Education Curriculum

Cartography Curriculum at UW Geography

The cartography curriculum at UW-Madison dates to 1937 and was expanded rapidly after Arthur Robinson joined the UW Geography faculty following the end of World War II. Today, the cartography curriculum sits within a campus-wide array of courses covering geospatial data, GIS, remote sensing, and spatial statistics. Five of these courses are fully or partially dedicated to cartography instruction.

In a recent refresh of the curriculum, we realigned the courses based on two distinctions defining contemporary cartography. The first axis captures the traditional distinction between mapmaking and map use while the second axis captures an emerging distinction between representation and interaction that is increasingly fundamental to cartography and related fields. The refreshed curriculum captures topics ranging from the basics of reference and thematic map design to interactive, web, and mobile map design and visual ethics and critique.

Which Cartography Course is Right for You?

Interested in maps, geography, or design? We’d love to have you in our cartography classes! Each course balances concept with skills, promoting design thinking with industry-standard technology. Take a look at the topics and technologies covered in each class, and pay particular attention to the beautiful array of final projects from prior offerings.

Cartography Programs in UW Geography

The cartography curriculum supports six different degree programs offered through UW Geography. Both introductory and advanced courses also regularly gains interest from students studying anthropology, art, computer science, design, journalism, and political science.

• Undergraduate Major in Geography: Students must select between an intermediate course in cartography or GIS as a breadth requirement;
• Undergraduate Major in Cartography & GIS: Students must complete one intermediate course in cartography and select two advanced cartography or GIS electives;
• One-year Post-Baccalaureate GIS Certificate: Students must complete one intermediate course in cartography and select two advanced cartography or GIS electives;
• Resident Masters in Cartography & GIS: Students must complete one intermediate course in cartography, one graduate seminar in cartography or GIS, and select two advanced cartography or GIS electives;
• Online Masters in GIS & Web Map Programming: Students must complete two advanced courses in cartography in addition to other required GIS and geocomputation coursework;
• PhD in Geography: Students must complete two graduate seminars in cartography, GIScience, or geography, and may complete additional coursework in cartography based on the dissertation focus and background deficiencies.

Follow the conversation with #uwcart

We use Twitter in the classroom to support asynchronous discussion and focus on timely, real-world examples. Follow along with our courses on the #uwcart hashtag!

Education