Geoscience
Essential skills for a changing world.
Courses and fieldwork in the Carthage Geospatial Science Department emphasize critical thinking and problem solving, preparing graduates with essential skills for analyzing today’s global challenges: environmental change, water resources, energy supplies and shortages, population growth and shifts, hunger, disease, and regional conflicts.
What You’ll Learn as a Geoscience Major
Geospatial scientists study the world we live in and on. The discipline focuses on spatial analysis — studying the processes that determine where and how people interact with their environment. At Carthage, the department curriculum will prepare you to address global challenges ranging from climate change and sustainability to environmental hazards and biodiversity. In our courses, you will learn how to collect and analyze data from the field, in the lab, and from online sources.
Capstone experience
All Carthage students must complete a senior thesis to graduate. As part of this capstone experience, students develop and conduct original or applied research in their junior and senior years. Some projects have been presented at national venues such as Posters on the Hill, the National Conference of Undergraduate Research, and the annual conference of the Association of American Geographers, as well as on campus at the College’s annual Celebration of Scholars event.
Beyond the Classroom
Internships and professional development
Carthage has a network of alumni and faculty contacts. We will help you find internships, jobs, and educational development opportunities that will give you real-world experience and enhance your skills.
In the summer of 2016, students engaged in the following:
- An NSF-funded study of energy transfers in thunderstorms.
- A SeaGrant internship.
- A NASA-funded remote sensing and forestry project.
- A GIS internship with the Kenosha Water Utility.
- Educating hikers on the Appalachian Trail in New England.
J-Term
J-Term is a month-long intense study, with opportunities to take courses on campus and travel. The Geospatial Science Department offers courses every J-Term. Recent on-campus offerings include The Science of Global Climate Change and The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource: Water. Recent off-campus study tours include study tours to China, Japan, the Himalayas, Nicaragua, Hawaii, Belize, Iceland, and the Grand Canyon.
Scholarships for Geoscience Students
Geoscience majors can apply to enter the Math/Science Scholarship competition. Two full-tuition scholarships are awarded each year and are renewable for four years.