What was once a plan of study has now become an accredited certificate program for the Sciences department at the Coast Guard Academy. The Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) plan of study received accreditation as a certificate program by the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) on December 17, 2021. Students who complete the four core courses, one elective course, and a qualifying capstone experience, earn a GEOINT certificate from the USGIF to accompany their B.S. degree.
“There were 19 universities in the country that offer this certification, and now we are the 20th!” said Dr. Lucy Vlietstra, GEOINT Certificate Coordinator.
The GEOINT program prepares cadets to leverage geospatial information as Coast Guard officers for strategic planning and decision-making during field operations. Cadets of any major can take this program, and the USGIF GEOINT certificate signals to detailers and future employers those graduates skilled in GEOINT tradecraft.
In the fleet, a background in GEOINT can be used to identify illegal fishing hotspots, predict areas of the ocean where ships may be in distress, detect oil spills and forecast drift trajectories and investigate maritime threats to national security. This certificate program is for the officer that likes to analyze imagery and other data, detect meaningful patterns, and solve problems.
There are currently ten students enrolled in the program on track to graduate with this certificate in May.
Learn more about this newly accredited certificate program.
