The certificate of undergraduate study in geographic information systems is a pre-professional curriculum in the design and use of geographic information technologies. The certificate consists of three core courses that focus on forms of spatial data and their essential properties, principles and methods for collecting spatial data, principles of map design and effective graphic communication, and how spatial data can be used to investigate complex social and environmental issues. Each of these courses involves a significant laboratory component in which students are introduced to the standards that are used in the development and application of spatial data and to specific GIS technologies, such as spatial database and desktop mapping software and global positioning systems receivers. The second component of the certificate curriculum involves practical experience through the use of GIS in applied settings. Students are required to select at least two courses from the set of designated courses.