Undergraduate and Graduate Learning Pathways

A variety of targeted location intelligence-related educational opportunities are available in courses offered through UNT Geography and the Environment.

• We offer a focused set of Location Intelligence core courses that contribute to both the UNT Geography BS/BA and MS in Geography programs.​
• For application and admission procedures for our MS program, please see the UNT Geography and the Environment Graduate Programs page.​

Core Location Intelligence Courses

​This page features three central core courses from our group's offerings, with one course representing each of our three key teaching areas of analytics, business, and health.

​If you're looking for a more exhaustive menu of course possibilities related to location intelligence more broadly, this site also contains a more extensive guide to coursework offered through our department.

Split Graduate/Undergraduate Courses*

All three of the courses listed below can be taken at either the senior undergraduate or graduate levels.

• GEOG 4195/5195: Geospatial Data Analysis and Visualization
  • ANALYTICS area
  • ​Survey of the software technologies and methodologies available to analyze and visualize large and complex datasets.
• GEOG 4230/5230: Location Intelligence - Business GIS Concepts and Applications
  • BUSINESS area
  • ​Survey of the geographic concepts and applications that support business decision-making. Examines the context for application of geographic methodologies and explores the analytical techniques that relate to the needs of businesses operating across the global economy.
• GEOG 4580/5580: GIS in Health
  • HEALTH area
  • Spatial analysis, geographic information system (GIS) and computational methods for public health applications including disease mapping, disease clustering and exposure modeling. Location-allocation methods for measuring access to health care services also are discussed.

* Split graduate/undergraduate level courses can be taken at either the graduate or the undergraduate level.
​** Can be taken as GEOG 4960/5960.

See our more complete location intelligence course listings page for more learning opportunities through UNT Geography

Student Research Topics

Research can be a useful part of a degree plan for both graduate and undergraduate students.

• For students pursuing a graduate-level education, one of the best ways to gain location intelligence research and analytical capabilities is to complete a thesis as part of our MS in Applied Geography program.

• We are also happy to talk with undergraduates who would be interested in completing a more limited research paper to complete a special topics class, such as to complete the capstone requirements for our UNT Geography BS/BA degree programs.

Below are a few representative research topics that UNT location intelligence students have completed.

​Ethan Portillo, 2019, Thesis Topic: The Geography of Retail Clinics Post Implementation of the Affordable Care Act

​Matt Sorenson, 2019,  Thesis Topic: Location Analysis of Lifestyle Centers: Uncovering Patterns and Potential Driving Factors Behind Site Selection

​Connor Reed, 2019, Thesis Topic: The Geography of Partial-Market Exits: Applying Geospatial and Econometric Methods to Analyze Department Store Closures in the United States

​Joshua Bova, 2018, Thesis Topic: Retail District Evolution: An Exploration of Retail Structure and Diversity, A Case Study in Denton, Texas

​Brince Jones, 2018, Thesis Topic: Redesigning Police Beat Zone Placement to Improve 911 Response Time: A Data Driven Approach

​Vicki Oppenheim, 2018, Thesis Topic: Public Market Trade Areas: Local Goods, Farmers, and Community in the U.S. Southwest Region, 1996-2016

​Amanda Regan, 2013, Thesis Topic: Assessing the Role of Smaller Format Retailers on the Food Desert Landscape of Dallas, Texas

​YunLung ("Steven") Yeh, 2010, Thesis Topic: The Global Expansion of Transnational Retailers: A Case Study of the Localization Strategy of Costco in Taiwan

​Amie (Dickinson) Sumpter, 2007, Thesis Topic: A Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Retail Location and Clustering: A Case Study of Port Huron, MI

Where Can These Learning Experiences Take Me?

Sample UNT Geography Alumni Positions*

Manager of Market Analytics
AXIOMetrics, Dallas TX

Director of Spatial Analytics
Buxton Co., Fort Worth TX

Commercial Real Estate Strategy Portfolio Manager, Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto CA

Lecturer: Geospatial Information Technology
Northeastern University, Boston MA

Research Analyst
Catalyst Commercial, Dallas TX

Associate Manager, Market Planning
​KFC/Yum Brands, Louisville KY

Manager - Market Strategy
Advance Auto Parts, Roanoke VA

Market Analyst
Invesco Real Estate, Dallas TX

Strategic Portfolio Planning
US Bank, Minneapolis MN

GIS Manager
CBRE, Dallas TX

Vice President, Site Selection
​Peloton Commercial Real Estate, Dallas TX

Business GIS Analyst
City of Plano, TX

Lead Market Analyst
Medcore Partners, Dallas TX

Senior Site Research Analyst
BJ's Wholesale, Westborough MA

Client Services
High Definition Logistics, Southlake TX

* Present and past positions held by our UNT Geography alumni. This is just a small sample of the total roster of position titles held by UNT Geography alumni across the United States.

Questions about career possibilities in the location intelligence learning area?

Contact Our Group

Summary

Location Intelligence Areas of Pursuit

Research Publications

We disseminate the results of our location intelligence research in peer-reviewed venues. Click here for a sampling of our journal publications.

Conference Leadership

We present in key conference venues covering applied geography, business geography, and complementary fields. Click here for a sampling of our recent presentations.

Learning Opportunities

We offer a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses. Click here for a summary of the educational opportunities we provide.

Professional Practice

We practice what we teach and research. Click here for a listing of UNT Geography graduates who are active in location intelligence professional practice.