Mar 28, 2024  
2019-2020 SUNY Potsdam Academic Catalog 
    
2019-2020 SUNY Potsdam Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Geographic Information Science, B.S.


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The Geographic Information Science (GIScience) degree recognizes that spatial data is interdisciplinary and important to almost all industries, disciplines, and individuals. This degree gives students the knowledge and technical skills that they need to create, visualize, query, analyze, interpret, and share spatial data through coursework in GIScience, a required minor in computer science, and cognate coursework in mathematics, the natural sciences, and art. Core knowledge is complimented by upper-level electives that provide diverse, interdisciplinary training and a recommended set of spatially-focused general education courses.

Program Requirements


Core Required Courses: 21 Credits


Electives: 17 Credits


17 credits of electives must be taken from at least three different departments. Electives are chosen by advisement and general must include course content that provides a conceptual underpinning for spatial issues. Many courses offered by Anthropology, Archaeology, Biology, Community Health, Environmental Studies, Geology, Math, Political Science, and Sociology complement the GIScience program well.

Cognate Requirements: 16 Credits


Minor in Computer Science (Required): 18 Credits


Required Courses: 18 Credits


*GIS majors can ask the CS Department to substitute one of the electives in place of CIS 300 .
**Suggested electives for GIScience majors are CIS 310 - Operating Systems 3 Credits , CIS 410 - Computer Networks 3 Credits , and/or CIS 420 - Database Systems 3 Credits .

Grade Requirements


Minimum grade of 2.0 is required for all courses in the major and for cognates. Students may not S/U GISC courses.

Total Credit Hours Required: 72


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