Bachelor's of Science in GIS + CS | Department of Geography and the Environment

Bachelor's of Science in GIS + CS

Bachelor's of Science in Geographic Information Systems + Computer Science

See the GIS+CS curriculum here.

Cloud computing, big data, and Internet of Things (IoT) have dramatically impacted use of geospatial data. The GIS+CS degree at UNT addresses these needs by producing graduates who understand the complexities of geospatial data and are able to leverage computing techniques to convert such data into meaningful information. Watch industry and university experts discuss UNT GIS+CS here.

Elective Tracks: Information Technology and Computer Science.

Graduates of the program:

  • Can apply geographical perspectives to contextualize and interpret complex geospatial processes captured through data.
  • Have a sound understanding of computing principles.
  • Have experience in programming using various languages including C++ and Python.
  • Understand the complexities of using databases - a critical component of GIS.
  • Have taken specialized courses, such as remote sensing, enterprise GIS, computer networks, security, data mining, graphics, and artificial intelligence.

Graduates can expect to find jobs as GIS Engineers, GIS Analysts, GIS Solutions Engineers, and GIS Application Programmers. Such positions typically tend to be part of IT/GIS departments in federal/state/local governments, real estate, logistics, retail, defense, infrastructure, energy, among others.

Students are also eligible for the GIS Certificate (here).

GIS+CS Program & Contributing Faculty

PROGRAM FACULTY

LU LIANG, Program Director (Associate Professor / Advisor BS in GIS + CS)
Office: ENV 310R
Email: Lu.Liang@unt.edu
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/liang3mlab/home

Dr. Liang is a geospatial scientist. The broad goal of her research is to develop novel data, scientific theory, and models to study how the feedbacks among physical environmental, biosphere, and anthroposphere are manifested in land surface change, and how these interactions can be assessed at various scales using rigorous interdisciplinary approaches. Dr. Liang runs a "Monitoring-Mapping-Modeling" (3M) lab, with the focus on using modern opportunities to acquire frequent and accurate spatial data and create more comprehensive and informative analyses by combining the data from different instruments (ground-based, airborne, and satellite measurement) with complementary attributes.

PINLIANG DONG, Program Faculty (Professor / GIS Certificate Coordinator)
Office: ENV 310B
Email: Pinliang.Dong@unt.edu
Website: http://www.geog.unt.edu/~pdong/ and https://faculty.unt.edu/editprofile.php?onlyview=1&pid=1136

Dr. Dong teaches Intermediate GIS, Advanced GIS, Advanced GIS Programming, Introduction to Remote Sensing, and Special Problems. He advises graduate student research in GIS, remote sensing, and applications in geographic and environmental sciences. Recent graduate theses include selecting optimal residential locations using GIS, vegetation mapping using NASAs EO-1 hyperspectral image data, development of a GIS toolkit for wildlife tracking, and small-area population estimation using high resolution satellite images and LiDAR data.

WEI KANG, Program Faculty (Assistant Professor)
Office: ENV 320J
Email: Wei.Kang@unt.edu
Website: https://weikang9009.github.io/

Dr. Kang's research interests reflect methodological and substantive concerns. Her methodological interest is the development of spatial/spatiotemporal analytics and local spatial models which could provide spatially enhanced insights into complex socioeconomic processes. Her substantive research interest is in housing, residential mobility, urban & neighborhood change, inequality, and disaster resilience. Her current project investigates eviction and neighborhood change before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Inland Southern California using a multiscalar, comparative, and mixed-methods framework.

FEIFEI PAN, Program Faculty (Professor)
Office: ENV 210E
Email: Feifei.Pan@unt.edu
Website: http://www.geography.unt.edu/~fpan/

Dr. Pan's research centers on application of theories, numerical models, remote sensing, and GIS techniques to environmental studies, i.e., water resources, hydrology, meteorology, and climate. As a hydrologist with a focus on hydrological processes at the plot, hillslope, catchment, watershed, and basin scales, these are his research areas in recent years: 1) soil moisture dynamics, 2) surface water and groundwater interaction, 3) surface water quality modeling, 4) remote sensing and GIS, and 5) visualization and numerical modeling of vegetation dynamics and snow process.

CONTRIBUTING FACULTY

MIGUEL F. ACEVEDO, Regents Professor
Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering
Office: Discovery Park, Room B260
Phone: 940-891-6701
Email: Miguel.Acevedo@unt.edu
Research Interests: Food-energy-water nexus, particularly sustainable brackish water desalination systems
YUNHE FENG, Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering
Office: Discovery Park, Room F251
Phone: N/A
Email: Yunhe.Feng@unt.edu
Research Interests: Responsible AI, Mobile Security and Privacy, and Social Media
SHENGLI FU, Professor and Interim Dean
Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering
Office: Discovery Park, Room B276
Phone: 940-891-6942
Email: Shengli.Fu@unt.edu
Research Interests: Communication and Signal Processing, Robotics and Autonomous Vehicles
LINGZI HONG, Assistant Professor
Department of Information Science, College of Information
Office: Discovery Park, Room E292E
Phone: 940-565-8545
Email: Lingzi.Hong@unt.edu
Research Interests: Data Science and Engineering; Urban Computing; Crisis Informatics; and Data Ethics
HEEJUN KIM, Assistant Professor
Department of Information Science, College of Information
Office: Discovery Park, Room E295G
Phone: 940-369-7580
Email: Heejun.Kim@unt.edu
Research Interests: Text Mining, Machine Learning, Information Retrieval, Health Informatics, Geographic Information Science