Geography Major

Geography is the quintessential liberal arts subject, with a broad array of classes that appeal to many different interests! Enter the major at any level, from any direction: many Geography majors take a class or two to satisfy other requirements and then decide to declare.

The three-course core is taken by all majors; one additional method is chosen from a list of six courses. Students are required to explore the breadth of geography by taking one course from each of three areas of specialization; one of these courses has to be at 300-level. Students then specialize by taking three additional courses in one area (a total of four in that area, providing real expertise). They then cap their program with a senior seminar. University catalog requirements can be found here.

Core requirements (11 credits):

GEOG 102 Intro to Human Geography (3)
GEOG 111 Landform Processes w/lab (4)
GEOG 250 or GISC 200 Introduction to GIS (4)

Method requirement choose one (3-4 credits):

GEOG 352 Quantitative Methods (3)
GEOG 363 Qualitative Methods (3)
GEOG 365 Field Methods (4)
GISC 340 Remote Sensing (4)
GISC 351 Spatial Analysis (4)
GISC 355 Mobile Geographic Information Systems and Global Positioning Systems (4)

Breadth Requirements (9-10 credits):

Take one course from each of the 3 areas of specialization, at least one being at 300-level.

Specialization Requirements (9 credits):

Take 3 additional courses from one of the areas of specialization, two of which are at 300- or 400-level. For each area, 3 credits of one of the following may be used: GEOG 200 Topics in Geography; 360 Study Abroad; 410 Advanced Topics in Geography; 485 Readings in Geography; 491 Individual Study in Geography; 494 Community Engaged Study in Geography. GEOG 337 may be counted in one area of specialization only.

Society & Politics

231: Introduction to Planning
236: Globalization & Local Development
237: Cities
331: Race & Place in America
332: Migration Politics
333: Planning Seminar
337: Nature of Cities
338: Geopolitics

Culture

101: World Regional Geography
221: Geography of Eastern North America
222: Geography of Western North America
301: Geography of Latin America & Caribbean
304: Geography of Middle East
335: Sacred Spaces
339: Development Studies
361: Grassroots Development in Guatemala

Environment

110: Weather & Climate w/lab
240: Hazards & Resilience
241: Biogeography
245: Environment & Society
325: Dynamic Climatology
326: Glacial Geomorphology
327: Climate Change
337: Nature of Cities

Capstone (3 credits):

GEOG 490 Senior Seminar in Geography