Introduction

Please click here to see Geography and Environmental Sciences department information.

GISci Certificate Advisors: Peter Anthamatten and Rafael Moreno-Sanchez
E-mail: Peter.Anthamatten@ucdenver.edu and Rafael.Moreno@ucdenver.edu

The Geographic Information Science (GISci) Certificate in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences is designed to provide CU Denver undergraduates and graduates, as well as non-degree seeking students interested in professional development, with proficiency in the application of spatial thinking, geographic information science, and geospatial technologies in the social and physical sciences, spanning the natural, built and human environments and emphasizing human-environment interconnections. The GISci Certificate core establishes a broad foundation in spatial technologies and methodologies, including geographic information systems, remote sensing, cartography, spatial extensions to database management systems, and statistics. From this base, students can delve into various specialization areas depending on their interests.

Upon successful completion of the certificate, students will be able to:

• articulate and apply basic theoretical underpinnings of spatial analytical principles, methodologies, and techniques;
• effectively utilize at least three different types of software used for spatial analysis;
• apply geospatial thinking, geographic information science, and geo-technologies appropriately; and
• analyze and develop solutions for diverse real-world problems that have spatial dimensions.

Program Delivery

• This is an on-campus program.

Declaring This Certificate

Students interested in completing this certificate should complete this form: CLAS Undergraduate Certificate Intent to Declare Form, which requests that the certificate be added to your student record. Once added, you will be able to run a certificate degree audit. The certificate degree audit should be used in collaboration with the Certificate Advisor to ensure successful completion of the requirements.

Students should then work with Rafael Moreno (rafael.moreno@ucdenver.edu) – the certificate advisor, to ensure completion of all certificate requirements.

Admission Requirements

• CU Denver undergraduate students in any discipline or major may be admitted to the program.
• Of the four core requirements, only the statistics class has prerequisites, including algebra and introductory calculus. Because of the technical nature of the GIS and remote sensing course work, however, some mathematical experience is desirable prior to beginning the program.

Completing This Certificate

Students must also complete the CLAS Undergraduate Certificate Completion Verification Form, before graduation, in order to confirm completion of their certificate. The certificate advisor will confirm that your certificate has been successfully completed, and will work with campus partners to apply the certificate to your transcript.

Students must fill out the Certificate Completion Form before the deadlines below, to ensure the certificate is applied to your transcript correctly. If you are a non-degree seeking student, please fill out this form in the term in which you intend to complete your certificate.

Spring semester – April 1
Summer semester – July 1
Fall semester – November 1

These program requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their Geographic Information Science undergraduate certificate advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.

General Requirements

Students must satisfy all requirements as outlined below and by the department offering the certificate. 

• Click here for information about Academic Policies

Certificate Requirements

1. Students must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours from the approved courses.
2. Students must complete a minimum of 12 upper division (3000-level and above) credit hours from the approved courses.
3. Students must earn a minimum grade of B- (2.7) in all courses that apply to the certificate and must achieve a minimum cumulative certificate GPA of 3.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to certificate requirements.
4. Students must complete all credit hours with CU Denver faculty. Students who completed a statistics course at another institution may apply that transferred course with certificate advisor approval, and must complete all remaining courses with CU Denver faculty.

Certificate Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations

1. The certificate will be awarded when the student graduates with the bachelor's degree.
2. Although the five core courses may be taken in any order, it is advisable to begin with GEOG 2080 The Power of Maps: Introduction to Geospatial Sciences followed by GEOG 4080 Introduction to GIS, since these courses familiarize students with many key concepts used in the other classes.
3.  All core courses are offered on a yearly basis. Any alterations to the program must be approved by the GISci certificate advisor. Any changes to the standard curriculum program must be approved in writing by the GISci Certificate advisor and filed with the GISci Certificate Application Form.
4. Because a certificate is a CU Denver certification of a students' specialized knowledge in an advanced subject matter, all courses in a certificate program are expected to be taken in residency at CU Denver. Only in rare circumstances will exceptions be made regarding this policy. Courses taken within the GISci Certificate Program may be used towards one other degree requirement.
5.  Please pay attention to prerequisites for specific courses.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Complete the following required courses:		12
GEOG 2080	The Power of Maps: Introduction to Geospatial Sciences
GEOG 4060	Remote Sensing I: Introduction to Environmental Remote Sensing
GEOG 4080	Introduction to GIS
GEOG 4081	Cartography
Complete one of the following statistics courses, or one approved by GIS Certificate advisor. 2		3
ANTH 4050	Quantitative Methods in Anthropology
BANA 2010	Business Statistics
CVEN 3611	Engineering Statistics
ECON 3811	Statistics with Computer Applications
MATH 2830	Introductory Statistics
PSYC 2090	Statistics and Research Methods
SOCY 3119	Qualitative Methods
Complete one of the following elective courses:		3
GEOG 4070	Remote Sensing II: Advanced Remote Sensing
GEOG 4085	GIS Applications for the Urban Environment
GEOG 4090	Environmental Modeling with Geographic Information Systems
GEOG 4091	Open Source Software for Geospatial Applications
GEOG 4092	GIS Programming and Automation
GEOG 4095	Deploying GIS Functionality on the Web
GEOG 4235	GIS Applications in the Health Sciences
CVEN 5382	Geospatial Data Development
CVEN 5385	GIS Relational Database Systems (or an elective approved by the GISci Certificate Coordinator)
Or an elective course approved by GIS Certificate Coordinator. 1
Total Hours		18

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Although only one elective is required to complete the Undergraduate GISci Certificate, it is strongly recommended that additional elective courses are taken to broaden the experience and knowledge of the student in GIS analysis and applications. A three-credit hour internship with a geospatial faculty sponsor is highly recommended.

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Approved statistics courses may have prerequisites, and some are 4 credit hours.

To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.