Courses - Spring 2026
GEOG140
Natural Disasters: Earthquakes, Floods, and Fires
Catastrophic Environmental Events (CCE) that are becoming more common in this time of global environmental change and it is essential that today's students be equipped with the knowledge and skills to be leaders as we, as a society, understand the upheaval that these CCEs are causing. Students will examine how CEEs shape human society and ecosystem from the interdisciplinary perspective afforded by the field of Geography. Students will use the latest geographic science concepts and techniques in exploring these events. Using satellite imagery they will gain a multi-scale perspective of the ecological and societal aspects of the events.
GEOG172
Earth observations from space enable the mapping and monitoring of our changing planet. This survey course reviews current observational capabilities and examines scientific applications in quantifying global environmental change. Drivers and outcomes of key dynamics will be illustrated and discussed, including sea and continental ice loss, deforestation, ocean warming, urbanization, agricultural expansion and intensification, and vegetation response to climate change.
GEOG201
Geography of Environmental Systems
A systematic introduction to the processes and associated forms of the atmosphere and earth's surfaces emphasizing the interaction between climatology, hydrology and geomorphology.
GEOG211
Geography of Environmental Systems Laboratory
Credits:
1
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: Must have completed or be concurrently enrolled in GEOL120, GEOL100, or GEOG201.
A laboratory course to accompany GEOG 201. Analysis of the components of the earth's energy balance using basic instrumentation; weather map interpretation; soil analysis; the application of map and air photo interpretation techniques to landform analysis.
GEOG212
Career Planning for Geographical Sciences, GIS, and ENSP Majors
Credits:
1
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Restriction: Must be in one of the following programs (Geography; GEOG-GIS & Computer Cartography).
Increase student knowledge of professional development opportunities in Geographical Sciences through classroom activities and invited speakers, and to build awareness of career development tools and strategies.
GEOG301
Advanced Geographical Environmental Systems
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: GEOG201 and GEOG211.
Credit only granted for: GEOG398B or GEOG301.
Formerly: GEOG398B.
This course will provide the students with an overview of the key elements of physical geography, including biogeography (factors and processes that control the geographical distributions of plants and animals, climatology (processes associated with controlling variations in weather and climate), and geomorphology (factors and processes that control changes to the physical structure of the earth surface in relation to geological structures).
GEOG306
Introduction to Quantitative Methods for the Geographical Environmental Sciences
Essentials in the quantitative analysis of spatial and other data, with a particular emphasis on statistics and programming. Topics include data display, data description and summary, statistical inference and significance tests, analysis of variance, correlation, regression, and some advanced concepts, such as matrix methods, principal component analysis, and spatial statistics. Students will develop expertise in data analysis using advanced statistical software.
Students must pay a $40.00 lab materials fee.
GEOG331
Introduction to Human Dimensions of Global Change
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: ANTH220, ANTH260, GEOG202, or GEOG201; or permission of BSOS-Geography department.
Credit only granted for: GEOG331 or GEOG361.
Formerly: GEOG361.
Introduction to global-scale interrelationship between human beings and the environment. The development of global issues including but not limited to the environment, food, energy, technology, population, and policy.
GEOG333
The Social Geography of Metropolitan Areas in Global Perspective
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: GEOG201 and GEOG202; or permission of BSOS-Geography department.
Credit only granted for: GEOG456 or GEOG333.
Formerly: GEOG456.
A socio-spatial approach to human interaction within the urban environments: ways people perceive, define, behave in, and structure world cities and metropolitan areas. Cultural and social differences define spatial patterns of social activities which further define distinctions in distribution and interaction of people and their social institutions.
GEOG371
Programming for Image Analysis
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: GEOG276, GEOG306, and GEOG272.
Introduces application programing interface (API) functions and image processing techniques for efficient processing of satellite images. The main programing language of the course is Python. The course will use a Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL) which provides a unified way of manipulating images incorporating geospatial information. For image processing, the course will use Python-based libraries such as scikit-image and OpenCV.
GEOG373
Geographic Information Systems
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Characteristics and organization of geographic data; creation and use of digital geospatial databases; metadata; spatial data models for thematic mapping and map analysis; use of geographic information system in society, government, and business. Practical training with use of advanced software and geographic databases.
Students must pay a $40.00 lab materials fee.
GEOG377
Artificial Intelligence for Spatial Data
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Credit only granted for: GEOG398E or GEOG377.
Formerly: GEOG398E.
Covers the basics of deep learning and expand to a variety of network architectures widely used for spatio-temporal data including convolutional networks, recurrent networks, transformers, generative adversarial networks, diffusion models, etc. with tasks on classification, segmentation, estimation, forecasting, generation, clustering and more. Covers training strategies, transfer learning, domain adaptation, meta-learning, self-supervised learning, knowledge-guided learning, spatial-aware learning, etc. Recent advances such as large foundation models, with discussions on both general-purpose and geospatial-focused foundation models, and ethics aspects such as fairness. The techniques will be discussed in the context of spatial and spatio-temporal data. The implementation side will be based on Python. Students will do projects based on research topics or interests, with applications (domain-driven) or technically innovative (general methodology-driven).
An introductory course to spatial artificial intelligence (AI), providing a big picture of spatial AI applications (e.g., Google Maps, Uber/Lyft, Earth observation, smart cities, autonomous vehicles), techniques, platforms, trends, debates, etc. The course will cover basics of AI, identify challenges faced by AI techniques in the context of spatial data and applications, and introduce spatial-aware AI methods to address them. AI topics include but are not limited to: spatial data models and representation, machine learning, deep learning, navigation/planning, trends including large language models and foundation models for geospatial data, etc. Students are expected to have a broad understanding of spatial AI concepts, develop intuitions and insights to AI techniques, and have hands-on experience with Python at the end of the course.
GEOG384
Internship in Geography I
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F
Prerequisite: GEOG211, GEOG306, GEOG212, and GEOG201; and (ENGL393 or ENGL390).
Restriction: Must be in Geography program.
Supervised field training to provide career experience. Introduction to professional level activities, demands, opportunities. Placement at a public agency, non-profit organization, or private firm. Participation requires application to the internship advisor in preceding semester.
GEOG385
Internship in Geography II
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: GEOG211, GEOG306, GEOG212, and GEOG201; and must have completed a Junior (Professional) English course.
Restriction: Must be in Geography program.
Supervised field training to provide career experience. Introduction to professional-level activities, demands, opportunities. Placement at a public agency, nonprofit organization, or private firm. Participation requires application to the internship advisor in preceding semester.
GEOG398
Special Topics in Geography
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
GEOG415
Land Use, Climate Change, and Sustainability
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: GEOG306; or permission of BSOS-Geography department.
Recommended: GEOG340; or GEOG342; or GEOG331. Or GEOG201; and GEOG211.
Credit only granted for: GEOG415 or GEOG498D.
Formerly: GEOG498D.
The issues of climate change and land use change as two interlinked global and regional environmental issues and their implications for society and resource use are explored.
GEOG422
Changing Geographies of Sub-Saharan Africa
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: Permission of BSOS-Geography department. Or GEOG201; and GEOG202; and (GEOG335 or GEOG333).
Recommended: GEOG130 or GEOG110.
Credit only granted for: GEOG328C, GEOG422.
Formerly: GEOG328C.
Students will develop an understanding of the geographic contexts of SubSaharan Africa, including an overview of the physical, bioclimatic, historical, cultural, political, demographic, health and economic geographies of Sub-Saharan Africa. Students will fill in the map of Africa by studying the spatial distribution within each of these geographic domains. In addition to an overview of geography South of the Sahara, the Congo will be taken as a more intensive case study through additional readings, lectures and discussions.
GEOG431
Culture and Natural Resource Management
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Credit only granted for: GEOG421 or GEOG431.
Formerly: GEOG421.
Basic issues concerning the natural history of humans from the perspective of the geographer. Basic components of selected behavioral and natural systems, their evolution and adaptation, and survival strategies.
GEOG432
Spatial Econometrics
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: Permission of BSOS-Geography department.
Jointly offered with: GEOG732.
Credit only granted for: GEOG432 or GEOG732.
An introduction to modern econometric techniques in general and spatial econometrics in particular, using the popular open source statistical computer language R. A focus on using statistical computing to produce analytical reports for real-world applications, research papers, and dissertations.
GEOG441
The Coastal Ocean
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: GEOG140; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department; or permission of BSOS-Geography department.
Credit only granted for: GEOG441 or GEOG498C.
Formerly: GEOG498C.
Introduction to coastal oceanography, focusing on the physical, biological, and geological aspects of ocean areqs on the inner continental shelves. Wave, currents, and tidal dynamics of bays, open coast, estuaries, and deltas. Sedimentary environments of major coastal types. Ecology and biogeochemical relationships, including benthic and planktonic characteristics. Coastal evolution with sea level rise. Human impacts: eutrophication, modification of sedimentation. The coastal future: rising sea level, hypoxia, and increased storminess.
GEOG442
Biogeography and Environmental Change
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: GEOG301. And GEOG201 and GEOG211; or permission of BSOS-Geography department.
Jointly offered with GEOG642. Credit only granted for: GEOG642, GEOG442, GEOG447, or GEOG484.
Formerly: GEOG4 47.
Biogeographical topics of global significance, including a consideration of measurement techniques, and both descriptive and mechanistic modeling. Topics may include: scale in biogeography, biodiversity, carbon geography, climate and vegetation, interannual variability in the biosphere, land cover, global biospheric responses to climate change, NASA's Mission to Planet Earth and Earth Observation System. The class focuses on both natural and athropogenic controls, impacts of biography on climate and ecosystem services and different methods in biogeography.
GEOG470
Algorithms for Geospatial Computing
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: GEOG276; or a minimum grade of C- in CMSC330 and CMSC351; or permission of instructor.
Cross-listed with: CMSC401.
Jointly offered with: GEOG770.
Credit only granted for: CMSC498Q, CMSC401, CMSC788I, GEOG470, GEOG498I, GEOG770, or GEOG788I.
Formerly: GEOG498I.
An introduction to fundamental geospatial objects and geometric algorithms for spatio-temporal data processing and analysis. Point data representation and analysis: spatial data models and data structures, algorithms for spatial queries, point clustering algorithms. Surface and scalar field modeling, such as terrains: raster and triangle-based models (TINs), algorithms for building and querying TINs. Algorithms for natural and urban terrain analysis: morphology computation and visibility analysis. Applications to processing and analysis of LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) data in the context of terrain reconstruction, urban modeling, forest management and bathymetry reconstruction for coastal data management. Road network computation and analysis: algorithms for route computation in road networks, and for road network reconstruction from GPS and satellite data.
GEOG472
Remote Sensing: Digital Processing and Analysis
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: GEOG272 and GEOG306; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department.
Digital image processing and analysis applied to satellite and aircraft land remote sensing data. Consideration is given to image preprocessing techniques including radiometric calibration, geometric registration as well as atmospheric correction. Analysis methods include digital image exploration, feature extraction, thematic classification, change detection, and biophysical characterization. An application-oriented course project will be completed through the self-guided computer labs.
Students must pay a $40.00 lab materials fee.
GEOG473
Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Analysis
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: GEOG306 and GEOG373; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department.
Credit only granted for: GEOG473 or GEOG482.
Formerly: GEOG482.
Analytical uses of geographic information systems; data models for building geographic data bases; types of geographic data and spatial problems; practical experience using advanced software for thematic domains such as terrain analysis, land suitability modeling, demographic analysis, and transportation studies.
Students must pay a $40.00 lab materials fee.
GEOG498
Topical Investigations
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
GEOG606
Quantitative Spatial Analysis
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
Prerequisite: GEOG305; or permission of BSOS-Geography department.
Credit only granted for: GEOG605 or GEOG606.
Formerly: GEOG605.
Multivariate statistical method applications to spatial problems. Linear and non-linear correlation and regression, factor analysis, cluster analysis. Spatial statistics including: trend surfaces, sequences, point distributions. Applications orientation.
GEOG608
Comprehensive Portfolio Assessment Summary
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
S-F
GEOG615
Land Cover and Land Use Change
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
Prerequisite: GEOG442, GEOG472, GEOG435, or GEOG473; or permission of BSOS-Geography department.
This class provides an examination of land cover and land use change science, addressing the causes, impacts and projection of change. Key concepts of land use science are presented and recent research papers and case studies are reviewed. Class consists of lectures, invited presentations and individual student projects and presentations.
GEOG642
Biogeography and Environmental Change
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Restriction: Permission of BSOS-Geography department. Jointly offered w ith GEOG442.
Credit only granted for: GEOG788C, GEOG642, or GEOG442.
Formerly: GEOG788C.
Biogeographical topics of global significance, including a consideration of measurement techniques, and both descriptive and mechanistic modeling. Topics may include: scale in biogeography, biodiversity, carbon geography, climate and vegetation, interannual variability in the biosphere, land cover, global biospheric responses to climate change, NASA's Mission to Planet Earth and Earth Observation System. The class focuses on both natural and athropogenic controls, impacts of biography on climate and ecosystem services and different methods in biogeography.
GEOG646
Programming for GIS
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Additional information: This class is recommended for all MSGIS students who have no prior computer programming background as well as those who wish to have additional practice. The skills learned in this class will be useful for more advanced courses such as GEOG656 (Programming and Scripting for GIS), GEOG657 (Web Programming), and GEOG650 (Mobile GIS).
An introduction to computer programming using Python and web programming languages. It is required for students in the MSGIS program before they enroll in more advanced programming courses (GEOG656 and GEOG657). This course teaches students the fundamentals concepts of computer science. Students will learn about the components of a computer program such as data management, conditional statements, iterative statements, and file processing. Students will develop programs and web apps for the purpose of automating tasks and assisting with data analysis.
Students must pay a $40 lab fee.
GEOG653
Spatial Analysis
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg
Prerequisite: GEOG579; or students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact the department.
Restriction: Must be in Geospatial Information Sciences (Master's) program; or must be in the Geospatial Information Sciences (Graduate Certificate) program.
Methods of spatial analysis including measuring aspects of geometric features and identifying spatial patterns of geospatial objects that are represented as point, line, network, areal data, and 3-D surfaces.
Students must pay a $40 lab fee.
GEOG661
Fundamentals of Geospatial Intelligence
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, S-F
Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) is the collection, analysis, visualization and dissemination of geospatial information to support decision-making. This course introduces the fundamental knowledge required to become a successful GEOINT practitioner, including the history of the GEOINT discipline, the intelligence applications of remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies, and how GEOINT products are used to support national security and humanitarian missions. Upon completion of this course you will understand the roles that technology, policy, doctrine, government, and industry play in shaping the Geospatial Intelligence discipline, and develop the technical knowledge and domain expertise to create basic GEOINT products that provide context for decision makers.
Students must pay a $40 lab fee.
GEOG670
Open Source GIS
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg
Credit only granted for: GEOG670 or GEOG788A.
Formerly: GEOG788A.
Additional information: Students do not need any experience using open source GIS, but students are expected to be comfortable using a desktop GIS such as ArcGIS.
An exploration of techniques for using Free and Open Source Software for GIS (FOSS4g) from conception to final presentation of results. Advanced concepts and techniques including enterprise GIS, spatial SQL, parallel processing, and displaying the results of GIS analysis over the Internet will also be covered.
GEOG677
Web GIS
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Recommended: GEOG676.
Restriction: Permission of BSOS-Geography department.
This course is designed to: (1) introduce the concepts and theories that are related to an increasingly important technology b (2) introduce various technologies or techniques for creating, analyzing, and disseminating GIS data and services via the Web. Students will be required to practice almost all of the Web GIS tools including client side mapping frameworks like the ArcGIS API for JavaScript, Mapbox, Leaflet, Google Map API, OpenLayers; server side systems including ArcGIS Enterprise (Server/Portal/DataStore), GeoServer; data formats for the web WMS, WFS, Feature Services, MapServices. Students will also be exposed to the experience of working with the Cloud environment such as AWS EC2 and Azure.
Students must pay a $40 lab fee.
GEOG683
Hazards and Emergency Management
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg
Timely and accurate Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) is essential for protecting people from hazardous events such as floods, wildfires, tsunamis, hurricanes, industrial accidents, and terrorist attacks. GEOINT plays a critical role in all four stages of emergency management: preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. The use of remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 terror attacks are two of the case studies that are discussed during this course. You will develop a deeper understanding of the emergency management successes and failures that occurred during these historic and deadly events, and learn the technical skills to develop and disseminate GEOINT products that support decision-making at all four stages of emergency management.
Students must pay a $40 lab fee.
GEOG685
Machine Learning and Data Mining
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: GEOG665 or equivalent.
Introduces statistical and spatial analysis over machine learning in mining data sets (and tackling big data problems), primarily in geography and spatial sciences, but with broader appeal throughout the socio-behavioral sciences. Students will be introduced to a range of methods that can be applied to the exploration, modeling, and visualization of big quantitative data. This course explores data cleaning, statistical analysis, and data-mining for geospatial and non-geospatial data in structured and unstructured form, with an emphasis on large silos of data across diverse sources and assumptions. Topics will include open sourcing, metadata schemes, data standards and models, data-access, data-mining, clustering methods, classifiers, data reduction, machine learning, filtering schemes, real-time and streaming data, archiving and preservation, and handling uncertainty.
GEOG732
Spatial Econometrics
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
Prerequisite: Permission of BSOS-Geography department.
Jointly offered with: GEOG432.
Credit only granted for: GEOG432 or GEOG732.
An introduction to modern econometric techniques in general and spatial econometrics in particular, using the popular open source statistical computer language R. A focus on using statistical computing to produce analytical reports for real-world applications, research papers, and dissertations.
GEOG770
Algorithms for Geospatial Computing
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: GEOG276 or permission of instructor.
Jointly offered with: GEOG470.
Credit only granted for: CMSC498Q, CMSC401, CMSC788I, GEOG470, GEOG498I, GEOG770, or GEOG788I.
Formerly: GEOG788I.
Geometric primitives and algorithms for discrete and continuous spatial data processing. Point data representation and analysis: spatial data structures, neighbor finding and range queries, clustering algorithms. Terrain modeling: grids and TINs, algorithms and data structures for building and querying TINs, gridding and interpolation. Terrain analysis: segmentation through watershed computation, algorithms for visibility computation. Applications to LiDAR data processing and analysis for forest management, urban modeling, and coastal data mapping.
GEOG788
Selected Topics in Geography
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg
Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs.
GEOG788A
Selected Topics in Geography; Changing Geographies of Sub-Saharan Africa
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
Examines the diverse physical, bioclimatic, historical, cultural, political, demographic, health, and economic geographies of Sub-Saharan Africa. Develops advanced student understanding of regional contexts and spatial patterns. Includes an intensive case study of the Congo. Students will engage with academic literature, apply geographic research methods,and complete an independent research project on a topic related to the geography of Sub-Saharan Africa.
GEOG789
Independent Readings
Credits:
1 - 8
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Repeatable to 6 credits if content differs.
GEOG790
Internship in Geography
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Field experience in the student's specialty in a Federal, state, or local agency or private business. Research paper required.
GEOG797
Professional Project
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg
Restriction: Must be in Geospatial Information Sciences (Master's) program.
Data and materials can originate from an internship (internal or external) or from relevant work experience with current employer. Under direction of faculty advisor, students will prepare a project report containing explanation of the requirements for the work, technical account of the activities undertaken, including literature review, description of methods and approaches taken, a critical discussion of results, along with conclusions and recommendations developed from the project. Final project will consist of a full-fledged GIS application that is up and running and can be tested, providing potential employers with a portfolio demonstrating student's ability to manage and develop a GIS application in real world situations.
Students must pay a $40 lab fee.
GEOG798
Selected Topics in Geography: Seminar Series; Seminar Series
Credits:
1
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
GEOG799
Master's Thesis Research
Credits:
1 - 6
Grad Meth:
S-F
GEOG898
Pre-Candidacy Research
Credits:
1 - 8
Grad Meth:
Reg
GEOG899
Doctoral Dissertation Research
Credits:
6
Grad Meth:
S-F
Flagship Institution of the University System of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
/
Phone:
301.405.1000
Copyright
© 2025 University of Maryland
/
Privacy /
Web Accessibility
Contact us
with comments, questions and feedback
/