Environmental Geography Major

Advisers Ballvé, Burnett, Graybill, Klepeis, E. Kraly, Meyer, Loranty, Scull

Environmental geography engages students in the interrelations between human systems and the natural environment. The major combines courses in the Department of Geography with a common set of environmental studies courses and courses offered in other relevant disciplines. In collaboration with the major adviser, environmental geography majors select a specific theme within environmental studies on which to focus. Examples that correspond to geography faculty expertise include climatology, population studies, environmental health, environmental systems analysis, gender and the environment, geographic information systems (GIS), political economy of the global environment, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable development.

This major in affiliation with the Environmental Studies Program (ENST) provides students with an opportunity to consider explicitly environmental issues from a geographic perspective. Courses in geography and a common set of courses in the ENST program are combined in an interdisciplinary course of study that focuses on climatology, population studies, environmental health, urban ecology, environmental systems analysis, geographic information systems analysis, sustainable agriculture, sustainable development, and gender and environment.

Major Requirements

The major program consists of the following requirements:

Environmental Studies Courses (four)

All of the Following

ENST 202
/
PHIL 202 - Environmental Ethics
ENST 390 - Community-based Study of Environmental Issues
One full-credit course or two half-credit courses from the ENST list of
Interdisciplinary Courses Focused on the Environment

One of the Following

Geography Courses (seven)

All of the Following

GEOG 211 - Geographies of Nature, Economy, Society
GEOG 231 - Geography of the Physical Environment
GEOG 245 - Geographic Information Systems and
GEOG 245L
GEOG 250 - Research Methods (which must be taken on campus by the end of the senior fall semester)
GEOG 401 - Seminar in Geography

Two of the following

Only one may be a 100-level course

Other Required Courses (three)

One course from the
Earth Systems and Processes
list, or with permission of the program director an additional course that satisfies the
Interdisciplinary Courses Focused on the Environment
requirement.
One course from the
Social Science Investigations of Environmental Issues
list, or with permission of the program director an additional course that satisfies the
Interdisciplinary Courses Focused on the Environment
requirement.
One course from the
Arts and Humanities Courses Related to the Environment
list, or with permission of the program director an additional course that satisfies the
Interdisciplinary Courses Focused on the Environment
requirement.

Honors and High Honors

Students interested in pursuing honors can find the additional requirements on the Environmental Studies program page.

Environmental Studies Program

For more information about the department, including Faculty, transfer credit, awards, etc., please visit the Environmental Studies program catalogue page.