Academic GIS Education: What the Real World Needs and What the Academy Delivers

John M. Morgan, III, Towson State University and
Barbara B. Fleury, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

One issue that continues to be discussed among educators is the extent to which training in the use of commercial software should be included in academic GIS courses. While the function of a college or University should be to "educate" students about important GIS concepts, government agencies and businesses are interested in hiring students even for entry-level positions who have been "trained" in the use of a particular software package as part of their undergraduate program. This presentation will discuss the education v. training debate. Suggestions will be made regarding the need for academia to conduct an "occupational inventory" to provide information as a basis for adjusting academic GIS courses to better meet employer needs, the need for government agencies and businesses to understand the importance of GIS concept education, and the need for community colleges to establish GIS software training courses in support of specific employer needs.