OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2024-25
Geography Major (B.S.) |
Major code BS4231
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 nine majors to help students specialize in a subfield of their choice.
The Geography Bachelor of Science major affords students flexibility in designing a curriculum that combines the traditions of physical and human geography with analytical and technical skills. Unlike the Bachelor of Arts program in Geography, the B.S. degree requires a concentration in Physical/Geospatial courses.
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 geography prepares students for a variety of career paths, including environmental planning, international and community development, foreign service, cultural and historic preservation, and management of geographic information systems. Examples of potential employers include, but are not limited to, the following: 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; architecture firms; non-profit organizations; museum and historical sites; 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 .
Geography Major (B.S.)
The major requirement for the B.S. degree in Geography is a minimum of 42 hours of geography.
Geography Foundations
Complete the following geography foundation courses with at least the minimum grade indicated for each course. Ideally GEOG 2680 and 2710 should be taken before your junior year.
- GEOG 1100 - Physical Geography Credit Hours: 4
-
(C or better grade required)
- GEOG 1200 - Human Geography Credit Hours: 3
-
(C or better grade required)
- 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)
- 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
-
(Offered only in Fall semester)
Geography Regional Course
Complete one regional course from the following:
- 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
Geography Technique/Method Courses
Complete two courses from the following:
- GEOG 3600 - Principles of Cartography Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 3610 - Cartography II Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 3650 - Air Photo Interpretation 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 3712 - Geographic Field Methods 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
Geography Electives
Complete a minimum of 15 hours of Geography, including at least 9 hours from the following list of physical/geospatial courses:
- GEOG 3010 - Meteorology Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 3020 - Climatology Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 3050 - Physical Meteorology Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3150 - Landforms and Landscapes Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3160 - Biogeography Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3580 - Environmental Hazards Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 3600 - Principles of Cartography Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 3610 - Cartography II Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 3650 - Air Photo Interpretation Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 4060 - Synoptic Meteorology Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 4070 - Mesoscale Meteorology Credit Hours: 4
- GEOG 4080 - Dynamic Meteorology I Credit Hours: 3
- GEOG 4090 - Dynamic Meteorology II 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 4520 - Environmental and Sustainability Planning 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 3712 - Geographic Field Methods 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
- GEOG 4770 - Advanced Topics in GeoInformatics Credit Hours: 3