Students with a range of interests will benefit from this program by becoming proficient in the use and application of GIS technologies through a flexible set of courses and hands-on experiences. The program offers the training and experience necessary to prepare for the rapidly expanding professional opportunities available in the diverse set of fields that depend on geographic information. GIS and related geospatial technologies, such as remote sensing from satellites and aircraft, are integral to mapping and surveying, environmental analysis and natural resource management, transportation and urban planning, business planning, crime analysis, and disaster management, to name only a few areas.

The Department of Geography is committed to having students understand and engage the world from a spatial perspective through teaching, research and service. Geography is a problem-solving discipline whose programs and Digital Geography Lab provide our students with both technical skills and liberal arts perspective to prepare them for life-long careers.

The Digital Geography Lab (DGL) is known as one of the best geography university-level computer labs in the country. This unique facility is dedicated to undergraduate and graduate geo-spatial computing, education, and research. The DGL supports the department?s extensive and diverse curriculum with specialized software and hardware. The DGL facilitates collaboration within the department, and is a local focal point for faculty, undergraduate and graduate research.The Department of Geography?s offerings combine a strong background in the academic tradition of Geography with applied fields such as travel and tourism, sustainability, remote sensing and geographic information systems. In 2006, the United Nation?s World Tourism Organization (WTO) certified the Department?s Tourism education program (BS degree Tourism Concentration) that conforms to and meets the international standards criteria of the WTO.