The introductory geographic information course (CE607, CRP607, GEOG607, GEOL607, GS607) at OSU is team taught by five departments. This course offers the student an introduction to GIS before taking the second course (Intermediate GIS - GEOG 685), with follow-on application courses taught within various departments at OSU.

      The Ohio State University offers a range of degrees for students interested in geographic information systems, including bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. Only the Center for Mapping does not grant degrees; however, the Center supports interdisciplinary research by students and faculty in mapping and geographic information systems. In the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geodetic Science a bachelor's degree in geomatics engineering is offered. The degree includes tracks in GIS, mapping, land information systems and science, geodetic surveying, photogrammetry and remote sensing, and cadastral surveying, among a total of 14 tracks. A dual degree between Civil Engineering and Geomatics Engineering is also offered, which can include remote sensing, environmental, transportation and other options on the Civil Engineering side and GIS, mapping, geodetic surveying and other options on the Geomatics side. Three options for both the master's and doctorate degrees (geodesy, photogrammetry, and mapping and geographic information science, with an additional PhD option to study the underlying mathematical and statistical methods) are offered. More than 900 of the department's graduates are found in geodetic and mapping organizations all over the world. The Department of Landscape Architecture, which offers Ohio's sole undergraduate and graduate degrees in that field, also has a strong educational program. Alumni from landscape architecture occupy key positions in many of the profession's organizations, design firms and governmental agencies, and the department itself has recently been recognized with several university and professional recognition awards for excellence in teaching.

      Master's and doctoral programs in civil engineering are also offered at The Ohio State University. These programs emphasize image processing technology, statistical analysis, data integration and radiometric modeling and are designed to develop students' abilities in acquiring and analyzing data for modeling, engineering and resource management. The Department also supports a dual degree master's program in Civil Engineering and City and Regional Planning. The educational mission of the School of Natural Resources includes a graduate course in the application of GIS/LIS techniques within the graduate GIS curriculum among the other OSU departments.

      The Department of Geography offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and emphasizes three interdisciplinary specialties: urban and regional systems, spatial analysis methods, and atmospheric and climatic studies. These programs are linked to other OSU departments and programs, including the Center for Mapping, the Mershon Center's Office of International Affairs, and the School of Natural Resources. Alumni from the department enjoy a successful placement rate at some of the most prestigious research universities in the country. Other alumni occupy positions with notable semi-private research organizations such as ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

      The Geodetic Science and Surveying group offers courses that deal with geographic information science, particularly data structures and algorithms, as well as course in digital mapping, image understanding, and GIS application. Civil Engineering offers courses in remote sensing. The Geography Department has a series of cartography courses. Natural Resources examines related issues, such as conflict resolution, land management and institutions, which provide an important addition to the overall picture of GIS education at OSU.

      In addition, most of the GIS-related programs allow students to include courses from across the university for credit in their studies. This flexibility allows students and their advisors to develop individually-tailored programs in their field, a benefit of study at such a large and diverse university.