Geography, B.S.
The Bachelor of Science in Geography (BS-GEOG) enables students to evaluate critical relationships and changes in society and the environment over time and space through an interdisciplinary approach. The program helps students study Earth’s places, peoples, and environments that bridges physical and social science disciplines. It equips students to investigate a variety of concepts, such as land use and land cover change, climate change, geographic inequality, and sustainability. The program prepares students to use qualitative and quantitative tools and geospatial technology to analyze spatial patterns and human-environment relationships on Earth. It offers students the opportunity to further focus their studies on the physical sciences, social sciences, or geospatial technologies to better prepare themselves for their future career and/or educational goals.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
| General Education Requirements | 36 Credits | |
| ENGL 1010 | Introduction to Academic Writing CC | 3 |
| or ENGH 1005 | Literacies and Composition Across Contexts CC | |
| ENGL 2010 | Intermediate Academic Writing CC | 3 |
| MATH 1050 | College Algebra QL | 4 |
| or MATH 1055 | College Algebra with Preliminaries QL | |
| Complete one of the following: | 3 | |
| US History to 1877 AS and US History since 1877 AS (6) | ||
| American Civilization AS (3) | ||
| US Economic History AS (3) | ||
| American Heritage AS (3) | ||
| American National Government AS (3) | ||
| Complete the following: | ||
| PHIL 2050 | Ethics and Values IH | 3 |
| HLTH 1100 | Personal Health and Wellness TE | 2 |
| or EXSC 1097 | Fitness for Life TE | |
| Distribution Courses: | ||
| METO 1010 | Introduction to Meteorology PP | 3 |
| or METO 1060 | Fundamentals of Weather Forecasting PP | |
| or ENVT 1110 | Introduction to Environmental Management PP | |
| or GEOG 1800 | Mapping the World with Geospatial Technology PP | |
| or GEO 1010 | Introduction to Geology PP | |
| or GEO 1030 | Natural Disasters and the Environment PP | |
| or GEO 1040 | The Dinosaurian World PP | |
| or GEO 1050 | Geology of National Parks PP | |
| GEOG 1000 | Introduction to Physical Geography PP | 3 |
| GEOG 130G | Survey of World Geography GI SS | 3 |
| Biology Distribution | 3 | |
| Humanities Distribution | 3 | |
| Fine Arts Distribution | 3 | |
| Discipline Core Requirements | 84 Credits | |
| GEOG 140G | Introduction to Human Geography SS GI | 3 |
| GEOG 2000 | Sustainability and Environment SS | 3 |
| GEOG 3110 | Urban Geography WE | 3 |
| GEOG 3200 | Geography of Utah | 3 |
| GEOG 3500 & GEOG 3505 | Geomorphology WE and Geomorphology Lab | 4 |
| GEOG 3600 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| GEOG 3650 | Advanced Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| GEO 480R | Earth Science Seminar (taken twice) | 1 |
| STAT 2040 | Principles of Statistics QL | 4 |
| Select 12 credits from the following physical and life science courses 1, 2 | 12 | |
| Introduction to Physical Geography Lab (1) | ||
| Introduction to Geology Laboratory (1) | ||
| Mapping the World with Geospatial Technology PP (undefined) | ||
| Biogeography (4) | ||
| Environmental Remote Sensing (3) | ||
| Geospatial Data Science (3) | ||
| Wetland Studies (3) | ||
| Wetland Studies Laboratory (1) | ||
| General Ecology (3) | ||
| Introduction to Soils (4) | ||
| Applied Hydrology WE (4) | ||
| Energy Use on Earth GI (3) | ||
| Introduction to Geology PP (3) | ||
or GEO 1030 | Natural Disasters and the Environment PP | |
or GEO 1040 | The Dinosaurian World PP | |
or GEO 1050 | Geology of National Parks PP | |
| Geologic Hazards (4) | ||
| Earth Materials WE (3) | ||
| Earth Materials Laboratory (1) | ||
| Hydrogeology (undefined) | ||
| Geospatial Field Methods (3) | ||
| Climate and the Earth System (3) | ||
| Select 12 credits from the following social science classes 1, 2 | 12 | |
| Geography of the United States SS (3) | ||
| Geography of Latin America and the Caribbean (3) | ||
| Economic Geography (3) | ||
| Cultural Geography (3) | ||
| Political Geography (3) | ||
| Geography of Africa (undefined) | ||
| Environmental History of the United States (3) | ||
| Environmental Sociology (3) | ||
or ENST 3520 | Environmental Sociology | |
| Survey Research Design (3) | ||
or ANTH 3850 | Ethnographic Methods WE | |
| Introduction to Environmental Studies (3) | ||
| Natural Resources Management (3) | ||
| Land Use Planning (3) | ||
| Environmental Policy WE (3) | ||
| Electives 1 | 31 | |
| Choose any classes from the following list or any classes from the following prefixes: GEOG, GEO, ENVT, ENST, AIST, ANTH, SOC, BIOL, CHEM, PHYS, NSS, HIST, GIS, MATH, STAT, CS. | ||
| GIS Internship (1-3) | ||
| Student Research in Geography (1-4) | ||
| Indians of Utah GI (3) | ||
| American Indian History since 1890 GI (3) | ||
| Culture Ecology and Health (3) | ||
| Culture Development and International Aid (3) | ||
| Globalized Society (3) | ||
| Environmental Biology BB (3) | ||
| Principles of Chemistry I PP (4) | ||
| Principles of Chemistry I Laboratory (1) | ||
| Principles of Chemistry II PP (4) | ||
| Principles of Chemistry II Laboratory (1) | ||
| Introduction to Statistical Computing (1) | ||
| Probability and Statistics for Engineering and the Sciences (3) | ||
| Literature of Cultures and Places (3) | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Management PP (3) | ||
| Environmental Health (3) | ||
| Appropriate Technology and Sustainable Development for the Developing World (3) | ||
| Historical Geology (3) | ||
| Desert Natural History (3) | ||
| Isotope Geochemistry (3) | ||
| Environmental Geochemistry (3) | ||
| Structure and Tectonics (4) | ||
| Sedimentary Geology WE (4) | ||
| Trigonometry QL (3) | ||
| Calculus I QL (4) | ||
| Environmental Ethics (3) | ||
| College Physics I PP (4) | ||
or PHYS 2210 | Physics for Scientists and Engineers I PP | |
| College Physics II PP (4) | ||
or PHYS 2220 | Physics for Scientists and Engineers II PP | |
| Social Research Methods WE (undefined) | ||
| Sociology of Gender (3) | ||
| Internet Technology and Society (3) | ||
| Rural Life--Global and Local (3) | ||
| Introduction to Statistical Methods (4) | ||
- 1
You need at least 40 hours of upper division credit to graduate. Work with your advisor to make sure you are meeting the 40 credits of upper division requirement.
- 2
Courses used for GE distribution credits cannot double count as core or elective classes.
Graduation Requirements
- Completion of a minimum of 120 semester credits, including 40 hours of upper-division credit.
- Overall grade point average of 2.0 (C) or above.
- Grade of C- or better in every ENVT, GEO, GEOG, METO, and core curriculum course.
- Residency hours--minimum of 30 credit hours through course attendance at UVU, with at least 10 hours earned in the last 45 hours.
- Completion of an exit interview with the department chair and a Qualtrics Exit Survey prior to graduation.
- Successful completion of at least one Global/Intercultural course.
- Successful completion of at least two Writing Enriched (WE) courses.
Graduation Plan
This graduation plan is a sample plan and is intended to be a guide. Your specific plan may differ based on your Math and English placement and/or transfer credits applied. You are encouraged to meet with an advisor and set up an individualized graduation plan in Wolverine Track.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Credit Hours | |
| Distribution Class (e.g., METO 1010) | 3 | |
| GEOG 1000 | Introduction to Physical Geography PP | 3 |
| MATH 1050 | College Algebra QL | 4 |
| ENGL 1010 | Introduction to Academic Writing CC | 3 |
| American Institutions | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| GEOG 130G | Survey of World Geography GI SS | 3 |
| ENGL 2010 | Intermediate Academic Writing CC | 3 |
| HLTH 1100 or EXSC 1097 | Personal Health and Wellness TE or Fitness for Life TE | 2 |
| PHIL 2050 or PHIL 205G | Ethics and Values IH or Ethics and Values IH GI | 3 |
| STAT 2040 | Principles of Statistics QL | 4 |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Semester 3 | ||
| GEOG 140G | Introduction to Human Geography SS GI | 3 |
| GEOG 2000 | Sustainability and Environment SS | 3 |
| GEOG 3200 | Geography of Utah | 3 |
| GEOG 3600 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| Core Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Semester 4 | ||
| Humanities Distribution | 3 | |
| Biology | 3 | |
| Core Elective | 3 | |
| GEOG 3650 | Advanced Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| Fine Arts Distribution | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Semester 5 | ||
| GEO 480R | Earth Science Seminar | 0.5 |
| GEOG 3500 & GEOG 3505 | Geomorphology WE and Geomorphology Lab | 4 |
| Core Elective | 3 | |
| Core Elective | 3 | |
| Core Elective | 4 | |
| Credit Hours | 14.5 | |
| Semester 6 | ||
| GEOG 3110 | Urban Geography WE | 3 |
| Core Elective | 3 | |
| Core Elective | 4 | |
| Core Elective | 4 | |
| Core Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Semester 7 | ||
| GEO 480R | Earth Science Seminar | 0.5 |
| Core Elective | 4 | |
| Core Elective | 4 | |
| Core Elective | 4 | |
| Core Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15.5 | |
| Semester 8 | ||
| Core Elective | 3 | |
| Core Elective | 3 | |
| Core Elective | 4 | |
| Credit Hours | 10 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Program Learning Outcomes
- Synthesize the interconnections between physical and human systems, environment and society, and the applications of geography across spatial and temporal scales.
- Interpret quantitative and qualitative geographic data using geospatial technologies.
- Evaluate causes, consequences, and possible solutions to relevant, persistent, contemporary, and emerging global issues using an interdisciplinary, scientific perspective.
- Communicate scientific data and geographic topics through technical and creative writing, the production of figures, maps, and public and scientific presentations.
- Collaborate with others through discussion, team problem solving, and group research to build interpersonal and leadership skills.