Undergraduate Degree

The Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Geography provides comprehensive academic training in the environment and how its many aspects interrelate across the landscape. Geographic knowledge is essential for understanding rapid social and environmental change in a globalized society. Environmental geographers describe, analyze, and explain the arrangement of the Earth’s physical features. With training in both the natural and social sciences, environmental geographers have a wide range of career opportunities in public and private sectors. They find work in consulting, government, tourism, teaching, environmental analysis, non-profit organizations, and natural resource management. Environmental scientists are increasingly in demand for jobs that require expertise in bridging the gap between the social science and physical science aspects of natural systems.

In addition to the general environmental geography degree, a concentration is offered in atmospheric and climate sciences. The concentration is designed primarily for students who plan to enter a graduate program in atmospheric and/or climate sciences, or are interested in employment in the fields of applied atmospheric science and climatology and the delivery of weather and climate services. The concentration will be noted on the student’s transcript.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Geography

1. The University requirements for bachelor's degrees as described in the Undergraduate Education section of this catalog; 120 credits, including general elective credits, are required for the Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Geography.
   
   The University's Tier II writing requirement for the Geography major is met by completing Geography 480. That course is referenced in item 3. a. below.
2. The requirements of the College of Social Science for the Bachelor of Science degree.
3. The following courses with a minimum 2.0 grade-point average across all attempted GEO courses (39 to 61 credits):

   a.	One of the following courses (3 or 4 credits):
   	LB	118	Calculus I						4
   	MTH	124	Survey of Calculus I						3
   	MTH	132	Calculus I						3
   	MTH	152H	Honors Calculus I						3
   	Students in the Atmospheric and Climate Sciences concentration must take MTH 132 or 152H.
   b.	Two of the following courses (6 or 7 credits):
   	GEO	203	Introduction to Meteorology						3
   	GEO	206	Physical Geography						3
   		and
   	GEO	206L	Physical Geography Laboratory						1
   	GEO	306	Environmental Geomorphology						3
   	Students who choose GEO 206 must also enroll in GEO 206L either concurrently or in a subsequent term. Students in the Atmospheric and Climate Sciences concentration must take GEO 203 and may substitute GEO 201 for either GEO 206 or 306.
   c.	One of the following courses (3 credits):
   	GEO	113	Introduction to Economic Geography						3
   	GEO	151	Introduction to Human Geography						3
   	GEO	204	World Regional Geography						3
   	GEO	330	Geography of the United States						3
   	GEO	331	Geography of Canada						3
   	GEO	333	Geography of Michigan and the Great Lakes Region						3
   	GEO	335	Geography of Latin America						3
   	GEO	336	Geography of Europe						3
   	GEO	337	Geography of Asia-Pacific						3
   	GEO	338	Geography of Africa						3
   	GEO	339	Geography of the Middle East and North Africa						3
   	GEO	340	Geography of Eurasia						3
   d.	One of the following courses (3 or 4 credits):
   	GEO	221	Introduction to Geographic Information						3
   	GEO	221L	Introduction to Geographic Information Laboratory						1
   	GEO	363	Introduction to Quantitative Methods for Geographers						3
   	Students who choose GEO 221 must also enroll in GEO 221L either concurrently or in a subsequent term.
   e.	The following course (3 credits):
   	GEO	480	Senior Seminar (W)						3
   f.	One of the following:
   	(1)	Students not pursuing a concentration:
   		(a)	Twelve additional credits in GEO courses including at least 6 credits at the 300-level and above and 6 credits at the 400-level.
   		(b)	Nine additional credits in courses from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources or the College of Natural Science at the 300-level and above.
   	(2)	A concentration in Atmospheric and Climate Sciences.
   Atmospheric and Climate Sciences Concentration
   1.	All of the following courses (24 credits):
   	MTH	133	Calculus II						4
   	MTH	234	Multivariable Calculus						4
   	MTH	235	Differential Equations						3
   	CEM	141	General Chemistry						4
   	CEM	161	Chemistry Laboratory I						1
   	PHY	183	Physics for Scientists and Engineers I						4
   	PHY	184	Physics for Scientists and Engineers II						4
   2.	Four of the following courses (12 to 16 credits):
   	CSE	231	Introduction to Programming I						4
   	GEO	302	Climates of the World						3
   	GEO	303	Severe and Hazardous Weather						3
   	GEO	402	Agricultural Climatology						3
   	GEO	403	Dynamic Meteorology (W)						3
   	GEO	405	Weather Analysis and Forecasting						4
   	GEO	409	Global Climate Change and Variability						3
   	GLG	303	Oceanography						3
   	GLG	411	Hydrogeology						3
   	GLG	412	Glacial Geology and the Record of Climate Change						4
   	GLG	421	Environmental Geochemistry						4
   	Students in the concentration may use GEO courses in items c., d., and e. above towards the College of Social Science college distribution requirement.

4. Other Required Courses (12 credits):
   Complete 12 credits in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses from the following list of courses: Fulfillment of this requirement also meets the College of Social Science STEM Graduation Requirement for the Bachelor of Science degree and may not concurrently satisfy a University requirement.

   AST	101	The Celestial Clockworks						1
   AST	207	The Science of Astronomy						3
   AST	208	Planets and Telescopes						3
   BE	101	Introduction to Biosystems Engineering						1
   BE	230	Engineering Analysis for Biological Systems						3
   BS	161	Cell and Molecular Biology						3
   BS	162	Organismal and Population Biology						3
   BS	171	Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory						2
   BS	172	Organismal and Population Biology Laboratory						2
   CE	221	Statics						3
   CE	273	Civil and Environmental Engineering Measurements						2
   CE	274	Graphics for Civil and Environmental Engineers						1
   CE	275	GIS for Civil ad Environmental Engineers						1
   CEM	141	General Chemistry						4
   CEM	142	General and Inorganic Chemistry						3
   CEM	143	Survey of Organic Chemistry						3
   CEM	151	General and Descriptive Chemistry						4
   CEM	152	Principles of Chemistry						3
   CEM	161	Chemistry Laboratory I						1
   CEM	162	Chemistry Laboratory II						1
   CEM	251	Organic Chemistry I						3
   CEM	252	Organic Chemistry II						3
   CEM	255	Organic Chemistry Laboratory						2
   CEM	262	Quantitative Analysis						3
   CHE	201	Material and Energy Balances						3
   CHE	210	Modeling and Analysis of Transport Phenomena						3
   CMSE	201	Computational Modeling and Data Analysis I						4
   CMSE	202	Computational Modeling and Data Analysis II						4
   CSE	102	Algorithmic Thinking and Programming						3
   CSE	201	Fundamentals of Information Technology						3
   CSE	220	Programming in C						3
   CSE	231	Introduction to Programming I						3
   CSE	232	Introduction to Programming II						3
   CSE	260	Discrete Structures in Computer Science						4
   CSS	101	Introduction to Crop Science						3
   CSS	210	Fundamentals of Soil Science						3
   CSUS	200	Introduction to Sustainability						3
   ECE	101	Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering						1
   ECE	201	Circuits and Systems I						3
   ECE	202	Circuits and Systems II						3
   ECE	203	Electric Circuits and Systems Laboratory						1
   ECE	230	Digital Logic Fundamentals						3
   ECE	280	Electrical Engineering Analysis						3
   EGR	100	Introduction to Engineering Design						2
   EGR	102	Introduction to Engineering Modeling						2
   EGR	292	Applications in Environmental Studies						2
   ENE	280	Principles of Environmental Engineering and Science						3
   ENT	110	Applied Entomology of Economic Plants						3
   ENT	111	Basics of Applied Entomology						2
   ENT	205	Pests, Society and Environment						3
   FOR	101	Michigan’s Forests						3
   FOR	202	Introduction to Forestry						3
   FOR	204	Forest Vegetation						3
   FOR	222	Forestry Field Methods						2
   FW	101	Fundamentals of Fisheries and Wildlife Ecology and Management						3
   FW	110	Conservation and Management of Marine Resources						3
   FW	181	Introduction to Science, Technology, the Environment, and Public Policy						3
   FW	207	Great Lakes: Biology and Management						3
   GLG	201	The Dynamic Earth						4
   GLG	202	Geology of Michigan						3
   ME	201	Thermodynamics						3
   ME	222	Mechanics of Deformable Solids						3
   ME	280	Graphic Communications						2
   MSE	200	Materials and Society						2
   MSE	250	Materials Science and Engineering						3
   MSE	260	Electronic, Magnetic, Thermal, and Optical Properties of Materials						3
   MTH	114	Trigonometry						3
   MTH	126	Survey of Calculus II						3
   MTH	133	Calculus II						4
   MTH	201	Elementary Mathematics for Teachers I						3
   MTH	202	Elementary Mathematics for Teachers II						3
   MTH	234	Multivariable Calculus						4
   MTH	235	Differential Equations						3
   PHY	102	Physics Computations						1
   PHY	170	Investigations in Physics						3
   PHY	183	Physics for Scientists and Engineers I						4
   PHY	184	Physics for Scientists and Engineers II						4
   PHY	191	Physics Laboratory for Scientists, I						1
   PHY	192	Physics Laboratory for Scientists, II						1
   PHY	215	Thermodynamics and Modern Physics						3
   PHY	231	Introductory Physics I						3
   PHY	232	Introductory Physics II						3
   PHY	251	Introductory Physics Laboratory I						1
   PHY	252	Introductory Physics Laboratory II						1
   PLB	105	Plant Biology						3
   PLB	106	Plant Biology Laboratory						1
   PLB	203	Biology of Plants						4
   PLB	218	Plants of Michigan						3
   STT	180	Introduction to Data Science						4
   STT	200	Statistical Methods						3
   STT	201	Statistical Methods						4
   STT	224	Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Ecologists						3
   STT	231	Statistics for Scientists						3
   STT	250	Statistics and Probability for K-8 Teachers						4