The Department of Geography offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography. The degree emphasizes knowledge and awareness of:
- The unique contributions of the discipline to understanding the spatial components of problems and the diverse factors relating to human interaction with the environment.
- The spatial distributions of physical and human characteristics on the Earth surface, the general patterns these form and the processes that have created and are changing these patterns.
- The major themes of geographical analysis, including absolute and relative location; human and physical characteristics of place; human and environmental relations; movement of people, ideas and products; and regionalization.
- The general geographical principles of human-environment interaction, global change and human spatial organization.
Requirements
General Requirements
Students must complete the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and the required courses below.
In addition to a standard degree in geography, the department offers transcripted concentrations in geographic information science, human geography, environment-society geography and physical geography. Coursework required for each concentration is listed on the Concentration Areas tab.
Students must complete at least 37 and no more than 45 credit hours in geography with grades of C- or better (23 credit hours must be upper-division). No pass/fail grades are allowed in the major. Students must have a grade point average of at least 2.000 in the major in order to graduate.
Transfer students majoring in geography must complete at least 12 credit hours of upper-division geography courses at CU Boulder. No course may be used to fulfill more than one requirement for the major.
Required Courses and Credit Hours
Certain course selections are better preparation for certain concentrations.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 1001 | Our Changing Planet: Climate and Vegetation | 4 |
| GEOG 1011 | Our Changing Planet: Landscapes and Water | 4 |
| GEOG 3023 | Statistics and Geographic Data | 4 |
| Select one of the following human geography courses: | 3 | |
| Geographies of Global Change | ||
| Sustainable Futures, Environment and Society | ||
| Global Geographies: Societies, Places, Connections | ||
| Human Geographies | ||
| Advanced Introduction to Human Geography | ||
| Select one of the following mapping courses: | 3-4 | |
| Mapping Our World | ||
or GEOG 3053 | Geographic Information Science: Mapping | |
| Select at least one of the following methods courses: | 3-4 | |
| Advanced Quantitative Methods for Spatial Data | ||
| Advanced Geovisualization and Web Mapping | ||
| Remote Sensing of the Environment | ||
| Geographic Information Science: Spatial Analytics 1 | ||
| Research Seminar | ||
| Earth Analytics Data Science Bootcamp | ||
| Earth Analytics | ||
| Field Methods in Human Geography | ||
| GEOG Electives to compete the major (See Concentration Areas Tab) | 16-14 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 37 | |
| 1 | Does not count as a methods course for students pursuing the GIS concentration. |
Graduating in Four Years
This applies only to the general geography degree. Consult the Four-Year Guarantee Requirements for information on eligibility. The concept of "adequate progress" as it is used here only refers to maintaining eligibility for the four-year guarantee: it is not a requirement for the major. To maintain adequate progress in geography, students should meet the following requirements:
- By the end of the third semester, complete GEOG 1001, GEOG 1011 and one of the following: GEOG 1962, GEOG 1972, GEOG 1982, GEOG 1992 or GEOG 2092.
- By the end of the sixth semester, complete an approved upper-division human geography course and 9 credit hours of upper-division geography courses.
- By the end of the sixth semester, complete GEOG 2053 or GEOG 3053 and GEOG 3023.
- By the eighth semester, complete the remaining upper-division credit hours.
Concentration Areas
General Geography Concentration
In addition to the courses required of all concentrations, complete the following GEOG coursework.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| At least one upper-division human or environment-society geography course (3XX2, 4XX2 or GEOG 4501). | 3-4 | |
| Upper-division Geography electives, to reach 23 upper-division credit hours in the major. | 10-13 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 13-17 | |
Human Geography Concentration
In addition to the courses required of all concentrations, complete the following GEOG coursework.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 3742 | Place, Power, and Contemporary Culture | 3 |
| or GEOG 3682 | International Development: Economics, Power, and Place | |
| A third-year university-level proficiency in a foreign language appropriate to the geographic concentration is required. 1 | ||
| Select three of the following electives: 2 | 9-10 | |
| Political Ecology | ||
| Reimagining Cities: Spaces of Power, Privilege, and Possibility | ||
| Cities of the Global South | ||
| Economic Geography | ||
| Who Runs the World? Sex, Power, and Gender in Geography | ||
| International Development: Economics, Power, and Place | ||
| Introduction to Global Public Health | ||
| Place, Power, and Contemporary Culture | ||
| Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean | ||
| China’s Diverse Geographies: Environment, Society, Politics | ||
| India and Its Neighbors: Societies, Economies, and Geopolitics | ||
| Human Geography of Czechia: Political, Economic and Social Transitions | ||
| Global Africa: Environment, Development, and Culture | ||
| Geography of the Former Soviet Union | ||
| Topics in Human and Environment/Society Geography 3 | ||
| Research Seminar (may be applied to the concentration on a case-by-case basis) | ||
| Migration, Immigrant Adaptation, and Development | ||
| City Life | ||
| Development Geography | ||
| Political Geography | ||
| Population Geography | ||
| Geographies of Political Islam | ||
| Geography of Tibet | ||
| Health and Medical Geography | ||
| Internship (may be applied to the concentration on a case-by-case basis) | ||
| Senior Thesis (may be applied to the concentration on a case-by-case basis) | ||
| Take one upper-division elective in Geographic Information Science, Environment and Society, or Physical Geography. | 3-4 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 15-17 | |
| 1 | This requirement may be met by completion of one or two semester-long, third year, university-level grammar courses (depending on the language) with a grade of C- or better, while also satisfying language department requirements for advancement through the sequence. |
| 2 | Unless otherwise noted, the department-enforced prerequisite for all courses is GEOG 1962, GEOG 1982, GEOG 1992 or GEOG 2092. |
| 3 | Special topics courses may be used to satisfy upper-division concentration requirements with approval from the department. |
Environment and Society Geography Concentration
In addition to the courses required of all concentrations, complete the following GEOG coursework.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 3402 | Natural Hazards | 3 |
| or GEOG 3422 | Political Ecology | |
| ENVS 2000 | Applied Ecology for Environmental Studies | 4 |
| Select three of the following electives: 1 | 9-10 | |
| Natural Hazards | ||
| Conservation Practice and Resource Management | ||
| Political Ecology | ||
| Who Runs the World? Sex, Power, and Gender in Geography | ||
| International Development: Economics, Power, and Place | ||
| Introduction to Global Public Health | ||
| Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean | ||
| China’s Diverse Geographies: Environment, Society, Politics | ||
| Global Africa: Environment, Development, and Culture | ||
| Topics in Human and Environment/Society Geography 2 | ||
| Research Seminar (may be applied to the concentration on a case-by-case basis) | ||
| Water Issues in the American West | ||
| Topics in Environment and Society 2 | ||
| Political Ecology & Latin America | ||
| Environment and Development in China | ||
| Internship (may be applied to the concentration on a case-by-case basis) | ||
| Senior Thesis (may be applied to the concentration on a case-by-case basis) | ||
| Take one upper-division elective from either the Geographic Information Science, Human Geography, or Physical Geography list. | 3-4 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 19-21 | |
| 1 | Unless otherwise noted, the department-enforced prerequisite for all courses is GEOG 1962, GEOG 1982, GEOG 1992 or GEOG 2092. |
| 2 | Special topics courses may be used to satisfy upper-division concentration requirements with approval from the department. |
Physical Geography Concentration
In addition to the courses required of all concentrations, complete the following GEOG coursework as well as the ancillary mathematics and science coursework.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required GEOG Coursework | ||
| Select at least two of the following: | 6-8 | |
| Biogeography | ||
| The Water Cycle | ||
| Principles of Climate | ||
| Earth Surface Processes | ||
| Select at least two of the following electives: | 6-8 | |
| Mountain Geosystems | ||
| Analysis of Climate and Weather Observations | ||
| Biogeography | ||
| The Water Cycle | ||
| Principles of Climate | ||
| Topics in Physical Geography 1 | ||
| Research Seminar (may be applied to the concentration on a case-by-case basis) | ||
| Biometeorology | ||
| Earth Surface Processes | ||
| River Systems and Landforms | ||
| Glaciers and Permafrost | ||
| The Arctic Climate System | ||
| Watershed Biogeochemistry | ||
| Snow Hydrology | ||
| Mountain Climatology | ||
| Forest Geography: Principles and Dynamics | ||
| Soils Geography | ||
| Internship (may be applied to the concentration on a case-by-case basis) | ||
| Senior Thesis (may be applied to the concentration on a case-by-case basis) | ||
| Take one upper-division elective from the Geographic Information Science, Human Geography, or Environment and Society Geography list. | 3-4 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 15-20 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Ancillary Mathematics & Science Coursework | ||
| Select one of the following two-semester sequences in calculus: | 8-10 | |
| Calculus 1 and Calculus 2 | ||
| Calculus 1 for Engineers and Calculus 2 for Engineers | ||
| Select three of the following semesters of physics and chemistry, including related labs: | 14-15 | |
| General Physics 1 | ||
| General Physics 2 and Experimental Physics 1 | ||
| General Chemistry 1 and Laboratory in General Chemistry 1 | ||
| General Chemistry 2 and Laboratory in General Chemistry 2 | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 22-25 | |
| 1 | Special topics courses may be used to satisfy upper-division concentration requirements with approval from the department. |
Geographic Information Science Concentration
In addition to the courses required of all concentrations, complete the following GEOG coursework.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required GEOG Coursework | ||
| GEOG 4103 | Geographic Information Science: Spatial Analytics | 4 |
| Select three of the following electives: | 9-12 | |
| Topics in Geographic Skills | ||
| Advanced Geovisualization and Web Mapping | ||
| Remote Sensing of the Environment | ||
| Research Seminar (may be applied to the concentration on a case-by-case basis) | ||
| Geographic Information Science: Spatial Modeling | ||
| Geographic Information Science: Spatial Programming | ||
| Geographic Information Science: Space Time Analytics | ||
| Geographic Information Science: Project Management | ||
| Internship (may be applied to the concentration on a case-by-case basis) | ||
| Senior Thesis (may be applied to the concentration on a case-by-case basis) | ||
| Take one upper-division elective from the Human Geography, Environment and Society Geography, or Physical Geography list. | 3-4 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 16-20 | |
Recommended Four-Year Plan of Study
Through the required coursework for the major, students will complete all 12 credit hours of the Natural Sciences area of the Gen Ed Distribution Requirement, including the lab component and at least 6 credits hours of the Social Sciences area of this requirement.
Depending on which track students follow and which elective courses they select within the track of the major, students can complete all of the Social Sciences area and 3 credits in the Arts and Humanities area of the Gen Ed Distribution Requirement and, potentially, the Global Perspective and United States Perspective component of the Gen Ed Diversity Requirement.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credit Hours | |
| GEOG 1001 | Our Changing Planet: Climate and Vegetation | 4 |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: Lower-division Written Communication) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution/Diversity course (example: Arts & Humanities/US Perspective) | 3 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GEOG 1011 | Our Changing Planet: Landscapes and Water | 4 |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution/Diversity course (example: Arts & Humanities/Global Perspective) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: QRMS) | 3-5 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Elective | 3-0 | |
| Credit Hours | 16-15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| GEOG 1962 | Geographies of Global Change or Sustainable Futures, Environment and Society or Global Geographies: Societies, Places, Connections or Human Geographies or Advanced Introduction to Human Geography | 3 |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Arts & Humanities) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Social Sciences) (if needed) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GEOG 2053 or GEOG 3053 | Mapping Our World or Geographic Information Science: Mapping | 3-4 |
| GEOG 3023 | Statistics and Geographic Data | 4 |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Arts & Humanities) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Social Sciences) (if needed) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 13-14 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| GEOG Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: Upper-division Written Communication) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences) (if needed) | 3 | |
| GEOG 3023 | Statistics and Geographic Data | 4 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GEOG Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| GEOG Methods course (Upper-division) | 3-4 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Social Sciences) (if needed) | 3 | |
| Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15-16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| GEOG Upper-division Elective | 3-4 | |
| GEOG Upper-division Elective | 4-3 | |
| Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GEOG Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| GEOG Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Elective or Upper-division Elective (if needed) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 122-123 | |