Introduction to Soils
GEO 356 - Forest Ecology
GEO 444 - Advanced Earth Systems Science
GEO 470 - Landscape Environment Management
GEO 475 - Landscape Modeling
GEO 479 - GIS & Environmental Modeling
GEO 483 - Remote Sensing
One International Trade Course:
GEO 330 - Dynamics of International Business
GEO 333 - Bases of World Commerce
GEO 334 - Int'l Environments/Commercial Problems
GEO 425 - Industrial/Business Geography
GEO 460 - Geography of Development
One Urban/Regional Geography course:
GEO 366 - Urban Geography
GEO 367 - Urban-Social Geography
GEO 412 - Geography of Health
GEO 418 - Population Geography
GEO 460 - Geography of Development
One Computer Science Course:
CSE 113 - Intro to Computer Science I
One Math Course
MTH 121 - Survey of Calculus I OR MTH 141 - College Calculus I
* Students should note that Geo 103 is mandatory for the 5-yr. BA/MA program
Note: Completion of courses on more than one list fulfill only ONE requirement.
STATS SUBSTITUTION:
If you have already completed one of the following Stats courses, you will not need Geo 211.
Approved subs: PSC408, PSY207, SOC294, STA119, ECO480, EAS308. However, students who take a course outside Geography that is equivalent to GEO211 must complete an additional Geography elective to fulfill the 12-GEO course requirement.