Profiling Cartographic Education in GIS Certificate Programs

In North America there are currently between 50 and 100 widely advertised GIS certificate programs and possibly many more regional programs. The course content of these programs varies widely and includes topics as diverse as cartography, database design, programming, and graphics. This report assesses the cartographic education offered in forty-six programs and suggests issues for a more thorough study of certificate programs. A list of selected GIS certificate programs in the U.S. and Canada is also provided. The cursory survey of programs for this report indicates that cartography is being taught to a degree in nearly all programs, but few programs require courses specifically in cartography.