Being fundamentally interdisciplinary, the Department of Geography offers exciting opportunities to explore the physical and human environment in the field, laboratory, and classroom. Students engage with faculty to examine the physical, environmental, cultural, economic, political, and social processes that drive our world.
This Bachelor of Science degree requires coursework taken in Geography, including a set of foundational courses followed by upper-level courses in Human Geography, Geography of the Natural Environment, Human-Environment Interactions, or Geographic Information Science and Technology. The degree offers the flexibility to explore double majors and minors in complementary fields.
Using geospatial methods, geography graduates are uniquely skilled to draw connections between human and physical processes, providing them career options in government agencies, industries, and businesses aimed at social services, research, natural resources, and spatial analysis. Geographers also often work in education, development, and private consulting.
Plan of Study Grid | First Year |
|---|
| Fall |
|---|
| GEOG 201 | Introduction to Human Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 215 | Geospatial Cornerstone | 1 |
| 1 | 4 |
| |
| The Blue Planet - Our Oceans
and The Blue Planet - Our Oceans Laboratory | |
| Principles of Geology
and Principles of Geology Laboratory | |
| Introductory Biology I | |
| Fundamentals of Chemistry I | |
| College Physics | |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| | Semester Credit Hours | 14 |
| Spring |
|---|
| GEOG 203 | Planet Earth | 3 |
| GEOG 213 | Planet Earth Lab | 1 |
| MATH 140 | Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences | 3 |
| 1 | 4 |
| |
| Weather and Climate
and Weather and Climate Laboratory | |
| Historical Geology | |
| Introductory Biology II | |
| Fundamentals of Chemistry II | |
| College Physics | |
| 2 | 3 |
| | Semester Credit Hours | 14 |
| Second Year |
|---|
| Fall |
|---|
| GEOG 232 | Cartography and Visualization | 3 |
| MATH 142 | Business Calculus | 3 |
| POLS 206 | American National Government | 3 |
| STAT 303 | Statistical Methods | 3 |
| 3 | 3 |
| | Semester Credit Hours | 15 |
| Spring |
|---|
| POLS 207 | State and Local Government | 3 |
| 3 |
| 2 | 3 |
| 3 | 3 |
| 4 | 4 |
| | Semester Credit Hours | 16 |
| Third Year |
|---|
| Fall |
|---|
| GEOG 390 | Principles of Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 5 | 3 |
| 4 | 3 |
| | Semester Credit Hours | 16 |
| Spring |
|---|
| 3 |
| 5 | 6 |
| 4 | 6 |
| | Semester Credit Hours | 15 |
| Fourth Year |
|---|
| Fall |
|---|
| GEOG 450 | Field Geography | 3 |
| 4 | 12 |
| | Semester Credit Hours | 15 |
| Spring |
|---|
| GEOG 440 | History and Nature of Geography | 3 |
| 4 | 12 |
| | Semester Credit Hours | 15 |
| | Total Semester Credit Hours | 120 |
Two courses in the degree plan must be Writing Intensive courses designated by the department in the schedule of classes. Also, International and Cultural Diversity Elective (3 hours) and Cultural Discourse (3 hours) must be incorporated into the degree.
