Cartography and Geographic Information Systems, B.S.

People often ask, So youre a cartographer? Hasnt everything already been mapped?” No, cartographers are not explorers charting frontiers in an ancient time; we are artists, community organizers, data scientists, visual storytellers, and full-stack web developers. In an era of massive data sets and location-based apps, maps and geospatial data have never been more important, and the UWMadison Cartography and GIS major covers the conceptual foundations and technical skills needed to harness maps and geospatial data to solve societys most pressing problems. Courses range from graphic design and web mapping to big data analytics and mobile app development, with all courses having an important laboratory component to work with industry-standard cartography and GIS technology. So, yes, everywhere has been mapped in some form, but in a dynamic world driven by information and technology, cartographers are needed more now than ever to help us understand our changing planet.

1. Broad spectrum of geographical knowledge and skills, as well as a degree of expertise in a specific sub-field of the discipline (Human, People-Environment, Physical, Cart/GIS).
2. Skills in developing and implementing research plans.
3. Critical reasoning and analytical skills.
4. Communication skills - both written and oral.

All undergraduate students at UW–Madison must complete the university-wide General Education Requirements, which are designed to convey the essential core of an undergraduate education. This core establishes a foundation for living a productive life, being a citizen of the world, appreciating aesthetic values, and engaging in lifelong learning in a continually changing world. These requirements provide for breadth across the humanities and arts, social studies, and natural sciences; competence in communication, critical thinking, and analytical skills necessary for success in college and beyond; and investigation of the issues raised by living in a culturally diverse society. This core is intended to provide students with intellectual and practical skills, basic knowledge of human cultures and the physical world, strategies for understanding these topics, and tools intended to contribute to their sense of personal and social responsibility. General Education complements the work students do in their majors and degrees. Together, these requirements help students learn what they need to know not just for making a living, but also for making a life.

Completing the General Education Requirements is an important part of achieving these competencies, and to do so, students choose from many courses in communication, ethnic studies, quantitative reasoning, and breadth of study across disciplines in the natural sciences, humanities, literature, and arts, and social and behavioral sciences.

Completing the General Education Requirements is an important part of achieving these competencies, and to do so, students choose from many courses in communication, ethnic studies, quantitative reasoning, and breadth of study across disciplines in the natural sciences, humanities, literature, and arts, and social and behavioral sciences.

Each school and college may choose to allow General Education courses to count toward other degree and/or major requirements. Students should always check with their advisors to discuss any additional degree requirements and determine if students are required to take specific General Education courses or to complete the requirements in a particular order. Students should review their Degree Audit (DARS) report to see how they are progressing toward fulfilling the General Education requirements. Please refer to.

Students with questions about the major, courses, and careers are encouraged to contact the geography undergraduate advisor, Joel Gruley, at [email protected].

Cartography and GIS is a booming profession, but remains one of the biggest secrets on campus because of the limited treatment of geography in K-12 education. The Department of Labor reported that there were 425,000 US residents working in the geospatial industry in 2010, and the National Research Council estimates this could exceed 2 million by 2020. Cartography and GIS recently was rated the #1 profession in engineering, in part due to its extremely low unemployment rate (less than 1% of students with degrees!), strong future growth of the job market, and relatively low-stress rating. Our alumni work in local, national, and international government positions, as well as in private industry, including firms such as Apple, Google, Facebook, and Uber, and media outlets such as National Geographic, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

L&S career resources

SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps students leverage the academic skills learned in their major, certificates, and liberal arts degree; explore and try out different career paths; participate in internships; prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications; and network with professionals in the field (alumni and employers). In short, SuccessWorks helps students in the College of Letters & Science discover themselves, find opportunities, and develop the skills they need for success after graduation.

SuccessWorks can also assist students in career advising, résumé and cover letter writing, networking opportunities, and interview skills, as well as course offerings for undergraduates to begin their career exploration early in their undergraduate career. 

Students should set up their profiles in Handshake to take care of everything they need to explore career events, manage their campus interviews, and apply to jobs and internships from 200,000+ employers around the country.

• SuccessWorks
• Set up a career advising appointment
• INTER-LS 210 L&S Career Development: Taking Initiative (1 credit, targeted to first- and second-year students)—for more information, see Inter-LS 210: Career Development, Taking Initiative
• INTER-LS 215 Communicating About Careers (3 credits, fulfills Com B General Education Requirement)
• Handshake
• Learn how we’re transforming career preparation: L&S Career Initiative