Undergraduate Degrees
Bachelor of Arts in Geography
The geography major requires a minimum of 36 units, including five required courses and four upper division electives.
The required courses are designed to link human activities, the environment and health within the context of sustainability while simultaneously building the field observation, mapping and spatial analysis skills that serve as the geographer's toolkit. The upper division electives offer majors the opportunity to explore major themes in geography. Some courses focus on the role of culture and economic forces along with race, gender, class and sexuality in shaping cities and regions, whereas others examine how nature-society relations influence the distribution of environmental resources (i.e., nature's services) and problems.
Majors should expect to participate in several field trips and conferences as a part of their course of study. Practical experience gained while working as interns or research assistants in the Center for Sustainable Cities (including the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity) and the GIS Research Laboratory is strongly encouraged. The program aims to produce graduates who can move into graduate education or into the workforce with the conceptual tools and sophisticated technical skills they need to excel.
| REQUIRED COURSES | Units |
|---|
| GEOG 393 | Field Techniques | 4 |
| GEOG 401 | Sustainable Cities and Regions | 4 |
| GEOG 419 | Environment and Health | 4 |
| GEOG 481 | Map Design and Analysis | 4 |
| GEOG 482L | Principles of Geographic Information Science | 4 |
| ELECTIVES (Four Courses) | Units |
|---|
| GEOG 325 | Culture and Place | 4 |
| GEOG 345 | Conservation of Natural Resources | 4 |
| GEOG 350 | Race and Environmentalism | 4 |
| GEOG 397* | Geography Internship | 2-4, max 4 |
| GEOG 410 | Urban Geography | 4 |
| GEOG 431 | California's Changing Landscapes | 4 |
| GEOG 477 | Water Resources | 4 |
Minor in Geography
The geography minor requires a minimum of 16 units, including two required courses and two upper division electives. This minor offers students an opportunity to examine some of the major issues of the 21st century (urbanization, sustainability and health, among others) through the lens of a geographer.
| REQUIRED COURSES | Units |
|---|
| GEOG 401 | Sustainable Cities and Regions | 4 |
| GEOG 419 | Environment and Health | 4 |
| ELECTIVES (Two Courses) | Units |
|---|
| GEOG 325 | Culture and Place | 4 |
| GEOG 345 | Conservation of Natural Resources | 4 |
| GEOG 350 | Race and Environmentalism | 4 |
| GEOG 410 | Urban Geography | 4 |
| GEOG 431 | California's Changing Landscapes | 4 |
| GEOG 477 | Water Resources | 4 |
Minor in Geographic Information Science and Technology
The geographic information science and technology minor requires a minimum of 16 units, including three required courses and one upper division elective. This minor offers students an opportunity to learn more about the field observation, mapping and spatial analysis skills that serve as the geographer's toolbox.
| REQUIRED COURSES | Units |
|---|
| GEOG 393 | Field Techniques | 4 |
| GEOG 481 | Map Design and Analysis | 4 |
| GEOG 482L | Principles of Geographic Information Science | 4 |
| ELECTIVES (One Course) | Units |
|---|
| GEOG 397* | Geography Internship | 2-4, max 4 |
| GEOG 401 | Sustainable Cities and Regions | 4 |
| GEOG 419 | Environment and Health | 4 |
Honors Program
The department offers an honors program involving one year of study culminating in the preparation of an honors thesis. Qualified students must take GEOG 495ab in consecutive fall and spring semesters. Contact the departmental undergraduate advisor for further information. To graduate with department honors, a student must receive at least a B or better in GEOG 495ab and have an overall 3.5 GPA in the major (including GEOG 495ab).
Advisement
All geography majors must meet at least once every semester with the department undergraduate advisor.
PDF reflects print version of the catalogue (beginning to Economics)