Jun Yan or Kevin Cary

Department of Geography & Geology

1906 College Heights Blvd 31066

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY 42101-1066

(270) 745-8952 or (270) 745-2981

Visit our website: http://www.wku.edu/gis/

B.Sc. in GIScience The B.Sc. in GIScience is a professional 52-hour major

designed for students seeking careers in the fast-growing

industry. Students in this program will take more extensive

coursework in GIS, math, and computer science. Successful

completion of this degree program will allow students to

meet education requirements in becoming a certified GIS

professional (GISP).

Short Description The GIS program focuses on (1) collection, input, and cor-

rection of geospatial data; (2) storage and retrieval of geo-

spatial data; (3) manipulation and analysis of geospatial

data; and (4) creating graphs, charts and maps from such

data. The major in Geographic Information Science re-

quires a minimum of 52 semester hours of GIS-related

courses. The following sequence is recommended:

Freshman: GEOG 100 (or GEOL 102 or GEOL 111),

GEOG 110 and MATH 118 (MATH 116 & 117 can

substitute for 118).

Sophomore: GEOG 300, 316 and 317, CS 170, CE

160/161 and MATH 183,

Junior: GEOG 391, 414, 417, and 419, and CS 180.

Senior: GEOG 443, 477 or 423, 475 or 495, 492, and

499.

GIS Faculty Kevin Cary, M.Sc., GISP

Jun Yan, Ph.D.

Katie Algeo, Ph.D.

John All, Ph.D., JD

Scott Dobler, M.Sc.

Stuart Foster, Ph.D.

Pat Kambesis, M.Sc.

Debbie Kreitzer, M.Sc.

Amy Nemon, M.Sc.

For more information contact:

General Education Core (6 hours): GEOG 100 or GEOL 102 or GEOL 111:

Earth Science

GEOG 110: World Regional Geography

GIS Foundation Courses (17 hours) CS 170: Introduction to Programming

GEOG 300: Geographic Research Methods

GEOG 316: Fundamentals of GIS

GEOG 317: GIS

GEOG 391: Data Analysis & Interpretation

GIS Specialty Courses (19 hours) GEOG 414: Fundamentals of Remote Sensing

GEOG 417: GIS Modeling & Analysis

GEOG 418: Internet GIS

GEOG 419: GIS Programming

GEOG 443: GIS Databases

GEOG 477: Special Topics In GIS

or GEOG 423: Urban GIS Applications

Other Required Courses (10 hours) GEOG 475: Independent Research in GIS

or GEOG 495: GIS Internship

GEOG 492: Advanced Spatial Analysis

GEOG 499: Professional Development

Required Support Courses (15 - 16 hours) CE 160/161: Surveying I & Lab

CS 180: Computer Science I

MATH 118: College Algebra and Trigonometry

MATH 183: Introduction to Statistics

Curriculum

Bachelor of Science

in Geographic

Information Science

For more information contact:

Why GIS at WKU? WKU is the first university in the Commonwealth of Kentucky

to offer a Certificate in GIS, a Graduate Certificate in GIScience, an

undergraduate minor in GIS, a GIS & Spatial Analysis concentration in the Geography B.Sc. degree program, and now a Geographic In-

formation Science B.Sc. degree program. The Department of Geogra-

phy & Geology continues to expand its programs in GIS to meet the needs of today’s students and to offer more opportunities for students

seeking GIS as a tool and/or as a profession. Course offerings range

from introductory GIS to advanced courses in GIS analysis and mod-eling, remote sensing, GIS database design, Internet GIS, and special

topics in GIS applications. Throughout these courses, students will

have opportunities to gain valuable experience by working on applied projects. In recent years, graduates from the WKU GIS program have

been hired by various government agencies and private businesses.

GIS Facilities 2 GIS Teaching Labs

1 GIS Research Lab

Human-Environment Linkages Program Research Center

Hoffman Environment Institute

Center For Cave and Karst Studies Kentucky Climate Center

Kentucky Mesonet

Services at the WKU Center for GIS Internet GIS

Printing Maps or Posters (max width of 42”)

GIS/GPS Projects Digitizing

Data Integration

Geospatial Modeling (2D/3D)

GIS Consulting

Geospatial Analysis

What is GIS? Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, combines sophisticated

computer technology and trained people to develop digital models of

the world around us. A GIS includes capabilities for digital data creation of spatial features, the storage and retrieval of geospatial

data, the manipulation and analysis of those data, and the presenta-

tion of geospatial data using maps, graphs, tables, and other displays.

Why GIS? GIS is a state-of-the-art tool that helps us to understand communities

and regions and to plan for their future more effectively.

It allows us to do so by combining layers of information from multiple data sources. Throughout the world, GIS and other related

information technologies are widely used to improve quality of life

from many perspectives, including:

Farming

Forestry

Mining

Marine/coastal/oceans

Defense and intelligence

Transportation

Electric and gas

Water/wastewater treatment

Engineering

Fire/EMS/disaster/homeland security

Public health and human services

Insurance

Retail business

Telecommunications

Real estate

Banking

Landscape architecture

City planning and management

Rural planning

Law enforcement and criminal justice

Archaeology

Natural resources conservation

Environmental protection

Libraries and museums

Media and communication

…

Hardware 10 Research PCs

21 Teaching PCs

Large Format Printer 2 Trimble Pro XRS GPS Units

2 Trimble Geo XT Units

4 Handheld GPS Units 3 Servers running ArcGIS Server, ArcIMS, ArcSDE & SQL

Software ArcGIS Desktop & Extensions

Student Version of ArcGIS Desktop &Extensions for Home ArcGIS Server & Extensions

ArcSDE

Microsoft SQL Enterprise ArcIMS

ERDAS Imagine

ArcObjects NetEngine

ArcPad

Pathfinder Office CoreDRAW

TransCAD

Python Visual Basic

Java

C++ S-Plus

SPSS

Jun Yan or Kevin Cary

Department of Geography & Geology

1906 College Heights Blvd 31066

Western Kentucky University

Phone: 270-745-4555

Fax: 270-745-6410

E-mail: jun.yan@wku.edu or

kevin.cary @wku.edu

Degree Programs in GIS Bachelor of Science in GIScience

Bachelor of Science in Geography

(GIS & Spatial analysis Concentration)

Master of Science in Geoscience

(GIS & Spatial analysis Concentration)

These programs focus on the skills required in a variety of

technical fields. Students have the flexibility to take a suite

of courses that prepares them for employment in both public

and private sectors. Students who complete either B.Sc.

degree can pursue the Certificate in GISystems and students

who complete the M.Sc. degree can pursue the Graduate

Certificate in GIScience.

B.Sc. in GIScience The B.Sc. in GIScience is a professional 52-hour major

designed for students seeking careers in the fast-growing

industry. Students in this program will take more extensive

coursework in GIS, math, and computer science. Successful

completion of this program will allow students to meet edu-

cation requirements in becoming a certified GIS profes-

sional (GISP). Students in this program will automatically

be awarded a GIS Certificate.

Certificates in GIS Certificate in GISystems (14 hours)

Graduate Certificate in GIScience (13 hours)

Both certificates provide students with the practical GIS

skills necessary for success in a variety of careers. Students

who complete a certificate will have a solid foundation that

spans the collection, management, analysis, and display of

geospatial data using GIS technology. These certificates are

appropriate for students who plan to use GIS as a tool in

their specific disciplines and wish to be certified. Students

can pursue a degree other than Geography or GIScience.

Minor in GIS The GIS minor is appropriate for students interested in ca-

reers utilizing GIS as an analytical tool in a variety of disci-

plines or for students pursuing GIS as a profession in a re-

lated discipline such as geology, computer science, or com-

puter information systems. Students with this minor will

automatically be awarded a GIS Certificate.

WKU Center for

Geographic

Information Systems

Jun Yan or Kevin Cary

Department of Geography & Geology

1906 College Heights Blvd 31066

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY 42101-1066

(270) 745-8952 or (270) 745-2981

Visit our website: http://www.wku.edu/gis/

For more information contact:

Undergraduate GIS Courses Geog 316: Fundamentals of GIS

Geog 317: GIS

Geog 318: GIS For Engineers

Geog 414: Fundamentals of Remote Sensing

Geog 416: Advanced Remote Sensing

Geog 417: GIS Modeling & Analysis

Geog 418: Internet GIS

Geog 419: GIS Programming

Geog 423: Urban GIS Applications

Geog 443: GIS Databases

Geog 477: Special Topics In GIS

Geog 492: Advanced Spatial Analysis

Geog 495: GIS Internships

Graduate GIS Courses Geog 416G: Advanced Remote Sensing

Geog 417G: GIS Modeling & Analysis

Geog 419G: GIS Programming

Geos 510: Independent Research in GIS

Geos 515: Remote Sensing Applications

Geos 517: Spatial Databases

Geos 520: GIS Data Modeling

Geos 523: Urban GIS Applications

Geos 543: Advanced Spatial Databases

Geos 577: Special Topics In GIS

Geos 590: Experimental GIS Design

Geog 595: Supervised GIS Practicum