Geographic Information Science · Ohio

Ohio colleges that awarded Geographic Information Science credentials

13 colleges in Ohio reported conferring Geographic Information Science credentials to the federal IPEDS collection in 2024-25, and every one of them also awarded in the year before. 9 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 2024-25. 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 Ohio that conferred Geographic Information Science credentials in 2024-25, with the number awarded and whether any was a degree.
CollegeCredentials awardedHighest level
Miami University-Oxford39Certificate only
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus30Degree
Ohio University-Main Campus28Degree
Wright State University-Main Campus17Certificate only
Columbus State Community College14Degree
Kent State University at Kent11Degree
Ohio State University-Main Campus7Certificate only
University of Toledo6Degree
Lakeland Community College3Degree
Sinclair Community College2Degree
Clark State College1Degree
Stark State College1Degree
Youngstown State University1Certificate only

How much of this field is in Ohio

Credentials awarded
160
Share of U.S. total
3.9%
Colleges awarding it
13
Awarding a degree
9

Ohio colleges conferred 160 Geographic Information Science credentials in 2024-25, which is 3.9% of the 4,141 conferred across the 46 U.S. jurisdictions reporting any. Of the 13 colleges here, 9 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

  • Certificates: 64%, 103 credentials.
  • Associate: 4%, 7 credentials.
  • Bachelor's: 6%, 9 credentials.
  • Graduate: 26%, 41 credentials.

Most Geographic Information Science credentials awarded in Ohio were certificates. That is 26 percentage points more weighted toward certificates 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 24% of Ohio’s Geographic Information Science credentials. Activity is spread across several institutions rather than sitting with one.

What these Ohio colleges cost

Median net price across the 12 of these 13 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
$9,520
30-48k
$10,504
48-75k
$14,500
75-110k
$19,687
110k+
$20,922

A family earning under $30,000 paid a median of $9,520 at these colleges, against $20,922 for a family earning over $110,000. Individual colleges vary widely around these medians. See every Ohio 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 2023-24 and 2024-25. 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 2023-24 and 2024-25, 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 Ohio — 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.

Questions about Geographic Information Science in Ohio

How many colleges in Ohio awarded Geographic Information Science credentials?
13 colleges in Ohio reported conferring Geographic Information Science credentials to the federal IPEDS completions collection in 2024-25, 9 of them a degree rather than only a certificate. Together they awarded 160 credentials in the fields covered.
Does this mean these colleges currently offer Geographic Information Science?
Not necessarily. Completions record credentials already awarded, so they confirm a program ran and graduated students. They do not confirm it is still admitting. Every college here also awarded in the prior year, which makes a closed program less likely, but confirm directly with the institution before it affects where you apply.
Is a college missing from this list?
Possibly. A new program with no graduates yet does not appear, and CampusPin matches the federal classification exactly rather than guessing, so a college filing under a neighbouring code is absent. Absence is never evidence a program does not exist.

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