College Schools, Departments & Programs

Geography

Major in Geography—B.A.
Purpose

The B.A. degree is intended to provide a strong liberal arts degree focusing on the major subject areas of geography while maintaining a great deal of flexibility. This allows students to focus on a particular transcriptable concentration area while also pursuing additional majors and/or minors.

Requirements

Students must complete at least 30 credit hours in the Geography major, including the CASE Credit Hour and Residency Requirements and the following:

  1. Environment and Society.
    • GEOG-G 208 Environment and Society
  2. Geographic Methods. Complete both a and b:
    1. One (1) of the following:
      • GEOG-G 237 Mapping Our World
      • GEOG-G 338 Geographic Information Science
    2. One (1) of the following:
      • GEOG-G 250 Computing in the Geospatial Sciences
      • GEOG-G 336 Environmental Remote Sensing
      • GEOG-G 338 Geographic Information Science (if not used to fulfill requirement 2a)
      • GEOG-G 350 Field Methods in Physical Geography
      • GEOG-G 388 Qualitative Methods in Geography
      • GEOG-G 438 Advanced Geographic Information Science
      • GEOG-G 448 Capitalism and Nature
      • GEOG-G 488 Applied Spatial Statistics
  3. Job and Internship Search.
    • ASCS-Q 299 College to Career III: Market Yourself for the Job, Internship, and Graduate School Search
  4. Capstone.
    • GEOG-G 498 Capstone in Geography
  5. Concentration. Complete either a or b:
    1. Comprehensive Option.
      • Complete at least 15 additional credit hours chosen from across the breadth of the Geography curriculum
      • Since this is not a formal concentration, it will not appear on the transcript
    2. Concentration Option. Complete one (1) of the following concentrations (also see the "Concentrations" section below):
      • Climate, Land, and Environmental Change
      • Food and Agriculture
      • Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing
      • Cities, Development and Justice
      • Water Resources
  6. Electives. Complete additional Geography courses, as necessary, to fulfill the remaining requirements for the major, including:
    • At least 18 credit hours at the 300–400 level
    • At least 6 credit hours of the above must be at the 400 level

Students must also complete the B.A. degree requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Concentrations

Students may select one of the following concentration areas to fulfill Requirement 5 above. Alternatively, the comprehensive option detailed above may be chosen by students who want to draw courses from the full breadth of geography courses. Concentrations are printed on the transcript as part of the major and must be declared through the Geography academic advisor. Participating faculty are listed below with the appropriate specialties.

Climate, Land, and Environmental Change

Complete at least 15 credit hours, including at least 12 credit hours at the 300–400 level, selected from the following:

  • GEOG-G 109 Weather and Climate
  • GEOG-G 185 Environmental Change: The End of the World as We Know It?
  • GEOG-G 220 Social and Historical Studies Topics in Geography (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 221 Natural and Mathematical Sciences Topics in Geography (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 304 Physical Climatology
  • GEOG-G 305 Current Issues in Climate and Environmental Change (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 306 Current Issues in Globalization, Development and Justice (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 307 Biogeography: The Distribution of Life
  • GEOG-G 315 Environmental Conservation
  • GEOG-G 341 Ecological Restoration: Science, Politics, and Ethics
  • GEOG-G 405 Ecological Climatology
  • GEOG-G 407 Climate Dynamics
  • GEOG-G 444 Climate Change Impacts
  • GEOG-G 449 Political Ecology
  • GEOG-G 451 Physical Hydrology
  • GEOG-G 452 Tree-Ring Science
  • GEOG-G 461 Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change
  • GEOG-G 477 Topics in Climatology
  • GEOG-G 478 Global Change, Food, and Farming Systems
  • GEOG-X 473 Internship in Geographical Analysis (with approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies)
  • GEOG-X 490 Undergraduate Readings and Research in Geography (with approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies)
  • Up to one (1) additional course from the Geographic Methods course list (must be in addition to the two courses taken to fulfill Requirement 2 above)

Faculty: Evans, Ficklin, Hwang, Maxwell, Robeson

Food and Agriculture

Complete at least 15 credit hours, including at least 12 credit hours at the 300–400 level, selected from the following:

  • GEOG-G 220 Social and Historical Studies Topics in Geography (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 221 Natural and Mathematical Sciences Topics in Geography (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 305 Current Issues in Climate and Environmental Change (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 306 Current Issues in Globalization, Development and Justice (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 307 Biogeography: The Distribution of Life
  • GEOG-G 315 Environmental Conservation
  • GEOG-G 320 Population Geography
  • GEOG-G 352 Food and Poverty in America
  • GEOG-G 357 Community Orchards and Gardens
  • GEOG-G 359 Fundamentals of Sustainable Agriculture
  • GEOG-G 369 Geography of Food
  • GEOG-G 411 Sustainable Development Systems
  • GEOG-G 417 Development Geography: Critical Perspectives on the Historical and Spatial Rhythms of Capitalism
  • GEOG-G 445 Food, Place, and War
  • GEOG-G 449 Political Ecology
  • GEOG-G 461 Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change
  • GEOG-G 469 Food and Global Poverty
  • GEOG-G 478 Global Change, Food, and Farming Systems
  • GEOG-X 473 Internship in Geographical Analysis(with approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies)
  • GEOG-X 490 Undergraduate Readings and Research in Geography (with approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies)
  • Up to one (1) additional course from the Geographic Methods course list (must be in addition to the two courses taken to fulfill Requirement 2 above)

Faculty: Akhter, Dunn, Evans, Knudsen

Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing

Complete at least 15 credit hours, including at least 12 credit hours at the 300–400 level, selected from the following:

  • GEOG-G 237 Mapping Our World
  • GEOG-G 250 Computing in the Geospatial Sciences
  • GEOG-G 306 Current Issues in Globalization, Development and Justice (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 336 Environmental Remote Sensing
  • GEOG-G 338 Geographic Information Science
  • GEOG-G 436 Advanced Remote Sensing: Digital Image Processing
  • GEOG-G 438 Advanced Geographic Information Science
  • GEOG-G 439 GIS and Environmental Analysis
  • GEOG-G 488 Applied Spatial Statistics
  • GEOG-G 489 Advanced Geospatial Data Analysis
  • GEOG-X 473 Internship in Geographic Analysis (with approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies)
  • GEOG-X 490 Undergraduate Readings and Research in Geography (with approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies)
  • Up to one (1) additional course from the Geographic Methods course list (must be in addition to the two courses taken to fulfill Requirement 2 above)

Faculty: Evans, Ficklin, Hwang, Maxwell, Robeson

Cities, Development and Justice

Complete at least 15 credit hours, including at least 12 credit hours at the 300–400 level, selected from the following:

  • GEOG-G 220 Social and Historical Studies Topics in Geography (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 221 Natural and Mathematical Sciences Topics in Geography (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 305 Current Issues in Climate and Environmental Change (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 306 Current Issues in Globalization, Development and Justice (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 313 Place and Politics
  • GEOG-G 314 Urban Geography
  • GEOG-G 315 Environmental Conservation
  • GEOG-G 316 Economic Geography
  • GEOG-G 320 Population Geography
  • GEOG-G 332 Geographical Globalization
  • GEOG-G 341 Ecological Restoration: Science, Politics, and Ethics
  • GEOG-G 380 Cultural Geography
  • GEOG-G 384 Food, Place and War
  • GEOG-G 411 Sustainable Development Systems
  • GEOG-G 415 Advanced Urban Geography
  • GEOG-G 417 Development Geography: Critical Perspectives on the Historical and Spatial Rhythms of Capitalism
  • GEOG-G 441 Migration and Mobility
  • GEOG-G 448 Capitalism and Nature
  • GEOG-G 449 Political Ecology
  • GEOG-G 469 Food and Global Poverty
  • GEOG-G 478 Global Change, Food, and Farming Systems
  • GEOG-X 473 Internship in Geographical Analysis (with approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies)
  • GEOG-X 490 Undergraduate Readings and Research in Geography (with approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies)
  • Up to one (1) additional course from the Geographic Methods course list (must be in addition to the two courses taken to fulfill Requirement 2 above)

Faculty: Akhter, Ashutosh, Dunn, Evans, Knudsen, Lave

Water Resources

Complete at least 15 credit hours, including at least 12 credit hours at the 300–400 level, selected from the following:

  • GEOG-G 220 Social and Historical Studies Topics in Geography (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 221 Natural and Mathematical Sciences Topics in Geography (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 306 Current Issues in Globalization, Development and Justice (approved topics only)
  • GEOG-G 341 Ecological Restoration: Science, Politics, and Ethics
  • GEOG-G 343 Perspectives on Environmental Decisions
  • GEOG-G 350 Field Methods in Physical Geography
  • GEOG-G 411 Sustainable Development Systems
  • GEOG-G 440 Topics in Environmental Geography
  • GEOG-G 451 Physical Hydrology 
  • GEOG-G 453 Water and Society
  • GEOG-G 461 Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change
  • GEOG-X 473 Internship in Geographical Analysis (with approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies)
  • GEOG-X 490 Undergraduate Readings and Research in Geography (with approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies)
  • Up to one (1) additional course from the Geographic Methods course list (must be in addition to the two courses taken to fulfill Requirement 2 above)

Faculty: Akhter, Evans, Ficklin, Hwang, Lave