Nevada has 3 schools with verified geography or geographic information systems (GIS) credentials: 2 public universities and 1 community college. The University of Nevada, Reno offers the state’s only geography bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees. UNLV offers an undergraduate GIS certificate and two geospatial microcredentials, and Truckee Meadows Community College offers a short geospatial skills certificate. No Nevada school offers a fully online geography or GIS degree. The University of Nevada, Reno’s online undergraduate GIS certificate is the only verified fully online option.
Nevada Geography and GIS Programs at a Glance
Undergraduate Degrees and Certificates
| School | Credentials | Format | Credits | Distinguishing feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nevada, Reno | Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Geography Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Geography Geographic Information Systems and Sciences (GIS) Certificate (undergraduate) | Degrees: campus (Reno) Certificate: campus, or a separate fully online version | B.A./B.S.: 120 (major 39 to 40 for the B.A., 45 to 47 for the B.S.) Certificate: 16 to 17 | The B.S. adds a quantitative requirement in spatial analysis and statistics |
| University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Certificate in Geographic Information Systems and Sciences (GIS) Geospatial Analysis Microcredential Geospatial Science Microcredential | Not stated as online (Las Vegas campus) | Certificate: 17 Microcredentials: 11 and 7 | Certificate is open only to students in a UNLV bachelor’s degree |
Graduate Degrees and Certificates
| School | Credentials | Format | Credits | Distinguishing feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nevada, Reno | Master of Science (M.S.) in Geography Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Geography GIS Graduate Certificate | Campus (Reno) | M.S.: 30 Ph.D.: 60 Certificate: 13 to 14 | M.S. offers a thesis or a professional paper; the certificate admits on a rolling basis |
Credentials were verified against 2026–27 catalogs. Minors are not listed.
Community College Degrees and Certificates
| College | Credential | Units | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truckee Meadows Community College | Geospatial Data Management Skills Certificate | 9 | Not on the college’s list of programs that can be completed online (Reno) |
The University of Nevada, Reno publishes transfer agreements into its geography B.A. and B.S. from the College of Southern Nevada, Great Basin College, Truckee Meadows, and Western Nevada College. These are transfer pathways, not GIS credentials, so they are not counted. Great Basin College and the College of Southern Nevada offer land surveying and geomatics degrees that include GIS coursework; they are surveying credentials and are listed under schools not included.
Online Geography and GIS Programs in Nevada
An online course is not the same as an online degree. The program below has an official statement that the full credential can be completed online. The next list covers programs that offer some coursework online or have no online statement.
Verified fully online options
- University of Nevada, Reno GIS Certificate (Online): the 2026–27 catalog lists a separate online version of the 16- to 17-credit undergraduate certificate, and Nevada Online, the university’s online program office, lists it as an online certificate. Its elective choices are limited to Advanced GIS Analysis, Remote Sensing, and Spatial Analysis. Nonresidents enrolled fully online pay a distance education rate instead of full nonresident tuition.
Online coursework, but not a verified fully online program
- University of Nevada, Reno GIS Graduate Certificate: the catalog does not describe the graduate certificate as online.
- UNLV GIS certificate and microcredentials: the catalog gives no delivery format for these programs.
- Truckee Meadows Geospatial Data Management certificate: the catalog does not tag it as a program that can be completed online.
- Geography degrees: UNR’s geography B.A., B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. are campus programs. UNR also offers an online geography minor, but minors are not listed here.
- Related, not counted: Great Basin College describes its A.S. and Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) in Land Surveying/Geomatics as online programs, with required field labs for the bachelor’s degree. They are surveying credentials, not geography or GIS credentials.
For programs based in other states, see online geography schools.
Nevada School Summaries
University of Nevada, Reno
UNR’s Department of Geography, in the College of Science, offers the only geography degrees in Nevada. The 120-credit B.A. in Geography emphasizes human geography and requires fourth-semester proficiency in a world language. The 120-credit B.S. in Geography emphasizes physical geography and adds a 6- to 7-credit quantitative requirement: Spatial Analysis plus an introductory statistics course. Both majors start with a 12-credit introductory core that includes Introduction to Geotechnology and Geographic Methods, then require one course from each of four breadth areas (local to global environments, individuals and society, sustainability, and tools and techniques) and 15 upper-division geography elective credits. The major totals 39 to 40 credits for the B.A. and 45 to 47 for the B.S.
The 16- to 17-credit GIS Certificate requires Introduction to Geotechnology, GIS I, GIS Design Studio, and The Power of Maps: Fundamentals of Cartography, plus one elective. Campus students can choose the elective from a list that includes drone (UAS) applications, GIS programming, and remote sensing courses in several departments. The online version limits the elective to Advanced GIS Analysis, Remote Sensing, or Spatial Analysis. The department says students who add one course to its Geotechnologies minor can earn both the minor and the certificate. Students enrolled only in the certificate are not eligible for federal financial aid.
The M.S. in Geography has a thesis option and a non-thesis option built around a professional paper. Both include History and Nature of Geography, a colloquium, and 6 credits of graduate methods courses. The 2026–27 catalog lists 30 credits for both plans, while the department’s web page lists 31 credits for the thesis plan and 36 for the professional paper plan, so applicants should confirm the current total. The Ph.D. in Geography requires a master’s degree for admission. The catalog lists 60 credits, including 18 dissertation credits and a comprehensive examination, with up to 24 credits accepted from a master’s degree; the department’s page says 72 credits. GRE scores are optional for both degrees, and complete applications received by December 15 are considered for fall. The department offers one-year graduate teaching assistantships and grant-funded research assistantships. The catalog lists the Nevada State Climate Office among the department’s research facilities.
The 13- to 14-credit GIS Graduate Certificate requires the graduate versions of GIS I, GIS Design Studio, and cartography, plus one elective from a list that includes GIS in archaeology, remote sensing, landscape ecology, and Python courses. Admission requires a bachelor’s degree with a 2.75 GPA, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis. The department also offers a Land Use Planning Policy M.S. Its core does not require a GIS course, so it is not listed as a GIS program.
Sources: Geography B.A.; Geography B.S.; GIS certificate; online GIS certificate; Geography M.S.; Geography Ph.D.; GIS graduate certificate; undergraduate programs; graduate programs; Nevada Online programs.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
UNLV does not offer a geography degree. Its geography courses sit in the Department of Geoscience, which added a 17-credit Certificate in Geographic Information Systems and Sciences (GIS) to the 2026–27 undergraduate catalog. The certificate requires Cartography, Principles of Geomorphology, and Geographic Information Systems: Theory and Applications (11 credits), plus at least 6 elective credits from a list that includes remote sensing, data science with Python, GIS applications in civil engineering, GIS for landscape architecture, GIS for socioeconomic analysis, and a geography internship. Every course needs a C or better. Students must be pursuing a UNLV bachelor’s degree to earn the certificate.
The College of Sciences also lists two credit-bearing microcredentials. The 11-credit Geospatial Analysis Microcredential uses the same three required courses as the certificate, so it can serve as a first step toward it. The 7-credit Geospatial Science Microcredential combines Cartography with either physical geography and its lab or Exploring Planet Earth, and requires a B or better. At least half of the coursework for either microcredential must be completed at UNLV. UNLV’s graduate programs in this department are the M.S. and Ph.D. in Geoscience, which are not geography-named degrees.
Sources: GIS certificate; Geospatial Analysis microcredential; Geospatial Science microcredential; Department of Geoscience.
Truckee Meadows Community College
Truckee Meadows, in Reno, offers a 9-unit Geospatial Data Management Skills Certificate through its Computer, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences Division. The recommended schedule takes two semesters: Introduction to Geotechnology and Introduction to Data Science in the first, and Introduction to Cartography in the second. Students learn to collect vector data in the field, gather raster data online, query geospatial databases, and design maps. Skills certificates are short-term credentials. They cannot be declared as a major and are not eligible for federal financial aid, although scholarships can be applied. Students need a 2.0 cumulative GPA to earn the certificate.
Students who want a geography degree can follow TMCC’s transfer agreement into UNR’s geography B.A. or B.S.
Sources: Geospatial Data Management certificate; UNR Geography B.A. (TMCC transfer agreement).
Schools not included
- Nevada State University: offers geography courses, but its 2026–27 catalog lists no geography or GIS degree, certificate, or minor.
- Great Basin College: the online A.S. and B.A.S. in Land Surveying/Geomatics include GIS courses, but they are surveying credentials. Great Basin has no GIS- or geography-named credential.
- College of Southern Nevada: offers a Surveyors A.A.S. and certificate, a B.A.S. in Land Surveying and Geomatics, and unmanned aviation systems programs, but no GIS- or geography-named credential.
- Western Nevada College: geography appears only as a transfer area. Its 2026–27 program guide lists no GIS program.
- Private colleges: federal College Navigator data list no private Nevada college with a geography or GIS program.
Tuition Comparison
Nevada’s Board of Regents sets one per-credit rate for UNR and UNLV and another for the community colleges. Estimated tuition is our arithmetic from each published rate and the stated basis. Each figure is labeled “per year” or “total.” None includes fees, housing, books, or other costs.
Undergraduate tuition
| School and credential | Published rate | Calculation basis | Estimated tuition | Required fees (not included) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nevada, Reno Geography B.A./B.S. | $312.75 per credit (resident) Nonresidents add $10,094.50 per semester at 7 or more credits | Two semesters at 15 credits | $9,382.50 resident per year $29,571.50 nonresident per year | $848 per semester at 15 credits ($1,696 per year) |
| University of Nevada, Reno GIS Certificate (campus or online) | $312.75 per credit (resident) $469.25 per credit for nonresidents enrolled fully online ($312.75 plus $156.50 distance education tuition) | 16 credits (17 with a 4-credit elective) | $5,004 resident total $7,508 nonresident online total | Vary by credit load; $848 per semester at 15 credits on the campus fee schedule |
| University of Nevada, Las Vegas GIS Certificate | $312.75 per credit (resident) Nonresidents add $10,094.50 per semester at 7 or more credits | 17 credits, taken within a UNLV bachelor’s degree | $5,316.75 resident total Nonresident: not estimated separately; full-time nonresidents pay the flat nonresident charge for their degree | $24.17 per credit plus $461.50 per semester; $34 per credit for online courses |
| University of Nevada, Las Vegas Geospatial Analysis and Geospatial Science microcredentials | $312.75 per credit (resident) | 11 credits and 7 credits | $3,440.25 and $2,189.25 resident total | $24.17 per credit plus semester fees |
| Truckee Meadows Community College Geospatial Data Management Skills Certificate | $136.25 per credit, lower division (resident) Nonresidents under 7 credits add $149.75 per credit | 9 credits over two semesters (6, then 3) | $1,226.25 resident total $2,574 nonresident total | $19.50 per credit plus $10 per semester ($195.50 total) |
All rates are 2026–27 fall and spring rates for students who enter in 2026–27.
Graduate tuition
| School and credential | Published rate | Calculation basis | Estimated tuition | Required fees (not included) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nevada, Reno M.S. and Ph.D. in Geography | $383.25 per credit (resident) Nonresidents add $10,094.50 per semester at 7 or more credits | Two semesters at 9 credits | $6,898.50 resident per year $27,087.50 nonresident per year | $585.50 per semester at 9 credits. Assistantships include tuition support. |
| University of Nevada, Reno GIS Graduate Certificate | $383.25 per credit (resident) Nonresidents under 7 credits add $421.75 per credit | 13 credits, part time, under 7 credits each semester | $4,982.25 resident total $10,465 nonresident total | $21.50 per credit plus $344 per semester under 7 credits |
All rates are 2026–27.
Why some rates do not compare directly
- UNR, UNLV, and Truckee Meadows charge by the credit with no full-time cap, so tuition rises with every credit.
- Nevada’s predictable pricing program sets each student’s per-credit rate by the year they enter. Undergraduates who entered UNR or UNLV in 2025–26 pay $288.50 per credit instead of $312.75.
- Nonresidents pay a flat extra charge each semester at 7 or more credits and a per-credit extra charge below that. Nonresidents enrolled only in online courses pay a lower distance education rate instead: $156.50 per undergraduate credit and $191.75 per graduate credit at UNR and UNLV.
- Students from western states may qualify for reduced nonresident tuition through the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE): an extra $156.38 per credit at UNR and UNLV and $68 per credit at Truckee Meadows. The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) rate at UNR adds $19.16 per graduate credit for eligible programs.
How to Choose a Geography or GIS Program in Nevada
Geography degree or GIS credential
The University of Nevada, Reno is the only Nevada school with geography degrees, so students who want a geography major will end up there, either directly or by transferring from a community college. Students in another major at UNLV can add GIS through the certificate or the microcredentials. Read more about GIScience degrees and geospatial technology.
Certificate, bachelor’s, or graduate degree
GIS credentials range from Truckee Meadows’ 9-unit skills certificate to 16- to 17-credit undergraduate certificates at UNR and UNLV and UNR’s 13- to 14-credit graduate certificate. For graduate study, UNR offers the state’s only geography M.S. and Ph.D. Compare bachelor’s and master’s programs nationally.
Online or campus
UNR’s online undergraduate GIS certificate is the only verified fully online geography or GIS credential in Nevada. Students who need a fully online degree should look at programs based in other states through our online programs guide.
Funding
UNR’s geography department offers one-year graduate teaching assistantships, renewable based on performance, and research assistantships funded by faculty grants. The university says its assistantships include varying levels of tuition support. Students enrolled only in a UNR certificate or a TMCC skills certificate are not eligible for federal financial aid.
Students open to nearby states can also compare programs in California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and Arizona, or browse all state guides.
Sources and Review Date
Reviewed October 14, 2026. Program details come from each school’s 2026–27 catalog or program pages unless noted above. Tuition comes from the Nevada System of Higher Education’s 2026–27 fee schedule and each school’s 2026–27 tuition and fee pages.
- Nevada System of Higher Education: Procedures and Guidelines Manual, Chapter 7, Fees and Tuition
- University of Nevada, Reno: undergraduate tuition and fees, graduate tuition and fees, tuition overview
- UNLV: tuition and fees
- Truckee Meadows Community College: 2026–27 tuition and fee schedule
Program-level source links appear at the end of each school summary. Programs, rates, and requirements change, so confirm them with each school before applying.