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Digital cartographer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a digital cartographer. Digital cartographers usually study geography, environmental science, or graphic design. 74% of digital cartographers hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 67 real digital cartographer resumes to see exactly what digital cartographer education sections show.

The most common colleges for digital cartographers are the Northern Illinois University and the Northern Illinois University.

There are also many online digital cartographer courses to help get the education required to be a digital cartographer.

What education do you need to become a digital cartographer?

What degree do you need to be a digital cartographer?

The most common degree for digital cartographers is bachelor's degree, with 74% of digital cartographers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 9% and associate degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 74%
  • Associate, 9%
  • Diploma, 7%
  • High School Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a digital cartographer?

You should major in geography to become a digital cartographer. 39% of digital cartographers major in geography. Other common majors for a digital cartographer include environmental science and graphic design.

Most common colleges for digital cartographers

Digital cartographers often get their degrees at Northern Illinois University, Syracuse University, and Texas A&M; University. Here are the most common colleges for digital cartographers in the US based on their resumes.
Digital cartographer common collegePercentages
Northern Illinois University12.00%
Syracuse University8.00%
Texas A&M University8.00%
Western Michigan University8.00%
Ohio University4.00%

Best majors for digital cartographers

RankMajorPercentages
1Geography39.0%
2Environmental Science7.3%
3Graphic Design4.9%
4Geology4.9%
5Photography4.9%

Best colleges for digital cartographers

The best colleges for digital cartographers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A digital cartographer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for digital cartographers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become digital cartographers.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

7. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

In-state tuition

$55,453

Enrollment

4,312

8. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

9. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

20 best online courses for digital cartographers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for digital cartographers

The most affordable schools for digital cartographers are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and suny farmingdale.

If the best universities for digital cartographers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for digital cartographers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

4. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

8. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for digital cartographers

The hardest universities for digital cartographers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for digital cartographers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for digital cartographers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,488

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. University of Chicago

Chicago, IL • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,520

10. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for digital cartographers

The easiest schools for digital cartographers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a digital cartographer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for digital cartographers.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

6. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

7. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

8. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

9. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

10. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

Average digital cartographer salary by education level

Digital cartographer education levelDigital cartographer salary
Bachelor's Degree$70,912

Digital cartographer education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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