University of North Alabama Online GIS and Geography Degrees

The University of North Alabama in Florence offers two geography bachelor’s degrees that its department lists as available online: a B.S. in Geographic Information Science and a B.A./B.S. in Geography. UNA charges online undergraduates $350 per credit regardless of state.

The GIS major is one of the most technical undergraduate GIS programs in our guide, with remote sensing, GIS programming in Python, web GIS and database courses. UNA’s M.S. in Geographic Information Science stopped admitting students on August 1, 2024, so there is currently no graduate GIS option.

Program at a Glance

Degrees	B.S. in Geographic Information Science; B.A./B.S. in Geography
Credits	120 each
Format	Department lists the GIS major as 100% online, with some electives on campus
Geography concentrations	Professional Geography; Sustainability
Tuition (Fall 2026)	$350 per credit (1–11 hours) or $5,250 flat (12–18 hours), all states, plus a $75 per credit college fee
Transfer	No minimum transfer GPA; 25% of hours must be earned at UNA
Graduate option	M.S. in GIScience closed to new students (2024)
Accreditation	SACSCOC

⚠️ UNA’s pages disagree on delivery. The GIS and Geography program pages list online delivery, but the department’s academic programs index lists both majors as in-person. Confirm with the Department of Geoscience (256-765-4505) which courses you can take online before applying.

B.S. in Geographic Information Science

The GIS major combines a geography core with a heavy techniques block. Key courses (credits in parentheses):

Area	Courses
Geography core	GEO 102 Global Environments and Societies (3); GEO 200 People, Place, and Culture (3); GEO 300W Geographic Exploration (3); GEO 380 Cartography and Visualization (4); GEO 384 Geographic Information Systems (4); GEO 415 Quantitative Methods in Geoscience (3); GEO 490 Geoscience Capstone (3)
Physical geography	Two of: Physical Geology; Earth Science; Sustainable Earth; Weather and Climate; Landforms (4 each)
Foundations	Two of: GEO 184 Digital Earth; GEO 220 Field Methods; GEO 225 Maps and Map Interpretation (3 each)
GIS techniques	GEO 370 Remote Sensing (4); GEO 470 Advanced Remote Sensing (3); GEO 484 Advanced GIS (3); GEO 486 GIS Programming (3)
Computing	CIS 225 Object-Oriented Programming (3); CIS 366 Database Development and Management (3)
Techniques electives	Two of: GEO 482 Web GIS; GEO 485 GIS Applications; GEO 475 Remote Sensing Applications (3 each)
Other	One regional geography course; 3 credits of experiential learning (internship, field course or study abroad); MA 147 Elementary Statistics; 6 upper-level geoscience credits

Per the course catalog, Advanced GIS uses ArcGIS Pro, and GIS Programming covers ModelBuilder and Python scripting in ArcGIS.

B.A./B.S. in Geography

The Geography major shares the core (including Cartography and Visualization, GIS and the capstone) and adds Sustainable Earth and Climate Change. Students then choose a 24-credit concentration:

Professional Geography: 24 upper-level geography or earth science credits, with up to 6 from approved outside fields such as ecology, criminology or public policy.
Sustainability: Sustainable Ecosystems, Environmental Systems, Water Resources, Energy, Sustainable Food and Agriculture, Waste and Environmental Justice, plus one related elective.

Upper-level electives include Economic, Urban and Cultural Geography, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Hazards, Geopolitics, Biogeography and Geomorphology. B.A. students add 6 credits of foreign language.

GIS Certificate and Minor

UNA also offers a 16–17 credit Certificate in GIS (Digital Earth, Cartography, GIS and Advanced GIS plus one elective) and a 25-credit GIS minor. The catalog does not describe these as online.

Admission Requirements

Freshmen: 2.50 unweighted GPA for unconditional admission (2.0 conditional); test-optional
Transfer students: no minimum GPA, but you must be eligible to return to your last school
Under 24 transfer hours: high school transcript and freshman standards also apply
Official transcripts from every college attended

At least 25% of hours must be earned at UNA, and junior college courses transfer as lower-division credit. Sources: admission policy and transfer admission. UNA does not list an application fee on these pages.

Tuition

Item	Fall 2026 cost
Online tuition, 1–11 hours	$350 per credit
Online tuition, 12–18 hours	$5,250 flat per semester
College of Arts, Sciences and Engineering fee	$75 per credit
120 credits (estimate)	About $51,000 with the college fee

UNA’s tuition schedule groups 100% online students with in-state students, so out-of-state online students pay $350 per credit rather than $700. The 120-credit estimate is our calculation, before transfer credit, books and course fees. Also see UNA Online costs.

Faculty and Department

The Department of Geoscience (formerly Geography) has seven full-time faculty, five adjuncts and the Freddie Wood Geographic Research Center. Faculty research covers agriculture, urban and cultural geography, climate, geopolitics, environmental hazards, economic geography and sustainability. The department says most of its students are placed in jobs before they graduate.

Careers

UNA lists GIS programmer, geo data analyst, remote sensing specialist, spatial data modeler, crime analyst, urban planner, natural resource manager and environmental compliance agent for GIS graduates. Geography graduates are pointed toward cartography, surveying, planning, park service, consulting, military analysis and teaching.

Pros and Considerations

Strengths

Out-of-state online students pay the in-state rate
Very technical GIS major with programming, web GIS and databases
Sustainability concentration for the geography major
No minimum GPA for transfer admission

Things to Consider

UNA pages disagree on whether the majors are fully online
UNA says some electives are offered only on campus
The $75 per credit college fee raises the real cost to about $425 per credit
No graduate GIS program for new students

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a GIS degree online at the University of North Alabama?

UNA’s GIS program page lists the B.S. in Geographic Information Science as 100% online with some electives on campus. Another department page lists it as in-person, so confirm current online availability with the department.

How much does UNA charge online students?

For fall 2026, $350 per credit (or $5,250 flat for 12–18 hours) regardless of state, plus a $75 per credit college fee.

Does UNA still offer an online GIS master’s?

No. The M.S. in Geographic Information Science stopped admitting students on August 1, 2024, with a teach-out for enrolled students.

What is the difference between UNA’s GIS and Geography degrees?

The GIS degree adds remote sensing, GIS programming, web GIS and computer science courses. The Geography degree keeps GIS in the core but focuses on professional geography or sustainability.

Compare UNA with other programs in our online geography and GIS degree guide, or see campus programs in Alabama.

Official Sources

We verified this profile against the following school pages in October 2026. Program details change, so confirm current requirements and costs with the school before you apply.