Geography

Geography | Geography Courses | Geosciences Faculty

Degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science

Contact: William McCoy

Office: 236 Morrill

Phone: 545-1535

Web site: www.geo.umass.edu

The Field

The substance of modern geography is based on our inherent sense of place and on the study of the spatial characteristics of the earthóand all that is found on it. This curiosity extends to both the physical content of earth space and to human behavior in response to that environment. Different cultures and groups place contrasting priorities on the kinds of environments and places in which they want to live. Geographers examine the forces that help to shape both attitudes and behavior with regard to the environment and location in space. Such studies help to explain changing patterns of human settlementówhere people live, why they are located there, and how individuals and cultures perceive, organize spatially, and use the land around them. As a result, geography's unique contribution involves an understanding of the spatial distributions, spatial relationships and spatial behavior involved in people-environment systems.

Geography has two main branches:

Human geography is concerned with the spatial aspects of our existenceóhow and where people are distributed and how they perceive, use, and sustain their places on the earth's surface. Human geographers work in fields such as resource management, environmental conservation and policy, urban and regional planning, transportation, and international business.

Physical geography studies patterns among climates, land forms, vegetation, soils, and water. Physical geographers forecast the weather, manage land and water resources, and analyze and plan for use and protection of forests, rangelands, and wetlands.

For some students, a major in geography serves as a flexible foundation on which to build a broad-based liberal education. For others it serves as an appropriate preparation for later training in other fields such as urban and regional planning, business, cartography, and urban studies. For still others, who see themselves as professional geographers, it provides the first step in a professional training which will be continued at graduate school.

Study abroad is often especially appropriate for Geography majors. Students are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities to study abroad for one or two semesters.

The Major

The major combines a solid grounding in required courses with the maximum opportunity to shape an individual program serving personal interests and career intentions. The student should consult with a faculty adviser to ensure that a sound individual program is developed.

A minimum of a 2.0 average in the courses applied to the Geography major is required for graduation. The Junior Year Writing requirement is fulfilled by enrolling in GEO 314.

Requirements for B.A. Degree:

Introductory Courses (6 cr)

100 Global Environmental Change

102 The Human Landscape

Skills and Techniques (9 cr)

314 Junior Year Writing (required)

340 Quantitative Methods (required)

352 Computer Cartography

Upper-Division Electives (21 cr)

Any seven regular Geography courses numbered above 300.

Elective (3 cr)

One additional course to total a minimum of 39 hours in Geography.

Requirements for B.S. Degree

In addition to the courses required for the B.A. degree (listed above), the B.S. program in Physical Geography requires geomorphology (560), climatology (354), and an advanced physical geography course. These courses may count for three of the required upper-division courses in geography. In addition, one-year courses in calculus, general college physics, and general college chemistry, and The Earth (GEO 101), and GEO 131, and CMPSCI 121 or 123 are required.

Career Opportunities

A wide range of careers demanding knowledge of geographic concepts and mastery of geographic techniques are open in business, government, teaching, and cartography. Many opportunities are becoming available in the field of environmental management and planning. The Federal government will need additional personnel to work in programs such as regional development, environmental quality, and intelligence. Employment of geographers in state and local government is expected to expand, particularly in areas such as conservation, environmental quality, highway planning, and city, community, and regional planning and development. Private industry also is expected to employ increasing numbers of geographers for market research and location analysis. Graduates who have only the Bachelor's degree in geography may find positions connected with making, interpreting, or analyzing maps; or in research, either working for government or industry. Others may obtain employment as research or teaching assistants in educational institutions while studying for advanced degrees. Some Bachelor's degree holders do teach at the high school level, although in some states, the Master's degree is becoming essential for high school teaching positions. Others earn library science degrees and become map librarians.

Many geographers have job titles such as cartographer, map analyst or regional planner, that describe their specialization. Others have titles that relate to the subject matter of their study, such as photo-intelligence specialist or climatological analyst. Still others have titles such as community or environmental planner, or market or business analyst.

Further training to open career doors may be either in geography or in other fields where geography can be applied, such as planning or business, or it can be totally unrelated to geography specifically, such as law and public administration. The critical point is for the student, in consultation with a faculty adviser, to work out a solid program in geography and related fields which will sound out the various options.

The Minor

There are several options in the Geography minor. Each is consistent with the general structure of the discipline and its specific sub-fields and: a) provides students with exposure to fundamental concepts in the field; b) enables them to become familiar with the application of these concepts; and c) complements concepts and perspectives emphasized in the student's declared major field of study. In practical terms the minor in geography enables students to acquire specific skills and competencies (e.g., cartography) which qualify them for employment with various federal, state, and local agencies. For those students interested in careers in teaching, the geography minor broadens their perspectives in the area of social studies education. In many cases the elected minor in a sub-field of geography complements perspectives provided by the student's academic major, and in doing so potentially enhances the scope of employment prospects.

The department expects students majoring in the following disciplines to be most interested in a minor in geography: Anthropology, Earth Systems, Economics, Education, Environmental Design, General Business and Finance, Geology, History, and Sociology.

Advising

Students are assigned an academic adviser in the same way Geography majors are assigned. Potential minors first consult with the Chief Undergraduate Adviser in Geography to determine possible options and relevant faculty. Students may choose an adviser from the faculty most closely involved with the minor option that they wish to take. The appropriate faculty member works with the student to design the minor program.

Requirements

A. Urban-Economic. 15 credits taken from the courses listed below

102 The Human Landscape

250 Natural Disasters

360 Economic Geography

362 Land Use Control

370 Urban Geography

One of the following three:

324 Environmental Perception

372 Social Problems in Metropolitan America

396 Independent Study: Urban Geography

B. Development Studies. 15 credits from courses listed below

100 Global Environmental Change or

102 The Human Landscape

Any four of the following:

320 Latin America

330 East Asia

332 Southeast Asia

360 Economic Geography

364 Development

370 Urban Geography

466 Rural Development and Change

C. Maps and Visualization (Cartography). 18 credits from courses listed below (18 credits are required to meet federal regulations for employment as cartographers).

100 Global Environmental Change or

102 The Human Landscape

350 Maps, History, and World View

352 Computer Cartography

397 Special Topics: Cartography

397A Desktop Publishing

594A Seminar: GIS (one seminar)

One upper-division geography course, either regional or systematic

One of the following three:

ENVDES 191 Graphic Communications

ART 271 Computing in the Fine Arts

FOREST 531 Aerial Photogrammetry

D. Physical-Environmental. 15 credits from courses listed below

100 Global Environmental Change or

101 The Earth

354 Climatology

362 Land Use and Society

285 Environmental Geology

324 Environmental Perception

392E Earth System Science

491 Seminar: Water Resource Policy

510 Natural Hazards

560 Geomorphology

563 Glacial Geology

E. Appropriate variations of those above, approved by the student's academic adviser. These variations must form a unified program in order to be approved. These involve 15 credits.

Prerequisites

All the minors have the Introductory course(s) GEO 100 and/or GEO 102 as prerequisites to subsequent courses. GEO 370 is prerequisite to GEO 372 and Independent Study in Urban Geography. GEO 362 is prerequisite to GEO 491 Seminar in Water Resource Policy.

Restrictions

Transfer credits. Maximum of 6 credits allowed. These must fit into the minors to be allowed.

No Pass/Fail courses are allowed in the minors.

Independent Study/Practicum courses: maximum of 6 credits allowed. Relevant examples are listed in the above options. In general we expect students to take 3 credits of these at most.

Geography | Geography Courses | Geosciences Faculty