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Bachelor of Arts
School of Sciences and Social Sciences
Geography, Bachelor of Arts  was modified 05/24/2013.

GEOG 326 Raster GIS has been removed. It has not benn offered since 2010.

Geography is an empowering discipline that examines the Earth through the lens of human-environment interaction. Geography is recognized for both its physical and its cultural attributes. The physical realm examines the Earth's dynamic systems and landscape evolution while the cultural realm focuses on human interaction to the constantly changing forces of nature. Major topics of study include population distributions, climate change, technology, language, urbanization, globalization, resource management, and environmental impacts. Geospatial technologies, including GIS, remote sensing, and computer mapping, form an integral component of analysis.

Abundant employment opportunities are available for geographers in local, state, and federal agencies concerned with such issues as regional planning, geopolitics, economic development, and environmental impact. Industry and business employs geographers as market researchers, analysts, and consultants. The U.S. Department of Labor has identified spatial technologies and expertise (geography/GIS) as one of the three primary areas of employment opportunity for the 21st century. Geography students who complete the teacher education option are eligible for Secondary Social Studies certification.

The geography major requires 40 credits of geography courses. One statistics course is recommended. Students considering graduate work in geography should develop strong skills in GIS.

INTEGRATIVE STUDIES REQUIREMENTS

40 credits minimum

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

40 credits

ISGEOG 203 The Human Cultural Mosaic
ISGEOG 204 Physical Geography
GEOG 395 Seminar I
GEOG 495 Seminar II
Select one of the following regional courses:

  • GEOG 340 Topics in Regional Geography
  • GEOG 341 Geography of the U.S. and Canada (recommended for Teacher Certification)
  • GEOG 371 or GEOG 571 Geography Field Studies

Select two of the following systematic fields of geography:

  • GEOG 303 The Politics of Place
  • GEOG 304 Population Geography
  • GEOG 305 The Global Economy
  • GEOG 307 Urban Geography and Planning
  • GEOG 330 Natural Resource Management
  • GEOG 332 Global Water Resources

Select two of the following geographic skills courses:

  • GEOG 321 Geospatial Technology for K-12 (recommended for teacher certification candidates only)
  • GEOG 323 Cartography and Surveying
  • GEOG 324 Fundamentals of GIS
  • GEOG 325 Cartographic Design and Analysis
  • GEOG 327 Environmental Remote Sensing

Teacher Certification - Secondary Social Studies

Geography is an approved major for students seeking Secondary Social Studies certification. Students will need to take the following additional Certification requirements:

Dual Major in Education

  • Secondary Education – Secondary Social Studies certification

Additional Major Requirements

  • IHHIST 161 or HIST 161
  • IHHIST 162 or HIST 162
  • IHHIST 111 or HIST 111
  • IHHIST 112 or HIST 112
  • Select one of the following:
    • ISPOSC 210 U.S. Politics
    • ISPOSC 220 Global Politics
  • Select one of the following:
    • 100- to 200-level course in Sociology
    • ISANTH 110 Cultural Anthropology
  • ISECON 104 Introduction to Macroeconomics
  • PSYC 101 General Psychology

ELECTIVES

One additional course in Geography, bringing total to 40 credits in Geography.

Select additional courses to reach a total of 120 credits.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

120 credits