Geographic Information Science · Colorado

Colorado colleges that awarded Geographic Information Science credentials

8 colleges in Colorado reported conferring Geographic Information Science credentials to the federal IPEDS collection in 2023-24, and every one of them also awarded in the year before. 4 awarded a degree, and 4 awarded only a certificate. That is a record of credentials already awarded, not confirmation that a program is currently admitting.

Colleges and what they awarded

Largest first by credentials conferred in 2023-24. That order measures the size of the graduating class and nothing else: it is not a ranking, and the largest entry is often a certificate provider rather than the strongest degree program. The credential is labelled on every row for exactly that reason.

Colleges in Colorado that conferred Geographic Information Science credentials in 2023-24, with the number awarded and whether any was a degree.
CollegeCredentials awardedHighest level
University of Denver73Degree
Front Range Community College29Degree
Fort Lewis College18Certificate only
Western Colorado University9Certificate only
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus8Degree
University of Northern Colorado6Certificate only
Colorado Mesa University4Certificate only
Metropolitan State University of Denver2Degree

Looking for Geographic Information Science programs in Colorado? This page lists every college that reported awarding Geographic Information Science credentials to the federal government in 2023-24 — 8 of them — with the credential level each one awarded. That is a record of credentials conferred, not a confirmation that a college is currently admitting students, so confirm current availability with the college before it changes where you apply.

How much of this field is in Colorado

Credentials awarded
149
Share of U.S. total
4.2%
Colleges awarding it
8
Awarding a degree
4

Colorado colleges conferred 149 Geographic Information Science credentials in 2023-24, which is 4.2% of the 3,577 conferred across the 44 U.S. jurisdictions reporting any. Of the 8 colleges here, 4 awarded a degree and 4 awarded only a certificate. These counts measure the size of graduating classes, not program quality, and not how many students are currently enrolled.

What level those credentials were

  • Certificates41%61
  • Associate3%4
  • Bachelor's5%8
  • Graduate51%76

Most Geographic Information Science credentials awarded in Colorado were graduate degrees. That is 12 percentage points more weighted toward graduate degrees than the field nationally, where they are 39% of credentials. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and the level a program awards is set by the program rather than by the student.

We measured how much this varies nationwide, and for most fields the credential level is set by the field rather than the state: is your major a certificate or a degree?

How concentrated it is. The single college with the largest reported graduating class in this field accounted for 49% of Colorado’s Geographic Information Science credentials. Activity is spread across several institutions rather than sitting with one.

What these Colorado colleges cost

Median net price across the 8 of these 8 colleges that report it, by family income. Net price is what students receiving federal aid actually paid for the WHOLE college after grants and scholarships, so it is not the price of a Geographic Information Science program specifically, and not a quote for any family.

0-30k
$13,435
30-48k
$13,935
48-75k
$15,941
75-110k
$18,961
110k+
$21,717

A family earning under $30,000 paid a median of $13,435 at these colleges, against $21,717 for a family earning over $110,000. Individual colleges vary widely around these medians. See every Colorado college by income band.

What this evidence does and does not prove

This lists colleges that reported conferring credentials in this field to the federal IPEDS completions collection, in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. It does not confirm that any of them is currently admitting students to the program, and a college can appear here after deciding to close it. Confirm with the institution before it affects where you apply.

How this list was built

From the U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions collection, matched to each college on its exact federal program classification. A college appears only if it conferred credentials in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, which is what separates a running program from one that has already closed.

This page exists because its list of colleges is materially different from that of every closely related field in Colorado — the fields a reader could otherwise mistake it for, such as two engineering disciplines, or nursing and practical nursing. Where a related field resolves to the same colleges, the second page would be the first one with its title changed, and CampusPin does not publish it. Sharing colleges with an unrelated field is different, and not a reason to withhold the page: in most states the same colleges award business, psychology and biology alike, which says something about the colleges rather than about the fields. We measured exactly how often that happens, and published the result: does choosing a major narrow your college list?

What Geographic Information Science graduates go on to do

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Geographic Information Science, ordered by projected annual openings. National figures: openings and pay do not vary by where you studied, and the crosswalk describes related fields rather than a required or guaranteed path.

Occupations associated with Geographic Information Science, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, and the education most entrants hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrMost entrants hold
Managers, All Other$136,550106,700Bachelor's degree
Surveying and Mapping Technicians$51,9407,600High school diploma or equivalent
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists$78,3801,000Bachelor's degree
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary$86,730300Doctoral or professional degree
Geographers$97,200100Bachelor's degree

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). “Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already in the occupation, not a legal requirement, an admission rule, or a guarantee of entry. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

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