Geospatial Information Science (GISC) Minor

Why take a GISC Minor at UBC Okanagan?

Learn how human-environment relationships are influenced by their spatial context and why spatial arrangements are critical to understanding how ecosystems, cities, and social interactions work.

Career Possibilities

Adding a GISC Minor to your degree greatly enhances your prospects for employment by demonstrating technical ability and familiarity with how to manipulate, analyse, and visualize geographic data sets to solve real-world problems. Acquired GISC skills are transferable to a broad range of professions, such as consulting, environmental assessment, mining and more.

Research Participation

Our close-knit campus allows you to work with professors and fellow students in an intimate and friendly environment that is conducive to hands-on learning. Current research projects focus on: remotely-sensed imagery (e.g. LIDAR) to assess wildfire risk in urban interface zones; disappearing wetlands; wildlife movement; and the power of citizen science.

Experiential Learning

Geospatial information science is rich with a variety of experiential learning opportunities because it involves finding and mining data from disparate sources and mapping them for the purpose of solving real-world problems. Many instructors have private-sector experience, and classroom exercises involve team-work to develop project management skills, beginning with problem definition and formulation through to delivery of project reports and presentations.

Co-op Experience

Co-op placements based on your Major help you gain professional experience that is important to building a resumé, receiving certification from professional organizations, expanding your network of contacts, and it helps to pay for tuition! The GISC Minor gives you an additional skillset that co-op employers value.