Recommendations
Students ordinarily select one of the following concentration areas and identify a faculty member or members associated with that concentration area to be their advisor.

1. Atmospheric Science Program Complete G304 and G350; select from G250, G336, G405, G407, G431, G433, G434, G470, and G475; additionally G400, G450, G471, G472, G473, G477, and G489. (Grimmond, Pryor, Robeson, Schmid)
2. Environmental Program Select from G304/G305 and G306/G315 and at least one 400-level course. Courses within this concentration include G304, G305, G306, G315, G405, G440, and G475. Other recommended courses include G208, G250, G336, G338, G350, and G488. (Black, Greer, Grimmond, Pryor, Robeson, Schmid, Unruh)
3. Spatial Analysis and Geographic Information Systems Program G237, G250, G336, G338, G438, G439, and G488. (Evans, Odland, Robeson)
4. Global Studies Program Select courses from G210, E302, G306 (when it has regional focus), G317, G323, G326, G340, G425, G427, G428, and G450. (Conway, Greer, Knudsen, Odland, Unruh)
5. Urban and Regional Systems Program Select courses from G237, G301, G302, G306, G314, G316, G316, G317, G320, G338, G412, G413, G414, G415, G419, G430, G440, G441, and G488. (Black, Conway, Knudsen, Odland)

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Major in Geography—B.S.

Purpose
The B.S. degree provides additional science requirements that prepare science-oriented students for graduate school and science-related jobs at the bachelor's degree level. Students pursuing a B.S. degree normally would focus on either the atmospheric science or spatial analysis and geographic information systems concentration areas (relevant courses are listed above).

Requirements
Students must complete the following:

1. Same geography requirements as B.A.
2. Mathematics: M211-M212.
3. Physics: P221-P222.
4. Biology: minimum of 6 credit hours including L111 and L473 or Chemistry: C101-C121, C102-C122 or C105-C125, C106-C126 or Computer Science: at least 6 credits at the 200 level or higher.
5. Statistics: K300 or G488.
6. Six credit hours of mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, or computer science at the 300 level or higher.
7. General education
1. Writing: English composition (3 cr.) and intensive writing (3 cr.).
2. Foreign Language: 3 credit hours at the second-year level.
3. Arts and Humanities: two courses.
4. Social and Historical studies: two courses, including at least one course from Geography.
5. Natural and Mathematical Sciences: fulfilled by major.
6. TOPICS courses: COAS E103 and E104.
7. Electives to fulfill remaining credits.

Minor in Geography

Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours in geography including (a) one course from among G107, G109, G110, and G120; (b) G235; and (c) at least 6 credit hours at the 300 or 400 level.

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Course Descriptions

G107 Physical Systems of the Environment (3 cr.) NMNS Introduction to the physical principles governing the geographical distribution and interrelationships of the earth's physical features (atmosphere and oceans, landforms, soils, and vegetation). The course provides students with the background necessary to evaluate current environmental issues.
G109 Weather and Climate (3 cr.) NMNS Introduction to atmospheric processes responsible for weather. Elements of climatology and their variation in time and space. Weather forecasting, weather modification, and severe weather.
G110 Introduction to Human Geography (3 cr.) SHSI An introduction to the principles, concepts, and methods of analysis used in the study of human geographic systems. Examines geographic perspectives on contemporary world problems such as population growth, globalization of the economy, and human-environmental relations.
G120 World Regional Geography (3 cr.) SHSI Analysis of population, culture, environment, and economies of major world regions. Examination of issues of global importance, including development, demographic change, urbanization and migration, and international conflict.
G208 Human Impact on Environment (3 cr.) NMNS Aspects of the human role in changing the earth's environment. Examples of how expanding use of the physical environment has altered the equilibrium of natural systems or accelerated the rate of natural changes in the environment. Environmental changes from a global or world regional perspective.
G235 Introductory Geographical Methods (3 cr.) Introduces geographical methodology in the major fields of study within geography (atmospheric sciences, environmental studies, geographic information systems, global studies, and human geography). Topics include map interpretation, paradigms of inquiry, simple statistical methods, instrumentation, introductory computer methods, fieldwork, and case studies.
G237 Cartography and Geographic Information (3 cr.) NMMC Use of computers in the management of geographic information, including data storage, database construction, creation and production of maps and related representation of geographic data. Computer cartography laboratory, experimentation and interactive experience using GIS and mapping software.
G250 Computer Methods in Geography (3 cr.) NMMC P: M118 or M119 or M211 or M215, or consent of instructor. Introduction to computing in geography, emphasizing practical applications. Topics include programming concepts, analysis of spatial data, and graphics. Numerous exercises give practical experience with the analysis and interpretation of geographic data. Both high-level programming and software packages are utilized.
G304 Physical Meteorology and Climatology (3 cr.) NMNS P: any introductory science course or consent of instructor. Fundamental atmospheric properties and interrelationships. Radiation theory, components of energy and moisture balance, atmospheric circulation, upper air-surface relationships, and global weather systems.
G305 Environmental Change-Nature and Impact (3 cr.) NMNS P: G107 or G109 or consent of instructor. An integrated systems approach to examining the forcing, system response, and impacts of environmental change. Specific case studies will be presented in addition to methods of documenting change and identifying natural variability versus change due to anthropogenic forcing.
G306 The Geography of Current Issues (3 cr.) P: junior standing or consent of instructor. An examination of current problems from a geographical perspective. The specific topic to be considered will vary from semester to semester. May be repeated once with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
G312 Transportation Analysis (3 cr.) SHSI Examination of movement of people, goods, and information over space using spatial analysis and planning techniques.
G314 Urban Geography (3 cr.) SHSI P: junior standing or consent of instructor. Study and interpretation of urban spatial structures, policies and problems with an emphasis on geographic perspectives. Topics include urban housing markets, racial segregation, homelessness, and urban crime.
G315 Environmental Conservation (3 cr.) SHSI P: junior standing or consent of instructor. Conservation of natural resources, including soil, water, wildlife, and forests as interrelated components of the environment emphasizing an ecological approach. Current problems relating to environmental quality.
G316 Economic Geography (3 cr.) SHSI The course familiarizes students with the global pattern of economic endeavor, and teaches basic economic geographic theory and how location decision making occurs.
G317 Geography of Developing Countries (3 cr.) SHSI Analysis of spatial processes in the Third World with emphasis on the processes of migration, urbanization, and resource development. Examination of alternative theories of the development process.
G320 Population Geography (3 cr.) SHSI P: junior standing or consent of instructor. Study of population growth, compositional change and redistribution at regional, national, and global scales. Topics include population pressure, fertility control, aging of societies, AIDS epidemiology, immigration, and population policies.
G323 Geography of Latin America (3 cr.) SHSI, CSA A geographic introduction to Latin America: the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, South America. Focus is on elements that give coherence and identity to geographic space in Latin America. Topics include the natural environment, settlement, the agrarian sphere, urbanization and industrialization, regional development issues, and geopolitical themes.
G326 Geography of North America (3 cr.) SHSI Continental and regional variations in terrain, climate, and economic and social life of the United States and Canada, with emphasis on geographical principles, sources of data, and techniques of investigation.
G336 Environmental Remote Sensing (3 cr.) NMNS P: an introductory course in science or consent of instructor. Principles of remote sensing of the earth and its atmosphere, emphasizing satellite data in visible, infrared, and microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Emphasis on practical applications and digital image analysis.
G337 Computer Cartography and Graphics (3 cr.) NMMC Compilation, design, production, and evaluation of maps and related graphic materials. Includes cartometric procedures, symbolization, color use guidelines, map typography, photographic manipulations, computer animation, and geographic visualization techniques. Hardcopy and internet-based outputs. Lecture and laboratory.
G338 Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.) NMMC Overview of the principles and practices of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The course will deal with issues of spatial data models, database design, introductory and intermediate GIS operations, and case studies of real-world GIS applications. Laboratory exercises will provide significant hands-on experience. Lecture and laboratory.
G340 Geography of Southeast Asia (3 cr.) SHSI, CSA Geographic analysis of Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Diffusion of culture, technology and major innovations, impact of the West, intra- and inter-regional relationships; relation of humankind to physical environment.
G350 Instrumentation and Field Methods in Atmospheric Science (3 cr.) NMNS P: or C: G304 or consent of instructor. Sampling, instrumentation, measurement, analysis, and interpretation of data concerning features and processes of the atmospheric environment. Use of field and laboratory equipment within the context of research and standard projects. Practical application of climatological and meteorological principles.
G405 Hydroclimatology (3 cr.) NMNS P: G304. Hydroclimatic processes at a range of spatial scales. Topics include: cloud and precipitation processes, soil water physics, runoff and evaporation. Lecture and laboratory.
G407 Climate Dynamics (3 cr.) NMNS P: G304 or consent of instructor. Climate and its interannual and longer-term variations from the perspectives of theory, observations, and modeling. Topics include: climate sensitivity, stability and feedbacks; sea-air-land-ice interactions; teleconnections and their regional expression; drought; climate reconstruction and prediction using numerical models.
G409 History and Philosophy of Geography (3 cr.) P: consent of instructor. This course examines the history of geography. Particular reference is made to the use of philosophical traditions of positivism, structuralism, humanism, and postmodernism within geography and to the major debates about philosophy and methodology in the last two centuries within the discipline.
G412 Urban Transportation Analysis (3 cr.) SHSI P: G312 or consent of instructor. Aspects of urban transportation planning process. Existing travel patterns, variations in trip generation, spatial interaction, and distribution models, assignment of trips to existing networks, and the evaluation of future networks.
G414 Regional Transport Systems (3 cr.) SHSI P: G312 or consent of instructor. Theoretical and empirical analysis of transport problems and policies for state and multi-state areas. Network measurement, location theory, and flows. Regional transport planning methods for flow forecasting, flow distribution, modal choice, impact analysis, and alternative evaluation.
G415 Advanced Urban Geography (3 cr.) SHSI P: G314 or consent of instructor. In-depth study of contemporary theories of city system organization and the internal structure of cities. Emphasizes hierarchical city systems and interaction in global economy, the internal transformation of cities and problems of urbanization such as racial and ethnic segregation, economic restructuring and urban decline.
G425 Africa: Contemporary Geographic Problems (3 cr.) Examines contemporary geographic problems confronting the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Primary focus on urbanization, rural-urban migration, unemployment, agriculture, and health care. Also analyses of terrain, resource base, and other aspects of the natural environment.
G427 Russia and its Neighbors (3 cr.) SHSI, CSA Geographic problems and prospects of the former republics of the Soviet Union with an emphasis on political geography, environmental issues, population, urbanization, energy, and the location of economic activity.
G428 Geography of Western Europe (3 cr.) SHSI, CSB Emphasizes two interrelated topics within western Europe: common themes across the countries of Europe, and the distinctive cultures that make up the region. The course begins with a discussion of the physical landscape of Europe, then takes up the cultural and economic landscape of the region. The course ends with a discussion of the various cultural regions within Europe.
G430 Transport Planning Topics (1-3 cr.) P: G312 or consent of instructor. Developments in transportation planning. Topics such as rail planning, urban transit planning, transportation of energy, entropy flow models, behavioral travel models. May be repeated three times for a maximum of 9 credit hours.
G431 Dynamic Meteorology (3 cr.) NMNS P: G304, or consent of instructor, MATH M211-M212, PHYS P201 or P221 R: PHYS P221. Introduction to dynamical processes and analysis in the atmosphere. Principles of fluid dynamics and their application to the atmosphere. Basic conservation laws and equations of motion. Circulation and vorticity. Dynamics of synoptic systems: quasi-geostrophic analysis, oscillations and waves, baroclinic instability, and cyclogensis. General circulation. Numerical modeling. Credit not given for both G431 and G436.
G433 Synoptic Meteorology and Climatology (3 cr.) NMNS P: G304 or consent of instructor. Analysis and prediction of synoptic scale weather systems, emphasizing the mid-latitudes. Other topics include severe weather and atmospheric/oceanic teleconnections.
G434 Air Pollution Meteorology (3 cr.) NMNS P: G304 or consent of instructor. Analysis of the physical laws that govern the transport, transformation, and removal of atmospheric pollutants. Primary emphasis will be on physical and chemical processes, although biological impacts also will be considered.
G438 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.) NMMC P: G338 or consent of instructor. Intermediate and advanced topics in geographic information science and spatial analysis techniques using GIS software. This advanced course is for upper-division undergraduates who seek a greater understanding of this rapidly developing field and to learn how to construct, manage, and analyze their own GIS data and models.
G439 Advanced Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.) NMMC P: G438 or consent of instructor. Extension of G438 that develops advanced methods of spatial data analysis in the context of GIS. Emphasis on applications and individualized projects.
G440 Topics in Environmental Geography (3 cr.) P: G305 or G315 or consent of instructor. Selected topics focus on the human dimensions of environmental change/conservation. Example focus topics: population-environment interactions, transport-environment interactions, and urban-environment interactions. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 12 credit hours.
G441 Migration and Population Redistribution (3 cr.) SHSI P: G314, G320, or consent of instructor. Study of international, regional, and intraurban migration using micro- and macro-level approaches, and the impacts of population redistribution on origin and destination. Topics include illegal immigration to the U.S., rural to urban migration in LDCs, international migration and refugees, and gender differences in migration behavior.
G450 Undergraduate Readings and Research in Geography (1-3 cr.; 6 cr. max.) P: consent of instructor. Individual readings and research in geography.
G460 Geography Internship (3-6 cr.) P: consent of instructor. Faculty-directed study of geographical problems based on an internship experience. Student's area of placement must be related to major field of study and may involve staff work or research. Maximum of 3 credit hours will count toward major. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours. Credit not given for both G400 and G460.
G470 Micrometeorology (3 cr.) NMNS P: G304, MATH M215-216 or M211-M212, or consent of instructor. Atmospheric processes at the micro and local scale. Topics include energy and mass exchange over simple non-vegetated surfaces, vegetated surfaces, non-uniform terrain, and inadvertent climate modification.
G471 Topics in Micro and Boundary Layer Meteorology (3 cr.) NMNS P: G470, MATH M211-M212, PHYS P201 or P221 (P221 recommended) or consent of instructor. Topics may include surface-vegetation-atmosphere interaction, dynamics of turbulent transport, boundary layer dynamics, turbulent kinetic energy and stability, dimensional analysis and similarity theory, effects of surface inhomogeneity on boundary layer dynamics, patchiness, urbanization, regional aggregation of surface atmosphere exchange, applications to mesoscale modeling, and air pollution dispersion modeling.
G472 Advanced Instrumentation and Field Methods in Atmospheric Science (3 cr.) NMNS P: G350 or consent of instructor. Sampling, instrumentation, measurement, analysis and interpretation of data concerning fluxes and variables in the boundary layer. Emphasis is on research and practical applications of micrometeorological principles.
G473 Topics in Mesoscale Meteorology (3 cr.) NMNS P: G304 or consent of instructor MATH M211-M212, PHYS P201 or P221 R: PHYS P221. Topics may include application of principles of dynamic meteorology and thermodynamics to mesoscale atmospheric phenomena, mesoscale circulations and the boundary layer, fronts and frontegenesis, hurricanes and tornadoes, and flow and topography interactions. Credit given for only one of G473 and G437.
G475 Climate Change (3 cr.) NMNS P: at least two undergraduate physical science courses or consent of instructor. Evidence for and theories of climate change over a range of time scales. Sources and interpretation of proxy climate data are presented along with modeling tools for assessing climate response to a range of forcing and paleoclimate perspectives on future climate change.
G477 Topics in Atmospheric Science (3 cr.) NMNS P: G304. Selected topics in microclimatology, dynamic meteorology, statistical methods in climatology, climatic change, radiation theory, or other areas of climatology and meteorology. May be repeated once for credit with different topic.
G488 Applied Spatial Statistics (3 cr.) NMMC P: 6 credit hours of geography or consent of instructor. Extension of traditional statistical analysis to spatial data. Spatial means and spatial variances, the examination of differences in samples over space, spatial autocorrelation, nearest neighbor analysis, map comparison techniques. Emphasis is on practical applications.
G489 Atmospheric Data Analysis (3 cr.) NMMC P: an introductory course in statistics or consent of instructor. Introduction to methods of data analysis used in the atmospheric sciences, emphasizing applications. Topics include statistical forecasting, spatial interpolation, spectral analysis and filtering, vector data analysis, and model evaluation.

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