College Schools, Departments & Programs

Geography

Major in Geography—B.S.
Purpose

The B.S. degree provides additional science and quantitative requirements that prepare science-oriented students for graduate school and science-related jobs at the bachelor's degree level.

Requirements

In addition to the CASE Credit Hour and Residency Requirements, students must complete the following requirements:

  1. Foundations
    1. CASE English Composition
    2. Mathematical Modeling (usually satisfied by courses taken to fulfill major requirements)
  2. CASE Foreign Language: proficiency in a single foreign language at or above the first semester of the second year of college-level coursework.
  3. CASE Intensive Writing
  4. CASE Breadth of Inquiry
    1. Arts and Humanities: two (2) courses
    2. Social and Historical Studies: two (2) courses
    3. Natural and Mathematical Sciences: four (4) courses (usually satisfied by courses taken to fulfill major requirements)
  5. CASE Critical Approaches
  6. CASE Public Oral Communication

Students pursuing the B.S. in Geography must also complete at least 30 credit hours in Geography courses, including the following requirements:

  1. Environment and Society.
    • GEOG-G 208 Environment and Society
  2. Geographic Methods. Complete a, b and c:
    1. One (1) of the following:
      • GEOG-G 237 Mapping Our World
      • GEOG-G 338 Geographic Information Science
    2. GEOG-G 250 Computing in the Geospatial Sciences
    3. 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 of GEOG courses at the 300–400 level
    • At least 6 credit hours of the above must be in GEOG courses at the 400 level
  7. Calculus. Complete either a or b:
    1. Brief Survey Option. Complete both:
      • MATH-M 119 Brief Survey of Calculus I
      • MATH-M 120 Brief Survey of Calculus II
    2. Regular Option. Complete both:
      • MATH-M 211 Calculus I
      • MATH-M 212 Calculus II
  8. Science/Quantative Methods. Complete one (1) of the following options (a, b, c, d or e):
    1. Biology. At least 9 credit hours in BIOL courses, including:
      • BIOL-L 111 Foundations of Biology: Diversity, Evolution, and Ecology
      • BIOL-L 473 Ecology
    2. Chemistry. At least 9 credit hours in CHEM courses, including:
      • CHEM-C 117 Principles of Chemistry and Biochemistry I
      • At least one (1) course at the 300–400 level
    3. Computer Science. At least 9 credit hours in CSCI courses, including:
      • At least one (1) course at the 300–400 level
    4. Economics. At least 9 credit hours in ECON courses, including:
      • At least one (1) course at the 300–400 level
    5. Statistics. At least 9 credit hours in STAT courses, including:
      • At least one (1) course at the 300–400 level
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, Land 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, Land 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 Urban Alternative Agriculture
  • GEOG-G 359 Fundamentals of Sustainable Agriculture
  • GEOG-G 369 The Geography of Food
  • GEOG-G 384 Food, Place, and War
  • GEOG-G 411 Sustainable Development Systems
  • GEOG-G 417 Development Geography: Critical Perspectives on the Historical and Spatial Rhythms of Capitalism
  • 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 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