Undergraduate Degree

Environmental Geography

Program:
Environmental Geography
Plan Code:
ENGEOG_BS1
Program Level:
Undergraduate
Award Type:
Bachelor of Science
College:
Department:
Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences
Relevant Excerpt(s) from Academic Programs:


Excerpt from the official Academic Programs Catalog:

Listed below are the approved requirements for the program from the official Academic Programs Catalog.
Students must consult their advisors to learn which specific requirements apply to their degree programs.


College of Social Science

Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences

Undergraduate Programs
Environmental Geography

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