Geography, B.S.
Overall Requirements
- 120 credit hours, to include a minimum of 36 credits at or above the 300 course level
- 64-78 credits from the major plus electives, with 12-24 credit hours of electives in each concentration.
- A minimum of 27 credits in geography above the 100 level. Only grades of C- or higher in GES courses will count toward completion of the major and concentrations.
-
No more than 6 credit hours from GES courses numbered 160-170, 260- 289, 360-399, 460-489 may be applied to the major.
Degree Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | ||
| General Education Requirements (MAC) | ||
| College of Arts and Sciences Additional Requirements (CIC) | ||
Major Requirements
Select one of the concentrations as detailed following the major requirements.
- Earth Science
- Geographic Information Science (GIS)
- Urban Planning
Electives
Electives sufficient to complete the 120 credit hours required for the degree.
Earth Science Concentration Requirements
A central theme of geography is human interaction with the earth’s physical environment. This concentration permits students to apply the basic scientific principles of physical geography, cartography, and natural resource analysis to the problem of ensuring a high quality of life through maintenance of the natural processes that support human existence. This concentration also provides training to enhance the employment opportunities of students with a strong interest in environmental assessment and resource evaluation.
Only grades of C- or higher in GES courses will count toward completion of the concentration.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Earth Science Foundational Courses | 27 | |
Required | ||
| Introduction to Earth Science and Earth Science Laboratory † | ||
| General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory † | ||
| General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory | ||
| Calculus I †† | ||
Plus, select three from the following: | ||
| Principles of Biology I and Principles of Biology I Laboratory ††† | ||
| Principles of Biology II and Principles of Biology II Laboratory | ||
| General Physics I ††† | ||
| General Physics II | ||
| Geographic Techniques | 7 | |
Required | ||
| Introduction to Geographic Information Science and Intro to Geographic Information Science Laboratory | ||
Plus, select one of the following: | ||
| Research Methods in Spatial Science | ||
| Introduction to Spatial Analysis | ||
| Principles of Cartography | ||
| Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Remote Sensing of Environment | ||
| Human Geography | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Introduction to Human Geography | ||
| Cities of the World | ||
| Urban Geography: Sustainable Land Use | ||
| World Population Problems | ||
| Sustainable Transport and Mobility | ||
| World Economic Geography | ||
| The Geography of World Affairs | ||
| Regional Geography | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| The Historical Geography of the Western World | ||
| World Regional Geography | ||
| Natural Resource Regions of North America | ||
| Geography of Europe | ||
| Geography of East Asia | ||
| Geography of the United States and Canada | ||
| Seminar in Regional Geography | ||
| Current Topics in Regional Geography | ||
| Earth Science Requirement | 26 | |
Required | ||
| Physical Geography: Landscape Processes and Physical Geography Laboratory | ||
| Weather and Climate and Climatology Laboratory | ||
| Biogeography | ||
Select a minimum of five (5) courses from the following: * | ||
| Environmental Change: Its Nature and Impact | ||
| Environmental Hazards Assessment | ||
| Geomorphology of North America | ||
| Introduction to Spatial Analysis | ||
| The Water Planet | ||
| Elements of Hydrology | ||
| Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Remote Sensing of Environment | ||
| Advanced Weather and Climate-Synoptic Climatology | ||
| Applied Physical Geography | ||
- †
Counts toward GEC GNS requirement.
- ††
Counts toward GEC GMT requirement.
- †††
Counts toward LEC GLS/GPS requirement.
- *
Courses selected cannot have been taken as an Earth Science Foundational Course.
Geographic Information Science Concentration Requirements
Students with this concentration will develop skills in using maps, geospatial computer programs, and remotely sensed images to answer geographic questions relevant to land use planning, urban development, geomorphic or biogeographic processes, or environmental impact assessment. A capstone course (GES 421), which includes a faculty-directed major project, is completed in the final semester.
Only grades of C- or higher in GES courses will count toward completion of the concentration.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Geographic Information Science Foundational Courses | 15 | |
| Introduction to Earth Science and Earth Science Laboratory † | ||
| General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory † | ||
| General Physics I †† | ||
| Calculus I ††† | ||
| Geographic Techniques | 7 | |
| Introduction to Geographic Information Science and Intro to Geographic Information Science Laboratory | ||
| Research Methods in Spatial Science | ||
| Earth Science | 8 | |
| Physical Geography: Landscape Processes and Physical Geography Laboratory | ||
| Weather and Climate and Climatology Laboratory | ||
| Human Geography | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Introduction to Human Geography | ||
| Cities of the World | ||
| Urban Geography: Sustainable Land Use | ||
| World Population Problems | ||
| Sustainable Transport and Mobility | ||
| World Economic Geography | ||
| The Geography of World Affairs | ||
| Regional Geography | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| The Historical Geography of the Western World | ||
| World Regional Geography | ||
| Natural Resource Regions of North America | ||
| Geography of Europe | ||
| Geography of East Asia | ||
| Geography of the United States and Canada | ||
| Seminar in Regional Geography | ||
| Current Topics in Regional Geography | ||
| Geographic Information Science Requirements | 27 | |
1. Required | ||
| Introduction to Computer Programming for Non-Majors | ||
| Introduction to Spatial Analysis | ||
| Principles of Cartography | ||
| Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Remote Sensing of Environment | ||
| Advanced Cartography | ||
| Advanced Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Advanced Remote Sensing-Imaging | ||
2. Required (Taken after completion of #1.) | ||
| Geographic Information Science (Taken after completion of #1) | ||
- †
Counts toward GEC GNS requirement.
- ††
Counts toward LEC GLS/GPS requirement.
- †††
Counts toward GEC GMT requirement.
Urban Planning Concentration Requirements
The inter-regional shift of people and jobs in the United States and elsewhere over the past decades coupled with the movement away from large central cities has increased the need for formal urban and regional planning. Planners are needed in the private sector as well as in state and local governments to provide the appropriate kinds of economic and community development that will ensure a high quality of life in both developed and developing countries. In a growth region like the Southeast, geographers with a planning background are in increasing demand.
Only grades of C- or higher in GES courses will count toward completion of the concentration.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Urban Planning Foundational Courses | 10 | |
Required | ||
| Introduction to Earth Science and Earth Science Laboratory † | ||
| Introduction to Human Geography †† | ||
Select one of the following: | ||
| Contemporary Topics in Mathematics ††† | ||
| Elementary Introduction to Probability and Statistics ††† | ||
| Geographic Techniques | 7 | |
| Introduction to Geographic Information Science and Intro to Geographic Information Science Laboratory | ||
| Principles of Cartography | ||
| Earth Science | 4 | |
| Select one option of the following: | ||
| Physical Geography: Landscape Processes and Physical Geography Laboratory | ||
| Weather and Climate and Climatology Laboratory | ||
| Human Geography | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| World Population Problems | ||
| World Economic Geography | ||
| The Geography of World Affairs | ||
| Regional Geography | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| The Historical Geography of the Western World | ||
| World Regional Geography | ||
| Natural Resource Regions of North America | ||
| Geography of Europe | ||
| Geography of East Asia | ||
| Geography of the United States and Canada | ||
| Seminar in Regional Geography | ||
| Current Topics in Regional Geography | ||
| Urban Planning Requirements | 36 | |
Required | ||
| Cities of the World | ||
| Urban Geography: Sustainable Land Use | ||
| Sustainable Transport and Mobility | ||
| Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Sustainable Urban Planning in an Entrepreneurial Environment | ||
| Geography of Livable Cities | ||
Select six courses from the following: * | ||
| World Population Problems | ||
| World Economic Geography | ||
| Tourism Planning and Development | ||
| Research Methods in Spatial Science | ||
| Introduction to Spatial Analysis | ||
| Sustainable Tourism and Transportation | ||
| Geography of the United States and Canada | ||
| Principles of Cartography | ||
| Remote Sensing of Environment | ||
| Regional Economic Development | ||
- †
Counts toward GEC GNS requirement.
- ††
Counts toward GEC GSB requirement.
- †††
Counts toward GEC GMT requirement.
- *
Courses selected cannot have been taken as an Urban Planning Foundational Course.