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