BA Geography

 

A major in Geography is designed to prepare students to analyze and respond to our world’s changing social and natural environments using a range of quantitative, qualitative, and geospatial research methods.

What does it mean to think geographically and why it is important?
As our planet is undergoing unprecedented change and specialization, geography is a discipline concerned with connections. Geography seeks to uncover not only where things are but, most importantly, why things are located where they are and how they impact each other. It examines connections between near and distant places and between diverse natural and social processes. More specifically, it uses concepts of space, place, scale, and location to understand our world and provide critical insights into the causes and effects of rising sea levels, deforestation, species extinction, rapid urbanization, public health crises, modern technologies, and mass migration.

On the human scale, geographic and environmental knowledge shapes our world-view on global change, sustainability, border conflicts, religion, economic stability, poverty, and social justice and helps us to care about places affected by these processes, including our own home.

What kinds of questions do geographers ask?
Geography majors use geographic concepts and research methods to answer questions such as: How does climate change affect wealthy and poorer nations differently? Do cities adapt differently from rural regions? What processes shape and reshape urban neighborhoods as distinct as Manhattan’s Harlem, Park Slope in Brooklyn, and Astoria in Queens? How do digital maps and big data transform our daily lives? How do social relations of class, gender, and race, as well as migration, rising sea levels, electoral geographies, alternative food systems, carbon emissions, to name a few pressing concerns, shape places, cities, regions, and nations? How do they affect global and local struggles for sustainability and equality?

What are unique geographic skills?
Most importantly, however, Geography not only will broaden your knowledge of the world and interactions between human and natural systems across space and scale, but will also equip you with analytical skills needed to solve the many problems our world is facing today. These skills include critical thinking, spatial analysis, and analytical writing. In particular, Geography majors learn how to analyze spatial information and make (digital) maps in order to detect and explain differences between places. In addition to classroom learning, students explore urban and natural environments through our field-based classes and by doing research projects together with community groups in New York City.

Where do geographers work?
Geographers work in many public agencies and private businesses that use geographic information, geolocation, and knowledge of how places, regions, markets, cities, as well as social and natural systems are connected across space and scale. Our graduates hold positions in almost every agency in New York City. Planning, environment, population, parks, police, and transportation departments employ geographers and so does bureau of census and emergency management and various other agencies. Moreover, geographers develop careers in environmental, financial, education, political, public health and other private consulting and technology firms and they also work for NGOs, elected officials, and community groups. See our website for alumni spotlight stories.

 

Learning Outcomes

  1. Use geographic approach

    Our students will apply a geographic approach (e.g., use concepts of space, place, location, scale, borders and regions) to examine natural and human systems and explain causation in human-environment interactions.
     
  2. Global awareness and knowledge of world regions

    Our students will demonstrate global awareness by being able to describe major characteristics of natural environments, economies, and cultures of the world regions (e.g., the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, North America, South Asia, Russia and Central Asia, and others) and identify the main challenges they face today on the path to sustainability.
     
  3. Broad and integrative knowledge of human and environmental global phenomena

    Having acquired a broad and integrative knowledge of critical global phenomena, our students will know how these phenomena are connected and be able to explain human and environmental causes of climate change, biodiversity loss, desertification and deforestation, sea level rise, poverty and inequality, urbanization, geopolitical crises, and migration.
     
  4. Geographic methods and geospatial technologies

    5. Our students will use a combination of quantitative and qualitative geographic methods and tools such as spatial analysis, mapping, and remote sensing assisted by geospatial technologies as well as theoretical insight into connections between regions and multiple factors that produce place.

  5. Critical thinking and creative solutions to global and local challenges

    Our students will apply critical thinking to understand complex issues facing people and places. They will compare several perspectives, evaluate evidence and arguments, and use evidence to support their conclusions. They will also think creatively about strategic solutions to both global and local challenges to environmental and social sustainability.
     
  6. Communication skills and visual presentation of spatial information

    By incorporating written, oral and visual methods, in particular maps and spatial information, our students will communicate efficiently, with clarity and purpose, in the language of the discipline of geography. They will be prepared to become active, informed citizens ready to have an impact on society and the environment.
     


Major in Geography - effective Fall 2017

Students who declared their major in Geography prior to May 2013 can opt for the new major or stay with the requirements for the old major.

The new major in Geography is designed to prepare students to understand and respond to our world’s changing social and natural environments. The major consists of 45 credits — a 15 credit Geography Core that includes a capstone project, and 30 credits in one of four tracks: Urban and Social Geography, Physical and Environmental Geography, Geographic Information Science, and Sustainability Studies. Students interested in initial certification as a Childhood Education teacher should complete Track A: Urban and Social Geography and must apply for the QUEST Program through the School of Education before completing a total of 45 undergraduate credits.

Students complete the Geography Core (15 credits), and select one of the four tracks (minimum of 30 credits).

Geography Core 15 credits (Effective Fall 2017)

  1. GEOG 10100 (3 credits) or GEOG 15000 (3 credits) or GEOL 10500 (3 credits)
  2. One lecture and one lab course from the following four courses: (for a total of 6 credits)
    • PGEOG 14000 Introduction to Weather, Climate and Climate Change (3 credits)
    • PGEOG 14100 Introduction to Weather, Climate and Climatic Change Laboratory (3 credits)
    • GEOL 10000 Introduction to Geology (3 credits)
    • GEOL 10100 Introduction to Geology Lab (3 credits)
  3. GTECH 10100 (3 credits)
  4. One approved Capstone course from the following list (3 credits):

Old Geography Core – 13-15 credits (Valid May 2013 - Summer 2017)

  1. GEOG 10100 or GEOG 15000 or GEOL 10500
  2. PGEOG 13000 or both GEOL 10000 and GEOL 10100
  3. GTECH 10100
  4. One approved Capstone course from the following list (3 credits):

NOTE: To graduate with departmental honors, students must hold senior status, have a minimum GPA in the major of 3.5, and complete GEOG 49000 or PGEOG 49000 or GTECH 49000 as their capstone course.

 

 

Track A: Urban and Social Geography (minimum 30 credits)
Urban and Social Geography gives students a greater understanding of the complexities of our increasingly globalized world, and prepares them for careers and graduate programs that focus on cities and regions in the United States and abroad. Students interested in initial certification as Childhood Education teachers with a focus on geography and social studies should complete Track A and apply for the QUEST Program through the School of Education before completing a total of 45 undergraduate credits.

Track A Requirements:
Five courses from the list below (minimum 15 credits):

GEOG 22100 Economic Geography and Globalization
GEOG 24100 Population Geography
GEOG 24300 Urban Geography
GEOG 24400 Political Geography
GEOG 24700 Cultural Geography
GEOG 25000 Geographic Research Methods
GTECH 20100 Introduction to GIS (4 credit)

And

Two (2) courses with a GEOG 306XX course number (6 credits),
GEOG 30600 Special Topics in Contemporary Regional Geographies

Three (3) courses with a GEOG 305XX, GEOG 383XX, or GTECH 385XX course number (9 credits) with advice and approval of the undergraduate advisor as appropriate to student interests and professional goals

NOTE: Most 300-level courses have 200-level prerequsites. Students are encouraged to see the undergraduate advisor to select 200-level courses appropriate to their interests and professional goals in preparation for 300-level courses.

 

 

Track B: Physical and Environmental Geography (minimum 30 credits)
Physical and Environmental Geography focuses on geography as a natural science, and prepares students for careers and graduate programs that demand an integrated understanding of the earth systems sciences and geographic information science.

Track B Requirements:
The following 16.5 credits or five (5) courses:

PGEOG 21200 Geography of Soils and Vegetation
PGEOG 25000 Earth Systems Science I (3.5 credits)
GEOL 23100 Principles of Geomorphology
GTECH 20100 Introduction to GIS (4 credits)
GTECH 20300 Introduction to Remote Sensing

And

Five (5) 300-level courses with a PGEOG, GEOL, and/or GTECH prefix with advice and approval of the undergraduate advisor as appropriate to student interests and professisonal goals (15 credits)

 

 

Track C: Geographic Information Science (minimum 30 credits)Geographic Information Science prepares students for careers and graduate programs in geographic information science, using and/or developing geographic information systems and remote sensing.

Track C Requirements:
The following 13 credits of four (4) courses:

GTECH 20100 Introduction to GIS
GTECH 20300 Introduction to Remote Sensing
GEOG 25000 Geographic Research Methods

STAT 11300 Elementary Probability and Statistics or
STAT 21300 Introduction to Applied Statistics

And

The following five (5) courses:

GTECH 30100 Quantitative Methods in Geography
GTECH 32100 Remote Sensing of the Environment
GTECH 32200 Digital Image Processing
GTECH 36100 GIS Analysis
GTECH 38000 Introduction to Cartographic Design and Geovisualization

And

Two (2) additional 300-level GTECH courses with advice and approval of the undergraduate advisor as appropriate to student interests and professional goals

NOTE: Selected GTECH 385XX courses have GEOG or PGEOG pre-requisites in addition to GTECH 20100. Students are encouraged to see the undergraduate advisor for assistance in courses selection and planning.
 

 

Track D: Sustainability Studies (minimum 30 credits)
Sustainability Studies prepares students for careers and graduate programs focused on sustainable development in the United States and abroad.

Track D Requirements:
Five courses from the list below (minimum 15 credits):

GEOG 22100 Economic Geography and Globalization
GEOG 24500 Geography of Development
GEOG 22600 Environmental Conservation: Resource Management
GEOG 24300 Urban Geography
GEOG 24100 Population Geography
GTECH 20100 Introduction to GIS
WGSL 20017 Globalization and Gender

And

The following nine (9) credits:
GEOG 38328* Environmental Ethics
GEOG 37000 Geography of Sustainable Development in Developing Countries
GEOG 37100 Rural Water Supply

And

Two (2) courses (6 credits) with a GEOG 305XX, GEOG 306XX, GEOG 383XX or GTECH 385XX course number with advice and approval of the undergraduate advisor as appropriate to student interests and professional goals

NOTES:
(1) Most 300-level courses have 200-level requirements. Students are encouraged to see the undergraduate advisor to select 200-level courses appropriate to their interests and professional go als in preparation for 300-level courses.
(2) * PHILO 25500, Environmental Ethics, is an approved substitute for GEOG 38328.

 

Major in Geography Prior to May 2013

Students who expect to do graduate work in geography are advised to take courses in statistics and/or computer science. We suggest, but do not require, that those planning to continue to the doctoral level to fulfill the GER Foreign Language Requirement with the language of the area of regional specialization.

The major in geography consists of a minimum of 32 credits as follows:

Required courses (14 cr): Elective courses (18 cr):

NOTES:
(1) It is recommended, but not required, that geography majors use GEOL 10100, GEOL 10200, STAT 11300 or STAT 21300 to satisfy a portion of the General Education Requirement.
(2) GEOG 10100 is a prerequisite to GEOG 22100, but does not count towared the major.
(3) Students are bound by the requirements in effect at the time they were admitted into the geography major program and should consult the appropriate catalog as they complete these requirements.
(4) * GEOG 25100, 26000, 27000, 27100, 27200, 27400, 27500, 27700, and 27800 courses have been replaced with a GEOG 305XX course. Please see the Undergraduate Geography Advisor for approved substitutions.

 

Options in Social Studies Education within the Geography Major

1. Option in Social Studies within the Geography Major for Childhood Education Teachers

In cooperation with the School of Education, the Department of Geography provides opportunities for students to prepare for a career in teaching in grades 1-6. Students may choose to complete the geography major as described above, in addition to successful completion of the QUEST program. Interested students may also choose to complete the course of study outlined below. The option in Social Studies for Childhood Education is available only to students who are accepted into the QUEST program.

Transfer students who enter Hunter College with more than 72 credits, or who will exceed 72 credits in completing the pre-requisites for this option in the Geography major, cannot apply for the QUEST program of the School of Education. They may still complete this option within the Geography major but must complete a Master of Arts degree in Childhood Education before being certified as a New York State teacher.

Program Prerequisites (9 credits)

HIST 15100 The United States from the Colonial Era to the Civil War (3 cr)
HIST 15200 The United States from the Civil War to the Present (3 cr)
GEOG 15000 World Regional Geography (3 cr)

Requirements for the Major (30 credits)

Required Courses (18 credits)

HIST 11100 World History to 1500 (3 cr)
HIST 11200 World History from 1500 to the Present (3 cr)
GEOG 24100 Population Geography (3 cr)
GEOG 25100* Geography of the United States and Canada (3 cr)
GEOG 26000* Geography of New York State (3 cr)
POLSCI 11000 American Government: A Historical Introduction (3 cr)

Elective Courses in Geography (6 credits)
Choose any two of the following:

GEOG 34100 Urban Geography (3 cr)
GEOG 34200 Geography of International Migration and Ethnicity (3 cr)
GEOG 34700 Cultural Geography (3 cr)
GEOG 35700 Geography of New York City and Vicinity (3 cr)
GEOG 38000 Seminar in Geographic Concepts and Methodology (3 cr)

Elective Courses in History (6 credits)

Any two 3-credit 300-level courses in history with the approval of the Undergraduate Geography Advisor

NOTE: * GEOG 25100 and 26000 courses have been replaced with a GEOG 305XX course. Please see the Undergraduate Geography Advisor for approved substitutions.

 

2. Option in Social Studies within the Geography Major for Adolescence Education Teachers

In cooperation with the School of Education, the Department of Geography provides opportunities for students to prepare for a career in teaching social studies in grades 7 – 12. In addition to mandatory course work provided by the School of Education, interested students must complete the course of study outlined below. At least 18 credits of these courses or equivalents must be satisfactorily completed (grade of C or better) before the student enrolls in the social studies methods courses. These courses may also be used to satisfy Core and Pluralism and Diversity requirements. Refer to the section in the catalog specific to programs in the School of Education.

Transfer students who enter Hunter College with more than 90 credits or who will exceed 90 credits in completing the prerequisites for this option in the Geography major, cannot apply for the Adolescence Education program of the School of Education. They may still complete this option within the Geography major but must complete a Master of Arts degree in Adolescence Education before certification as a New York State teacher.

Program Prerequisites (9 credits)

HIST 15100 The United States from the Colonial Era to the Civil War (3 cr)
HIST 15200 The United States from the Civil War to the Present (3 cr)
GEOG 15000 World Regional Geography (3 cr)

Requirements for the Major (36 credits)

Required Courses (18 credits)

POLSCI 11000 American Government: A Historical Introduction (3 cr)
ECON 10000 Introduction to Economics (3 cr)
GEOG 24100 Population Geography (3 cr)
GEOG 25100* Geography of the United States and Canada (3 cr)
HIST 11100 World History to 1500 (3 cr)
HIST 11200 World History from 1500 to the Present (3 cr)

One 3-credit course in cultural anthropology (ANTHC) or sociology (3 cr)

Elective Courses in History (6 credits)

Any two 3-credit 300-level courses in history with approval of the Geography Undergraduate Advisor

Elective Courses in Geography (9 credits, at least 6 credits at the 300 level):

GEOG 27000* Mexico, Central American and the Caribbean (3 cr)
GEOG 27100* South America (3 cr)
GEOG 27500* Sub-Saharan Africa (3 cr)
GEOG 27700* East Asia (3 cr)
GEOG 27800* Russia and Central Asia (3 cr)
GEOG 32800 Urban Environmental Problems: Evaluations and Solutions (3 cr)
GEOG 34100 Urban Geography (3 cr)
GEOG 34200 Geography of International Migration and Ethnicity (3 cr)
GEOG 34700 Cultural Geography (3 cr)
GEOG 35700 Geography of New York City and Vicinity (3 cr)
GEOG 38000 Seminar in Geographic Concepts and Methodology (3 cr)

NOTE: * GEOG 25100, 27000, 27100, 27500, 27700, and 27800 courses have been replaced with a GEOG 305XX course. Please see the Undergraduate Geography Advisor for approved substitutions.