Undergraduate Degree

Geography - Bachelor of Science

Program:
Geography - Bachelor of Science
Plan Code:
GEOGRA_BS1
Program Level:
Undergraduate
Award Type:
Bachelor of Science
College:
College of Social Science
Department:
Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences


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
Geography - Bachelor of Science

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 3
    FOR 419 Applications of Geographic Information Systems to Natural Resources Management 4
    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