Undergraduate Degrees
Bachelor of Arts in Geography
The geography major requires a minimum of 36 units, including six required courses and three courses from one of the following tracks.
The Urban Environments track emphasizes the role of social theory in understanding urban and regional development; race and ethnicity, immigration, social problems and policies; and nature-society relations in cities. The Natural Environments track examines the key processes, dynamics, and interactions underlying the geographical distribution of land, air and water resources and the identification of problems and solutions affecting them. The Geographic Information Science track examines the special character of geographic information, the three core geographic information technologies (GIS, GPS, Remote Sensing), and how they can be used to help answer geographical questions.
| One course from | Units |
|---|
| GEOG 100 | Los Angeles and the American Dream | 4 |
| GEOG 120 | Geopolitics | 4 |
| One course from | Units |
|---|
| GEOG 160L | The Earth's Surface | 4 |
| GEOG 165L | The Atmospheric Environment | 4 |
| GEOG 265L | The Water Planet | 4 |
| Required courses | Units |
|---|
| GEOG 391 | Geographical Foundations | 4 |
| GEOG 392 | Geographical Analysis | 4 |
| GEOG 393 | Field Techniques | 4 |
| GEOG 494 | The Professional Geographer | 4 |
| three courses (12 units) from one of the tracks | Units |
|---|
Urban Environments |
| GEOG 205 | Introduction to Human Geography | 4 |
| GEOG 306 | Asia and the Global Economy | 4 |
| GEOG 325 | Culture and Place | 4 |
| GEOG 340 | Latino L.A. | 4 |
| GEOG 397 | Applied Geography Internship | 2-4, max 4 |
| GEOG 410 | Urban Geography | 4 |
Natural Environments |
| GEOG 260L | Natural Hazards | 4 |
| GEOG 365L | Fundamentals of Weather and Climate | 4 |
| GEOG 370 | Marine and Coastal Zone Geography | 4 |
| GEOG 397 | Applied Geography Internship | 2-4, max 4 |
| GEOG 477 | Water Resources | 4 |
Geographic Information Science |
| GEOG 281L | Environmental Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| GEOG 481 | Map Design and Analysis | 4 |
| GEOG 482L | Principles of Geographic Information Science | 4 |
| GEOG 483ab | Applied Geographic Information Science Internship | 2-2 |
| GEOG 485ab | Directed Geographic Information Science Research | 2-2 |
Minor in Geography
GEOG 160L or GEOG 205 and four upper division courses in geography with at least one course in each track described above are required.
Coastal Ocean and Watershed Science Interdisciplinary Minor
This minor examines the status of the world's coastal resources and the connections between the atmosphere, watersheds and oceans. This minor is aimed primarily at students majoring in biology, civil engineering, earth sciences, environmental studies, and geography. A total of 22-24 (40 including prerequisites) units is required.
| One course from | Units |
|---|
| CE 309 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| GEOG 265L | The Water Planet | 4 |
| GEOL 107L | Oceanography | 4 |
| required course | Units |
|---|
| GEOG 370 | Marine and Coastal Zone Geography | 4 |
| four courses chosen from (no more than two from a single department) | Units |
|---|
| BISC 469L | Marine Biology | 4 |
| CE 451 | Water Resources Engineering | 4 |
| CE 466 | Design of Free-Surface Hydraulic Systems | 3 |
| GEOG 365L | Fundamentals of Weather and Climate | 4 |
| GEOG 477 | Water Resources | 4 |
| GEOL 412 | Oceans, Climate and the Environment | 4 |
| GEOL 460L | Geochemistry and Hydrogeology | 4 |
| GEOL 470 | Environmental Hydrogeology | 4 |
Geographic Information Science Interdisciplinary Minor
This minor for all students, except geography majors enrolled in the geographic information science track, explores the core geographic information technologies and the ways in which they can be used to help advance knowledge in the environmental and social sciences. The minor requires 21-22 units.
| Two courses from | Units |
|---|
| CSCI 101L | Fundamentals of Computer Programming | 3 |
| CSCI 102L | Data Structures | 4 |
| GEOG 281L | Environmental Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| Required Courses | Units |
|---|
| GEOG 392 | Geographical Analysis | 4 |
| GEOG 482L | Principles of Geographic Information Science | 4 |
| six units From | Units |
|---|
| CE 409abL | Computer Aided Design | 3-3 |
| CSCI 201L | Principles of Software Development | 4 |
| CSCI 485 | File and Database Management | 3 |
| GEOG 481 | Map Design and Analysis | 4 |
| GEOG 483ab | Applied Geographic Information Science Internship | 2-2 |
| GEOG 485ab | Directed Geographic Information Science Research | 2-2 |
| ITP 204x | Fundamentals of Web Development | 4 |
Pacific Rim Development Interdisciplinary Minor
This minor examines Pacific Rim histories, cultures, economies and transnational connections, especially between Asian and North American world-city regions. The minor requires 24 units.
| One course from | Units |
|---|
| EASC 150 | East Asian Societies | 4 |
| MDA 170 | La Frontera: The U.S.-Mexico Borderlands | 4 |
| required courses | Units |
|---|
| GEOG 205 | Introduction to Human Geography | 4 |
| GEOG 306 | Asia and the Global Economy | 4 |
| IR 361 | The Asia-Pacific in International Affairs | 4 |
| IR 365 | U.S. Responses to Revolutionary Change in Latin America and the Caribbean | 4 |
| One course from | Units |
|---|
| COMM 431 | Global Strategy for the Communications Industry | 4 |
| IR 358 | The Asia Pacific in World Affairs | 4 |
| IR 465 | Contemporary Issues in United States-Latin America Relations | 4 |
| MOR 470 | Global Leadership | 4 |
| POSC 350 | Politics of Latin America | 4 |
| POSC 355 | Politics of East Asia | 4 |
| POSC 356 | Politics in the People's Republic of China | 4 |
| POSC 430 | Political Economy of Mexico | 4 |
| POSC 453 | Political Change in Asia | 4 |
Interdisciplinary Minor in Southern California
This minor program of study examines the unique human and cultural character of Southern California and the emergence of Los Angeles as one of the world's most vibrant and diverse city-regions during the second half of the 20th century. A total of 22-24 units is required.
| One course from | Units |
|---|
| GEOG 100 | Los Angeles and the American Dream | 4 |
| PPD 100 | Los Angeles, The Enduring Pueblo | 4 |
| Required Courses | Units |
|---|
| AMST 301 | America, the Frontier, and the New West | 4 |
| GEOG 340 | Latino L.A. | 4 |
| GEOG 431 | Geography of California | 4 |
| Two Courses From | Units |
|---|
| GEOG 325 | Culture and Place | 4 |
| GEOG 410 | Urban Geography | 4 |
| PPD 302 | Urban Sleuths: Exploring People and Places in Cities | 4 |
| PPD 352a | Los Angeles Mini Semester | 4 |
| PPD 354 | Los Angeles: The City, The Novel, The Movie | 2 |
Honors Program
The department offers an honors program involving a year of study culminating in the preparation of an honors thesis. Qualified students take GEOG 495ab in consecutive fall and spring semesters. Contact the departmental undergraduate advisor for further information. To graduate with departmental honors, a student must receive at least a B or better in GEOG 495ab and have an overall 3.6 GPA in the major (including 495ab).
Advisement
All geography majors must meet at least once every semester with the departmental undergraduate advisor.
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