Undergraduate Programs in Geography
Geography is the study of Earth’s landscapes, peoples, places and environments. It is, quite simply, about the world in which we live.
| Undergraduate Concentrations Available in Geography Major | |
|---|---|
| Travel & Tourism | catalog information |
| GIS/Cartography | catalog information |
| Geography & Planning Option (Environmental Studies Major) | |
| Minors Available in Geography | ||
|---|---|---|
| Geography Minor | Catalog Information | Contact: Dr. Rex Cammack |
| Sustainability Minor | Catalog Information | Contact: Dr. Beth Chalecki |
Other areas of interest in Geography (these are not formal concentrations)
Why Study Geography?
The curiosity of a geographer is virtually unbounded; we are observers and analysts of space, place, and environment on scales from the local to the global. Geography is a multifaceted discipline that bridges the social sciences, the humanities, and the physical sciences.
Geographers study:
- Neighborhoods
- International trade
- Urban life
- Economic patterns
- Ways in which cultures — past and present — leave their imprint on the land and landscape
- Movements of people across space — from local commuting patterns to global refugee flows
- Geopolitical patterns — the changing power relationships within and between nations and states
- Ways in which human relationships to places, spaces, and environments are shaped by — and, in turn, shape — class, ethnic, race, and gender identities
- Natural hazards, biogeography, climate change, and earthquakes
- They map the world, literally as well as metaphorically, and employ the newest technologies of geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing and satellite imagery to better understand the world's constantly changing natural and human landscapes
What skills will I develop with my Geography degree?
- Geography studies equips students analytical and conceptual skills
- The understanding of the spatial dimension of physical, environmental, and human phenomena
- Trains students to appreciate the importance of a broad, international, and comparative perspective
- Provides students with technical skills, a focus on environment and society, and local/global interpretive capacity that is increasingly important for an informed citizenry
- A high proportion of our students go on to graduate work, in geography or cognate fields, and we have placed students at some of the best graduate programs in the country.
Geographic Information Science & Cartography
In the Physical/Environmental concentration, you'll study topics like:
- Computer Mapping and Data Analysis
- Geographic Information Systems
- Environmental Remote Sensing
- Advanced Cartographic Methods
| Catalog Information | Advisor: Dr. Rex Cammack |
Travel & Tourism
In the Travel & Tourism concentration, you'll study topics like:
- World Regional Geography
- Human Geography
- Physical Geography
- Economic Geography
- Cartography & GIS
| Catalog Information | Advisor: Dr. Rex Cammack |
Geography & Planning Option (Environmental Studies Major)
The Geography and Planning Option is primarily designed to produce local and regional planning specialists who have a good understanding of environmental problems. Anytime humans change the nature of the landscape by constructing new housing developments, highways, shopping centers, etc. a potentially negative environmental impact to the natural landscape exists. Today's planners who are environmentally sensitive are in great demand to help avoid the common confrontations that arise between developers and those groups that are affected by the project.
| Catalog Information | Advisor: Dr. John McCarty |
Areas of Interest in Geography
Human Geography
With an interest Human Geography, you'll study topics like:
- Great Plains and Nebraska
- Geography, Gender and Work
- Historical Geography of the U.S.
- Seminar in Cultural Geography
- History and Philosophy of Geography
- Political Economy of Transformation in Central and Eastern Europe
- Seminar in Economic Geography
| Advisor: Dr. Rex Cammack |
Physical/ Environmental Geography
With an interest in Physical/Environmental Geography, you'll study topics like:
- Conservation of Natural Resources
- Biogeography
- Process Geomorphology
- Meteorology
- Climatology
- Water Resources
| Advisor: Dr. Rex Cammack |
Urban/Regional Planning
With an interest in Urban/Regional Planning, you'll study topics like:
- Urban Geography
- Land Use
- Seminar in Metropolitan Planning
- Economic Geography
- Internship in Regional Planning
| Advisor: Dr. Rex Cammack |