WSU GIS certificate program help students boost earning potential

Wright State University students in a degree program have the opportunity to gain skills in a growing field and enhance their earning potential.

The university offers a Geographic Information Science certificate that’s available to both undergraduate, graduate and non-degree tract students. The one year program, which is offered in the fall, will help students apply their critical thinking skills to a host of career fields, said Daniel Warshawsky, an associate professor in the School of Public and International Affairs.

The certificate features five courses of 18 credit hours that include classes in remote sensing and cartography, the university said.

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When students complete the GIS program, they will be able to analyze spatial data, which is needed in nearly every industry such as public real estate, health, agriculture and manufacturing, Warshawsky said. People trained in the GIS field will also be able to locate food deserts or be called on when power lines go down, for instance.

“GIS really is everywhere,” he said. “It’s for people who want to go into for-profit, government or nonprofit. Every sector uses it because everyone has something that they’re in charge of that they need to know where it is. So students, when they graduate with a GIS certificate, they have those technical skills, and they can have that advantage in the job market.”

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