Do I Need a Degree in Geographic Information Systems

Hi Katie and GIS friends! A few weeks ago I received my Bachelors in Geography with Geospatial Technology Concentration and minor in Biology at the University of Central Arkansas I highly recommended the program for those looking for schools. My first couple research projects were unpaid and was mostly basic data entry/cleaning data sets but thankfully due to that experience I was able to get a paid for another research project last summer that lasted about a year. I was able to work with drones and got lots of experience with analyzing Landsat imagery. Last December I was also able to get an internship at my states department of transportation in the Environmental section, currently an intern GIS/Data Management. I am in the process of interviewing for their full-time position. In the section, half of people don’t have a degree in GIS but rather in Biology or computer science, they started to lean towards GIS in their past jobs that worked with GIS a bit. Though the higher positions here do have Geography/GIS degrees. Also I want to point out like you briefly mentioned in your video that just because you get a geography degree does not mean you will learn GIS skills, look at the rubric and ensure there are GIS, field techniques, remote sensing, etc because just having a geography degree with no GIS skills will not land you a GIS job. I wish I discovered your videos sooner, I have been following for about a year now!

Thank you for this video. I stumbled across GIS during my NR bachelor's course and got a minor in GIS & spatial studies. I would really like to go for a masters in GIS and have been on the fence for quite some time, knowing it will cost another 30k. But you've given me some good places to start looking and I appreciate it!

The question of whether someone needs a GIS or a geography degree to get into the GIS profession can depend on what country you are seeking for your job. In the US, employers tend to want a bachelor's degree at the very least for a beginning qualification. That bachelor's can be paired with a GIS certificate if the degree is not in GIS. In some other countries, I have seen that employers are more accepting of employees only having a certificate, however more education may be needed to rise in the company. Management positions may request that applicants have Master's degrees. Academic positions tend to request Master's, to PhD, to post doc. You as the employee need to do your research as to your interests and goals to find out the specific requirements for your career. One last thing, if you go into any technology field, be a lifelong learner! Tech changes. Work changes. The questions you analyze change. You must be prepared for those changes!

Hello everyone! I have a BA in business but I got my masters in GIS. I love the industry so I didn’t matter the subject matter of my job so long as I was doing spatial analysis or spatial data management. My first and current job in the GIS industry is for a water utilities company. I manage the spatial database for two of our contracts and produce map layouts for projects or our clients, while exploring spatial analysis options/extensions for ArcMap that the company pursues to better our rehabilitation processes for the contracts we have.

Nice to see you Katie

Thanks for your videos, they are very helpful! Im in remote sensing with UAVs for agricultural R&D. I use some GIS (looking to expand career to be more GIS focused). I have qualifications in Marine Science and Environmental Management, having various experiences and networking has taken me to this current role. Currently, I find the positions in the market are experience focused, but some do look for computer/data science background, my crazy list of experiences are not necessarily what the HRs are looking for - however, that will not deter me! :)

Hi katie im 21 and a narcist and i adore your video. There is so much information in there that i can use for my career. Which i dont have hahaha. But i want better my life (in earning money because i didnt do this in comparison to how much i partied) and start focussing more on GIS. Natural Hazards may something, but i do not know if im gonna be able to live with how many dead people will cross by if i also need to focus on the news etc. Because think of if we would be able to map emotions ( it was in a ted talk, but i cant remember te name of the woman ) Okay at least thank you for this making this video. Hope you do well !

Katie, me encanta escucharte siempre. Saludos desde Colombia.

Good advice.

Great Answer, it depends. I went the route of Graduate Certificate in a program that allowed me to pursue a Master’s in GIS concurrently. This was at Northern Arizona University. I got my current GIS job at a water utility because of my experience and knowledge in GIS. Before my graduate program I took MOOCs and worked with GIS in my biology work. Like you said, it all depends on multiple factors. Being personable is one of the biggest I think.

thank you my starting my final year in environmental science and just started a 5 months short course on GIS online to give me a foundation. I'm very interested in levelling up with GIS. thank you for your help :).

Hey Katie, thank you so much for this video. Your content is just what I needed to see right now. Thank you. I just recently graduated with a B.S. in geology and didn't take a remote sensing class until the second semester of my senior year. It turns out that remote sensing is something I really enjoy! I've noticed though that although I am really pumped about the field of remote sensing and GIS (not to mention cool stuff like drone flying and LiDAR), I lack coding skills like python and JavaScript (for GEE and other applications). Would it be worth pursuing a Master's in remote sensing and GIS to learn and apply these skills? I have also noticed that the pathway of pay scales on the GIS career ladder goes from GIS tech, to GIS analyst, to GIS developer, to GIS manager. In your opinion, do I need to become a coding wizard with a CS degree to move ahead in this career path past an analyst position?

I've a BS in Geology and have an interview coming up with my local government as a GIS analyst. I have limited relevant knowledge and experience aside from course work. However, I am looking to change that. I have a strong a desire to be an active member of the community and help make positive changes. Thank you for the videos. I'll probably be watching all of them over the next few days as well as any others I can find. If, by some miracle, I happen to get this job I've no doubt I'll be looking to expand my skill set and industry knowledge. Any helpful information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

what should you do if you dont know what you want to do, but have liked maps for almost a decade.

Hey Katie! I hope you don't mind some feedback on a question related to whether I need a degree or not to work in the field. I would work in Europe however but I would still appreciate any thoughts! I've been suffering from health issues since a long time that set back my education and work experience severely (~10 years) due to a sleep disorder. In the past two years I've had successful treatment however and have been catching up on my education. I am well aware of how this will negatively affect my prospects but I am determined to try to improve my possibilities and as part of catching up I discovered a love for geography. Due to being older than most people entering the job market I am currently considering a two year vocational rather than getting a degree. This vocational is entirely focused on GIS and programming. How attractive would I be with a vocational education as compared to a degree in the earth sciences?

youre videos are great. i am a senior graduating in environmental science with a minor in GIS and I really want to work with GIS. I graduate in a week and it feels still hopeless. Do I need a masters in GIS? It feels like I just keep applying to jobs and not hearing anything back. I don't know how to get a foot in the door with no real world experience. Any recommendations?

I would like to use GIS at marine policy as well as investment in blue economy. my goal to build Artificial Intelligence strategy.

I have a bachelors in business information systems and GIS sounds super interesting to me. It sounds like my knowledge of databases may have applications in GIS. I've always been interested in database design, analysis, big data, etc. Sounds like this knowledge may be useful in the GIS private sector, and in that case my business knowledge and my (admittedly kinda limited) coding knowledge may be a plus too

what Is the online course do you recommend to start a career in GIS ??

Hey Katie, Thank you for the information . I wish I knew some this before taking my degree. I recently graduate with a BSc in Geography and a concentration in GIS (October 2019). I'm interested in going into urban panning/ community development sector. I have not heard back from any of the companies I've applied to . I was wondering if you had any useful advice on getting an entry job and how I could build my experience/skills?