Academic Programs Catalog

The Bachelor of Science degree in Geography provides comprehensive academic training in the human dimensions of the environment, particularly how people are affected by the environment, and how they alter and change it. Geographic knowledge is essential for understanding rapid social and environmental change in a globalized society. Geographers describe, analyze, and explain the arrangement of the Earth’s physical and social features. With training in both the natural and social sciences, geographers have a wide range of career opportunities in public, private, academic, and non-profit sectors. Geographers are increasingly in demand for jobs that require expertise in geospatial techniques, such as geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), remote sensing, cartography, data science, and data analytics.

In addition to the general concentrations are offered in Earth Observation and Geospatial Analytics; Human, Environment, and Economic Geography; and Physical Environment and Climate. The concentration will be noted on the student's transcript.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree in 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 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. below.
   
   The Experiential Learning requirement for the College of Social Science is met by completion of GEO 480 with a minimum grade of 2.0, referenced in item 3. below.
   The STEM requirement for the College of Social Science is met by completion of 12 credits as noted 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 (minimum of 30 credits):

   a.	Complete a minimum of 12 credits from one of the following courses:
   	GEO	113	Introduction to Economic Geography						3
   	GEO	151	Introduction to Human Geography						3
   	GEO	201	Introduction to Plant Geography						3
   	GEO	203	Introduction to Meteorology						3
   	GEO	204	World Regional Geography						3
   	GEO	206	Physical Geography						3
   	GEO	206L	Physical Geography Laboratory						2
   	GEO	208	Physical Geography of the National Parks						2
   	GEO	211	Environmental Policy and Practice						3
   	GEO	214	Geography of Drugs						3
   	GEO	215	Sports Geography						3
   	GEO	221	Introduction to Geographic Information						3
   	GEO	221L	Introduction to Geographic Information Laboratory						1
   	GEO	235	Geography of Environment and Health						3
   	GEO	286	Undergraduate Research in Geography						3
   b.	Complete a minimum of 12 credits from one of the following concentrations:
   	Earth Observation and Geospatial Analytics
   	FOR	372	Ecological Monitoring and Data Analysis
   	FOR	419	Applications of Geographic Information Systems to Natural Resources Management
   	GEO	324	Remote Sensing of the Environment						4
   	GEO	325	Geographic Information Systems						3
   	GEO	326	Cartographic Design and Production						4
   	GEO	363	Introduction to Quantitative Methods for Geographers						3
   	GEO	424	Advanced Remote Sensing						4
   	GEO	425	Problems in Geographic Information Science (W)						3
   	GEO	426	Thematic Cartography						4
   	GEO	428	Digital Terrain Analysis						3
   	GEO	429	Programming with Spatial Data						3
   	Human-Environment and Economic Geography
   	GEO	410	Geography of Food and Agriculture						3
   	GEO	413	Urban Geography						3
   	GEO	414	Transportation Systems and Sustainable Cites						3
   	GEO	435	Geography of Health and Disease						3
   	GEO	436	Spatial Analysis of Populations						3
   	GEO	440	Geopolitics						3
   	GEO	441	Cultural Geography						3
   	GEO	453	Metropolitan Environments: Urban Forms and Land Uses						3
   	Physical Environment and Climate
   	GEO	302	Climates of the World						3
   	GEO	303	Severe and Hazardous Weather						3
   	GEO	306	Environmental Geomorphology						3
   	GEO	402	Agricultural Climatology						3
   	GEO	403	Dynamic Meteorology (W)						3
   	GEO	405	Weather Analysis and Forecasting						4
   	GEO	407	Regional Geomorphology of the United States						3
   	GEO	409	Global Climate Change and Variability						3
   	GEO	411	Stream Systems and Landforms						3
   c.	Complete the following course:
   	GEO	480	Undergraduate Seminar in Geography (W)						3
   d.	Complete an additional minimum of 3 credits from any GEO electives at the 300-level or 400-level.
   	Students are encouraged to complete a first-year seminar such as UGS 110, as well as an internship experience, which can apply as GEO 498 when approved by the student’s academic advisor. Students planning to complete a graduate degree in geography are encouraged to complete GEO 113, GEO 151, GEO 206, GEO 221, and GEO 363.
   e.	Complete 12 credits in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses from the following courses. Fulfillment of this requirement satisfies the College of Social Science STEM Graduation Requirement for the Bachelor of Science degree. Courses used may not concurrently satisfy a University requirement.
   	(1)	Complete one of the following courses:
   		LB	118	Calculus I					4
   		MTH	124	Survey of Calculus I					3
   		MTH	132	Calculus I					3
   		MTH	152H	Honors Calculus I					3
   	(2)	Complete a minimum of 9 credits from the following courses:
   		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 of 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	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	231	Introduction to Programming I					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
   		ENE	280	Principles of Environmental Engineering and Science					3
   		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	200	Introduction to Environmental Science and Global Change					4
   		GLG	201	The Dynamic Earth					4
   		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	133	Calculus II					4
   		MTH	234	Multivariable Calculus					4
   		MTH	235	Differential Equations					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