OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2024-25
Geography - Climate, Environment & Society Major (B.S.) |
Major code BS4244
College of Arts and Sciences
Geography Department
N378 Lindley Hall
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: 740.593.1140
www.ohio.edu/cas/geography
Edna Wangui, Chair
wangui@ohio.edu
Yeong Kim, contact person
kimy1@ohio.edu
Program Overview
Geography bridges the natural and social sciences. Geographers focus on spatial patterns to study physical and cultural environments and how people interact with those environments. Geography is important to humanity because most of the world’s problems require deep understanding of the interdependence between human activities and the natural world. Geographic theories and methods provide students with fundamental analytical skills relevant to any occupation focused on solving social and environmental problems. Reflecting the diversity and breadth of geography, the department of Geography offers eight majors to help students specialize in a subfield of their choice.
The Geography - Climate, Environment and Society major is ideal for students interested in studying connections between human activities and Earth’s physical systems. This major provides students with deep, yet comprehensive, knowledge of the many challenges associated with thriving in the rapidly changing Anthropocene era. Major coursework along with ‘real-world’ experiential learning and research opportunities with faculty provide students critical perspectives, practical experience, and cutting-edge analytical skills to address pressing environmental challenges. Students completing this innovative program can tailor their educational experience to develop policy-based and/or applied competencies in a broad array of subjects spanning the natural and social sciences, including climate change, food and water precarity, land degradation, deforestation, urban growth, and uneven development, among many others. Graduates also choose elective geospatial science courses offering cutting edge training in geographic information systems (GIS), cartography, remote sensing, and field methods.
The Geography Department at Ohio University is committed to excellence in both teaching and advising. Several of our faculty members have received teaching awards. We are known across campus for the highest quality of student advising. As a geography major, you will meet one-on-one with your faculty advisor every semester during advising week, and you are always welcome to talk with your advisor at any time throughout the semester whenever questions may arise. In addition to advising our students about their academic programs, we provide timely information about internships, nationally competitive awards, and other opportunities as they arise. Many of our students complete internships and several of our students have received nationally competitive awards.
For more information about our program, please view this video , visit our website , or reach out to the faculty contact person, whose information is listed above.
Admissions Information
Freshman/First-Year Admission
No requirements beyond University admission requirements.
Change of Program Policy
No selective or limited admission requirements.
External Transfer Admission
No requirements beyond University admission requirements.
Opportunities Upon Graduation
A degree in Environmental Geography prepares students for careers in a variety of settings, including environmental and sustainability planning, resource management, natural areas preservation, and outdoor and environmental education, as well as in environmental assessment, monitoring, and restoration. In addition, graduates can seek careers in private and public firms and agencies that employ geographic information systems; education (public and private K-12 schools and higher education); local, state, or federal governments; city and regional planning agencies; non-profit organizations; etc.
Browse through dozens of internship opportunities and full-time job postings for Ohio University students and alumni on Handshake , OHIO’s key resource for researching jobs, employers, workshops, and professional development events.
Requirements
University-wide Graduation Requirements
Ohio University requires the completion of a minimum of 120 semester hours for the conferral of a bachelor’s degree. This program can be completed within that 120-hour requirement. For more information on the minimum hours requirement and other university-wide requirements, please review the Graduation Requirements – University-wide page.
Liberal Arts and Sciences Distribution Requirement
View the College and Liberal Arts and Sciences Distribution Requirements .
Foundations: Nature and Society
Complete the following courses with a C (2.0) or better:
- GEOG 1100 - Physical Geography Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 1200 - Human Geography Credit Hours: 3
Foundations: Regional Environments and Cultures
Complete one of the following courses:
- GEOG 3300 - Geography of Europe Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3310 - Geography of Africa Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3330 - Appalachia: Land and People Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3340 - Historical Geography of the United States Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3350 - Geography of Latin America Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3380 - Geography of Asia Credit Hours: 3
Core Courses: Mapping and Spatial Analysis of Nature and Society
Complete the following courses:
- GEOG 2680 - Introduction to GIS and Mapping Sciences Credit Hours: 4
-
(C or better grade required)
- GEOG 2710 - Introduction to Statistics in Geography Credit Hours: 3
-
(C- or better grade required)
Mapping and Spatial Analysis of Nature and Society Elective
Complete two of the following courses:
- GEOG 3600 - Principles of Cartography Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 3610 - Cartography II Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 3650 - Air Photo Interpretation Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3712 - Geographic Field Methods Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 4660 - Principles of Remote Sensing Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 4670 - Advanced Remote Sensing Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 4710 - Quantitative Methods in Geography Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 4730 - Principles of GIS Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 4740 - GIS Programming with Python Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 4750 - GIS and Landscape Analysis Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 4760 - Advanced Spatial Analysis and GIS Applications Credit Hours: 4
Core Courses: Comprehending Societal and Environmental Interactions
Complete the following courses:
- GEOG 2060 - The Physical and Global Dimensions of Climate Change Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 2400 - Environmental Geography Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3430 - Global Issues in Environment Credit Hours: 3
Electives: Contextualizing a Changing Climate
Complete four of the following courses:
- GEOG 3010 - Meteorology Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 3020 - Climatology Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 3150 - Landforms and Landscapes Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3160 - Biogeography Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3210 - Population Geography Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3250 - Political Geography Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3260 - Urban Geography Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3290 - World Economic Geography Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3410 - Geography of Hunger and Food Security Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3440 - Agricultural Ecosystems Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3450 - Access to Water in a Changing World Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3460 - Environmental Law Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3500 - Land Use Planning Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3580 - Environmental Hazards Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 4110 - Advanced Physical Geography Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 4130 - Arid Lands Physical Geography Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 4170 - Landscape Ecology Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 4450 - Gender, Environment, and Development Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 4470 - Natural Resource Conservation Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 4520 - Environmental and Sustainability Planning Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 4560 - The Just and Sustainable City Credit Hours: 3
Synthesizing Knowledge and Practice
Complete the following courses:
- GEOG 4799 - Foundations for Capstone Research in Geography Credit Hours: 1
-
(Offered only in Spring semester)
- GEOG 4800 - Capstone Experience in Geography Credit Hours: 3
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(Offered only in Fall semester)