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 Year | Credits |
|---|---|
| ERTH 101IN - Earth System Sciences | 4 |
| GPHY 141D - Geography of World Regions | 3 |
| University Core and Electives | 23 |
| Year Total: | 30 |
| Sophomore Year | Credits |
| GPHY 121D - Human Geography | 3 |
| 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 cr | 6 |
| University Core and Electives | 15 |
| Year Total: | 30 |
| Junior and Senior Year | Credits |
| GPHY 384 - Adv GIS and Spatial Analysis | 3 |
| ERTH 303 - Weather and Climate | 3 |
| 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 Electives | 12 |
| 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 101D | Anthropology and the Human Experience | 3 |
| ANTY 225IS | Culture, Language, and Society | 3 |
| PSCI 210IS | Introduction to American Government | 3 |
| SOCI 101IS | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| ECNS 101IS | Economic Way of Thinking | 3 |
| ECNS 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ERTH 212RN | Yellowstone: Scientific Lab | 4 |
| Take an additional 9 credits of Advisor-approved upper division electives | 9 | |
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 170IN | Principles of Biological Diversity | 4 |
| CHMY 121IN & CHMY 122IN | Introduction to General Chemistry and Introduction to General Chemistry Lab | 4 |
| GEO 105IN | Oceanography | 3 |
| ENSC 245IN | Soils | 3 |
| ERTH 212RN | Yellowstone: Scientific Lab | 4 |
| Take an additional 9 credits of Advisor-approved upper division electives | 9 | |
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.