IUPUI Bulletins » Schools » liberal-arts » Undergraduate » Bachelor's Degree Programs » Geography

Undergraduate

Bachelor's Degree Programs
Geography

Major in Geography

Geography, like history, is a way of looking at the world. Whereas historians study variation through time, geographers study variation through space: how and why the earth’s natural and human features vary from place to place. Underlying this spatial approach are such recurring themes as spatial diffusion of people, goods, and ideas; the significance of relative location in human interaction; the power of place in human consciousness; and the interaction of physical and human processes to create characteristic landscapes. Geographers work at the intersection of social and natural sciences, using the concepts and methods of both to examine human-environmental relationships in their full complexity. This integrative approach is a hallmark of geography and one of its main attractions. Geographers can be found in a great variety of positions often not specifically identified as geographic: environmental management, urban planning, conservation, recreation and tourism, transportation planning, international affairs, and many others.

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography provides a general introduction to the philosophy, content, and methods of the discipline. The Department of Geography is also developing an applied emphasis in environmental analysis, including courses in field methods, remote sensing, cartography, and geographic information systems. Students can thus select a broad academic program or emphasize acquisition of job-related skills.

The Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Geography (GEOG) requires satisfactory completion of the following:

  • completion of general education and distribution requirements as indicated in the School of Liberal Arts section of the IUPUI bulletin that was current when the student declared a major in Geography,
  • completion of a total of 31 credit hours, with a minimum grade of C in each course,
  • 12 credit hours in core courses, which should be taken at the beginning of the major program.
  • 15 credits of Geography courses must be taken at IUPUI (effective Fall 2015)

Major Requirements:

Core courses (12 cr.)

  • GEOG-G 107: Physical Systems of the Environment
  • GEOG-G 110: Introduction to Human Geography
  • GEOG-G 309: Frontiers in Geographic Thought
  • GEOG-G 311: Introduction to Research Methods in Geography

Two Geographic Techniques courses (6 cr.)

  • GEOG-G 300: The World of Maps
  • GEOG-G 336: Introduction to Remote Sensing
  • GEOG-G 337: Computer Cartography and Graphics
  • GEOG-G 338: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
  • GEOG-G 436: Advanced Remote Sensing
  • GEOG-G 438: Advanced Geographic Information Systems
  • GEOG-G 439: Seminar in Geographic Information Science
  • GEOG-G 465 Field Methods in Physical Geography
  • GEOG-G 488: Applied Spatial Statistics

A total of three courses in environmental and human geography, to include at least one course from each group:

Environmental Geography (3 or 6 cr.)

  • GEOG-G 303: Weather and Climate
  • GEOG-G 305: Environmental Change: Nature and Impact
  • GEOG-G 307: Biogeography: The Distribution of Life
  • GEOG-G 310: Human Impact on Environment
  • GEOG-G 315: Environmental Conservation
  • GEOG-G 390: Topics in Geography- Environmental Focus
  • GEOG-G 404: Soils Geography
  • GEOG-G 446: Cultural Biogeography
  • GEOG-G 475: Climate Change

Human Geography (3 or 6 cr.)

  • GEOG-G 302: Introduction to Transportation Analysis
  • GEOG-G 314: Urban Geography
  • GEOG-G 330: North American House Types
  • GEOG-G 331: Economic Geography
  • GEOG-G 355: Political Geography
  • GEOG-G 360: Geography of Wine
  • GEOG-G 390: Topics in Geography- Human Geography Focus
  • GEOG-G 410: Medical Geography
  • GEOG-G 418: Historical Geography

One Regional Geography course (3 cr.)

  • GEOG-G 321: Geography of Europe
  • GEOG-G 322: Geography of Russia and Adjacent Lands
  • GEOG-G 323: Geography of Latin America
  • GEOG-G 324: Geography of the Caribbean
  • GEOG-G 326: Geography of North America
  • GEOG-G 327: Geography of Indiana
  • GEOG-G 328: Rural Landscapes of North America
  • GEOG-G 330: North American House Types
  • GEOG-G 334: Field Geography of North America
  • GEOG-G 363: Landscapes and Cultures of the Caribbean
  • GEOG-G 390: Topics in Geography- Variable Regional Focus
  • GEOG-G 421: Environments of Tropical Lands
  • GEOG-G 424: Geography of Africa

Capstone Course (1 or 3 cr.)

  • GEOG-G 491: Capstone Experience in Geography (1 cr.) or
  • GEOG-G 439: Seminar in Geographic Information Science (3 cr.)

The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science (BSES) is an interdisciplinary degree within the School of Science that is offered in partnership with the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the School of Liberal Arts. The Department of Geography is engaged with the BSES program through the Environmental Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis concentration.  Spatial information technologies provide important tools for measurement, analysis, and modeling of environmental systems. The Environmental Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis concentration within the BSES builds theoretical background and advanced knowledge in spatial analytical techniques using remote sensing (satellite and airborne sensors), geographic information systems (GIS), and global positioning system (GPS) technologies. The concentration emphasizes integration of these technologies and their applications to problems of environmental modeling and analysis. For more information about the BSES degree, please refer to https://science.iupui.edu/ppduesgeology-bs.