Information on the new requirements for the Geography Major in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science November 17, 2020

The Geography major advisor is Prof. Frei (geogmajor@hunter.cuny.edu). After reading through this document, you may switch your major, or contact Prof. Frei to set up a meeting to discuss what is best for you.

Overview
Several years ago our department proposed a new set of requirements for Geography Majors. It
has now been approved. How does this affect students?

• Students who had declared their majors prior to this semester will by default remain under the old requirements, but have the option to switch to the new requirements.
• Students who declare their majors this semester will by default be placed under the new requirements, but have the option to switch to the old requirements.
• Students who declare their majors after this semester will have no choice but to be under the new requirements.

What is the difference between the new and old requirements?
The new requirements give the student more freedom to choose. While the new requirements
include a slightly bigger core, the electives allow the student freedom to choose from many courses in our department. Thus the student can develop either a wider array of courses, or a deeper selection of courses, as they see fit. In conjunction with the advisor, the student may choose courses that are of greatest interest to them. In contrast to the old requirements under which the student had to choose a track, or concentration, the new requirements have no tracks.

How can a student determine which is better for them?
A student can use degreeworks to determine whether the courses they have already taken fulfill
more of the old or new requirements. This can be done by the student alone or in discussion with the advisor.

How to use degreeworks to see how the courses you have taken fulfill the new and/or old requirements. In degreeworks a student can see how their courses fulfill the requirements of any major in the college. You can see how your courses fulfill both the old and new majors, and decide which is best for you. Here are step by step instructions.

1. Open degreeworks. When you open degreeworks you will see the how your courses fulfill the requirements of your declared major. If your requirements include one of the four tracks (A Urban/Social; B Physical/Environmental; C GIS; D Sustainability) then you are under the old major.
2. Click on the “what-if” button on the upper left side of the screen. You will be brought to a screen where you pick your major and concentration, or minor; and the catalog years associated with each of them.
3. Pick a major and Catalog Year.
   1. On the “pick a major” menu go around three quarters down the list and choose “U Geography”
   2. On the “catalog year” menu choose either “2020-2021” to see the new major, or “2019-2020” to see the old major
4. Pick a Concentration and Catalog Year.
   1. On the “pick a concentration” menu go around half way down the list and choose “Geography” to see the new major, or “Geog-xxx” where “xxx” is the name of one of the four concentrations under the old major.
   2. On the “catalog year” menu choose either “2020-2021” to see the new major, or
      “2019-2020” to see the old major
5. Process the request. Click on the “Process What-if” button near the top of the page

How to declare or switch majors?
To declare a major you must go to the following URL and fill out the form. After you fill out the
form, it is suggested that you inform the advisor by email that you did it, so that the advisor can make sure it was submitted properly, and approve it.
https://ww2.hunter.cuny.edu/students/academic-planning/majors-minors-and-certificates/declare-a-major- or-minor/

Course requirements and substitutions
Course requirements for the new major can be seen in three places, each in a different format: on
degree works, on the Hunter College Catalog page (http://catalog.hunter.cuny.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=43&poid=10186&returnto=13492) or on this document. While the three formats differ, the information is the same.

Substitutions for required courses
Occasionally a student and the advisor believe that it is appropriate to substitute a course that is not listed as an option for the major, then the advisor will request the substitution from the registrar. In general, substitution courses are expected to be infrequent, but if a substitution is appropriate it may be a course from either our department or from another department, and is decided on a case-by-case basis by the advisor.

Three courses have been predetermined to be acceptable for substitution Two of these courses – PHILO 25500 (Environmental Philosophy) and URBS 4031W (Urban Water Supply) – are acceptable for credits towards the major electives. PGEOG 25000 (Earth System Science 1) is acceptable to fulfill either the Intro Earth Science Lecture, or Intro Earth Science lab, requirement.