Geography - Minor

Geography (Liberal Education) has many specialized fields and exciting career opportunities. A minor in geography can complement and enhance virtually any major area of study, but is particularly popular with communications, political science and legal studies, history, and all areas related to international study and business.

Geography for Elementary or Secondary Teacher Certification Geography is a licensable minor in the state of Wisconsin and you may pursue this minor in a regular on-campus setting or through the campus Distance Learning Program (DLC). The minor in geography for education majors prepares students to meet the growing demand for geography teachers across the country. Be sure to also check with the Teacher Education Department for specific requirements.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an advanced computer-based technology and methodology for collecting, managing, analyzing and modeling diverse types of data. The end products of the GIS are color coded maps and spatial data for a wide range of applications.

The 21-credit minor in GIS is designed to help students of many different disciplines acquire advanced technical skills that they can immediately apply in their careers. This minor is attractive to students who are majoring in computer sciences, business, biology, geology, broad field sciences, political science, sociology, education and transportation.

The GIS program allows students to gain first-hand experience with the some of the most up-to-date tools and techniques available in the field of GIS today.

The GIS minor has three core courses in GIS which are based on ArcInfo, ArcGIS, and their extensions (Spatial Analyst, Geostatistical Analyst, and 3-D Analyst). All GIS students in each course complete class projects using real-world data, often for local businesses, government agencies, or ongoing research at the campus.

Many students have been able to present their projects at professional conferences and undergraduate research symposia.

The GIS minor became very popular at UW-Superior and a growing number of graduates are finding full-time jobs as GIS technicians and managers. Our graduates are currently working for the cities of Superior and Duluth, with state Departments of Natural Resources, USGS, EPA, DOT, and many private companies.

Degrees and Majors/Minors:

Minor:

• Geography (Liberal Education)
• Geography for Elementary or Secondary Teacher Certification.
• Applied Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Let's talk Geography

• Faculty members can guide students in selecting study programs that best suit their interests and career goals.
• UW-Superior has a well-equipped science computer lab in Barstow Hall that has the the newest ArcGIS software installed. The computers in this lab are connected to scanners, digitizers, printers, and a large format plotter.
• Small classes and labs provide opportunities to work one-on-one with faculty members.
• Students completing a minor in geography or geographic information systems (GIS) have opportunities for internships, hands-on study and research.
• Students seeking teacher certification benefit from UW-Superior's highly regarded Teacher Education program.

Why study Geography at UW-Superior?

With training in both the natural and social sciences, geographers have a wide-range of career opportunities following graduation. The program offers students a quality learning environment in which excellence in teaching is of prime importance. Faculty members work closely with students to design a course of study oriented to the students' interests, special abilities, and career objectives. Small class sizes, both lower- and upper-level, active academic advising, internships and research programs promote academic success.