Western Illinois University Department of Geography

Department News

The Department of Geography

Rocky Sustains. The Department of Geography has a proud tradition of producing quality graduates who serve in positions of education, industry, business, and government. Many of our graduates go on to pursue Masters or Doctoral degrees. In fact, the number of our M.A. graduates going on to earn a Ph.D. ranks in the top 20 of non-Ph.D.-granting Geography departments in the United States.

The Department of Geography offers:

Bachelor of Science degrees in Geography and Meteorology.
A Master of Arts in Geography.
Minors in Geography, GIS, Meteorology and Environmental Studies.
Post-Baccalaureate Certificates in Community Development and Environmental GIS.

The Department also houses the GIS Center. The Center is a partnership between the City of Macomb, McDonough County, and Western Illinois University. Located across from the Geography Department office on the third floor of Tillman Hall on the WIU campus, the Center is responsible for compiling, managing and storing GIS data layers.

Items of Interest

Internship information
Recommended course sequences:
- Geography (Physical) | Geography (Human)
- Meteorology (starting in odd year) | Meteorology (starting in even year)
GIS Center

The department's meteorology program is one of two meteorology programs in Illinois that meet the National Weather Service requirements for employment as a meteorologist and it is the only meteorology program in the state with its own weather radar system (one of the few in the United States having this state-of-the-art technology). The department also is home to the McDonough County GIS Center, a partnership between WIU, the City of Macomb and McDonough County. The Center is responsible for compilation, execution, and management of GIS projects for the city of Macomb and McDonough County.

The department offers planning courses at the graduate level. Students can specialize in one of several emphases including economic development, environmental planning, land use regulation, housing, and community development. The planning track is designed to prepare students to take on complex and challenging issues. Most planning students go on to positions at local, regional, state, and private-sector agencies. Others move on to pursue doctoral degrees.

Food for thought: Bring Back Geography!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Department	GIS Center
Department of Geography Tillman Hall 312 Western Illinois University 1 University Circle Macomb, IL 61455-1390 Phone: 309.298.1648 Fax: 309.298.3003 email: Geography@wiu.edu	GIS Center Tillman Hall 305 Department of Geography Western Illinois University 1 University Circle Macomb, IL 61455-1390 Phone: 309.298.1648 Fax: 309.298.3003 email: GISCenter@wiu.edu