Geography Option

The Geography Option offers students a liberal university education with an emphasis in geography. The Geography option provides a general education as well as the more specialized knowledge and skills necessary to pursue many career objectives. Geographers find professional opportunities in urban and land use planning as well as spatial analysis in the public and private sectors, analysis of regions, resource and environmental management, as well as the application of geographical skills in map making (cartography), remote sensing, and geographic information science (GIS). Geography also offers an outstanding background for more advanced education in environmental law, international business, resource planning, and other specialized graduate school opportunities. Students may enhance their employment opportunities with a Master's degree, or a Ph.D. if college teaching or advanced research positions are of interest.

The student, in consultation with an advisor, is given the opportunity to develop a program to meet his or her own particular interests and needs through a series of core geography courses and an emphasis in physical or human geography or an approved minor. The Geography Option introduces students to lower division course work in world regional, physical, and human geography. These courses emphasize the importance of spatial relationships, the global distributions of physical and cultural phenomena, the complex interplay between natural and human systems, and the factors contributing to the evolution of the earth's varied landscapes. In addition, advanced skills courses and a capstone course prepare the student to apply their training in a variety of jobs and/or graduate school.Some courses listed below are offered alternate years. A student's course sequence may differ from that shown depending upon the date the student enters the program and the availability of courses.

Freshman YearCredits
ERTH 101IN - Earth System Sciences4
GPHY 141D - Geography of World Regions3
University Core and Electives23
Year Total: 30
Sophomore YearCredits
GPHY 121D - Human Geography3
GPHY 284 - Intro to GIS Science & Cartog 3
STAT 216Q - Introduction to Statistics
or STAT 337 - Intermediate Statistics with Introduction to Statistical Computing
3
One Year Modern Lang Minimum 6 cr6
University Core and Electives15
Year Total: 30
Junior and Senior YearCredits
GPHY 384 - Adv GIS and Spatial Analysis3
ERTH 303 - Weather and Climate3
GPHY 425 - Geographic Thought (Capstone Course in Senior Year)3
Choose five courses from the following and one methods course OR four courses from the following and two methods courses:18
ERTH 307 - Principles of Geomorphology
ERTH 450R - Snow Dynamics and Accumulation
GPHY 322 - Economic Geography
GPHY 325 - Cultural Geography
GPHY 326 - Geography of Energy Resources
GPHY 329 - Environment and Society
GPHY 365 - Geographical Planning
GPHY 401 - Environmental Planning and Management Toolkit
GPHY 402 - Water and Society
GPHY 441R - Mountain Geography
GPHY 445 - Adv. Regional Geography
HSTR 425 - Mapping the World
Methods Courses
GPHY 357 - GPS Fund/App in Mapping
GPHY 426 - Remote Sensing
GPHY 429R - Applied Remote Sensing
GPHY 484R - Applied GIS & Spatial Analysis
STAT 411 - Methods for Data Analysis I
Selected minor or minor emphasis**21
University Core and Electives12
Year Total: 60
Total Program Credits: 120
**

Students, in consultation with their Earth Science advisor, must also select a minor from a minor tabulated in the catalog OR one of the emphases listed below. 

Human Geography Emphasis

Choose 12 credits from the following:
ANTY 101DAnthropology and the Human Experience3
ANTY 225ISCulture, Language, and Society3
PSCI 210ISIntroduction to American Government3
SOCI 101ISIntroduction to Sociology3
ECNS 101ISEconomic Way of Thinking3
ECNS 202Principles of Macroeconomics3
ERTH 212RNYellowstone: Scientific Lab4
Take an additional 9 credits of Advisor-approved upper division electives9

The advisor-approved upper division electives (minimum 9 credits) will be selected from course offerings in Anthropology, Economics, History, Native American Studies, Political Science, Sociology, as well as Earth Science, Geology, and Geography (1 course only from within the department). The courses used here cannot be used to fulfill the other course requirements in the Geography Option.

Physical Geography Emphasis

Choose 12 credits from the following:
BIOB 170INPrinciples of Biological Diversity4
CHMY 121IN
CHMY 122IN
Introduction to General Chemistry
and Introduction to General Chemistry Lab
4
GEO 105INOceanography3
ENSC 245INSoils3
ERTH 212RNYellowstone: Scientific Lab4
Take an additional 9 credits of Advisor-approved upper division electives9

The advisor-approved upper division courses (minimum 9 credits) will be selected from course offerings in the Animal and Range Science, Biology, Civil Engineering, Entomology, and Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, as well as Earth Science, Geology, and Geography (1 course only from within the department). The courses used here cannot be used to fulfill the other course requirements in the Geography Option.

A minimum of 120 credits is required for graduation; 42 of these credits must be in courses numbered 300 and above.