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GEOINT Courses: UNCW Earth & Ocean Sciences

Earth & Ocean Sciences

The GEOINT Certificate accredited by USGIF is housed in the Earth and Ocean Sciences Department but it is an interdisciplinary degree certificate that students in any degree program who meet the major requirements can earn. Courses in the Environmental Science, International Studies, Mathematics and Statistics, Computer Science, and Public and International Affairs Departments can be applied towards meeting the GEOINT Certificate requirements. To qualify for the certificate, students must, at a minimum, have a cumulative average of "B" for all of core courses, and get a "C" or better in each one.

Consult the relevant catalog for specific degree requirements for the base GEOINT certificate components (UNCW program requirements of one of the tracks below must be met before students can be considered for the GEOINT Certificate).

Core Courses for the GEOINT Certificate 

Both undergraduate and graduate students qualify for the external USGIF-accredited GEOINT Certificate; however, to receive this external certificate, students must complete UNCW program requirements. UNCW students who are working toward a geography and geospatial science major, geospatial technologies minor, or who are earning the graduate GIS certificate will be close to completing coursework for this external accreditation. In addition to these program requirements, all students are required to complete a GEOINT capstone experience. For undergraduate students the GEOINT capstone experience can be fulfilled by completing one of the following options: Honors thesis, a geospatial-focused DIS or internship, or the GEOINT Capstone course offered in the Earth and Ocean Sciences Department. For graduate students, the Capstone experience can be fulfilled by completing a geospatial thesis or non-thesis project, geospatial internship or DIS.

Undergraduate students must take a total of 21 credits towards the certificate, while graduate students must take 18 credits to qualify from the list of courses below. When required coursework has been completed, the Program Director, Dr. Peng Gao, reviews students’ coursework and forwards their name for external accreditation and receipt of the Certificate to USGIF.

EOS Undergraduate Courses for Geography & Geospatial Science Majors/Geospatial Technologies Minors

Course # Course Title Credits Geospatial Certificate
GGY 215 Digital Globe 3 3
GGY 220 Cartography and Data Visualization 3 3
GGY 321 Introduction to GIS 3 3
GGY 322 Introduction to Remote Sensing 3 3
GGY 421 Spatial Programming 3 3
GGY 423 GIS Modeling 3 3
GGY 424 Advanced GIS* 3 3
GGY 426 Environmental GIS* 3 3
GGY 428 Advanced Remote Sensing 3 3
GGY 429 Aerial Drone Applications in Geosciences 3 3
GGY 498 Geospatial Internship* 3 3
GGY 480 GEOINT Capstone* 3 3
GGY 491 DIS in Geospatial Topics 1-3 1-3
GGY 499 Undergraduate Honors 3 3
Supporting/Other Suggested Courses
GGY 222 Quantitative Methods in Earth Sciences 3 3
GLY 470 Field Course in Geology 4 4
GLY 450 Geological Oceanography 3 3
GLY 471 Techniques in Applied Geology 1 1
OCN 453 Seafloor Mapping 4 4
GGY 333 Applied Climatology 4 4
GGY 433 Weather Analysis and Forecasting 3 3
EVS Geospatial Courses in EVS (discuss with program directors)

Undergraduate students: GEOINT capstone experience can be fulfilled by completing one of the following options: Honors thesis, a geospatial-focused DIS or internship in lieu of the GEOINT Capstone Course.

EOS Graduate Courses for UNCW Graduate GIS Certificate

Graduate students who meet the requirements for the Graduate Certificate in GIS can also qualify for the GEOINT Certificate following completion of 18 of the credits listed below

Course # Course Title Geospatial Certificate
GGY 520 Fundamentals of GIS 3
GGY 521 Spatial Programming 3
GGY 522 Remote Sensing in Environmental Analysis 3
GGY 523 GIS Modeling 3
GGY 524 Advanced GIS 3
GGY 526 Environmental GIS 3
GGY 528 Advanced Remote Sensing 3
GGY 529 Aerial Drone Applications in Geosciences 3
GGY 593 Advanced Topics in Geospatial Science 3
GEO 598 Internship in Geospatial Science and Data Integration* 3
GGY 591 DIS in Geospatial topics 1-3
GEO 599 Thesis (Geospatial focus) 1-3
Supporting/Other Recommended Courses
GLY 551 Seafloor Mapping 4
EVS 555 Geospatial Analysis for Coastal Management 3
GLY 550 Marine Geology 3
STT 501 Applied Statistical Methods 3
STT 512 Applied Regression and Correlation 3
STT 550 Statistical Data Mining 3
STT 592 Applied Machine Learning and Deep Learning 3

Depending on their individual interests and ambitions, students pursuing the GEOINT Certificate, and seeking to expand their knowledge of issues and regions, are also encouraged to take additional courses in fields such as economics, history, international affairs, and political science, among others.

For additional information about the program or to enroll in the GEOINT Certificate at UNCW, please contact Program Director, Dr. Peng Gao

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