Undergraduate Catalog 2015-2016
Majors
Geography (GPY)
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
8 Semester Plan120 Credit Hours
CIP Code: 45.0701
College of Arts & Sciences
http://gep.usf.edu/ug/geo/
Major Description
This program offers a variety of courses in physical and human geography. Human geography courses focus on the social and spatial effects of the growth of cities, including issues such as the historical evolution of urban form and function, land-use changes and conflicts, economic restructuring, the growth and decline of inner cities, and urban racial and ethnic relations. Physical geography courses focus on major environmental systems including the hydrosphere, atmosphere, pedosphere and biosphere. Particular emphasis is placed on the human modification of the natural environment and the global interconnections of the major earth systems.College Level Requirements
You must click here to view the general college level requirements for this major.
State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites
Students wishing to transfer to USF should complete the A.A. degree at a Florida College System institution. Some courses required for the major may also meet General Education Requirements thereby transferring maximum hours to the university. If students transfer without an A.A. degree and have fewer than 60 semester hours of acceptable credit, the students must meet the university’s entering freshman requirements including ACT or SAT test scores, GPA, and course requirements.
Two introductory courses in Geography with GEO prefix (6 credit hours) must be completed.Total Major Hours: 38 Hours
Major Core
The degree program in Geography consists of at least 38 credit hours, 20 of which are associated with 7 core courses required of all majors. Students choose elective courses that should total at least 18 hours. Upper level electives offer applied and techniques orientations for students, depending on their interests, to complement the core course structure for the major.
Electives in physical geography focus on major environmental systems including the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere. Particular emphasis is placed on the human modification of the natural environment and the global interconnections of the major earth systems.
Electives in human geography focus on the social and spatial effects of the growth of cities, including issues such as the historical evolution of urban form and function, land-use changes and conflicts, economic restructuring, the growth and decline of inner-cities, and urban racial and ethnic relations.
Courses Excluded as Electives for the major:
- GEO 1930 Geography of Current Events
Only four (4) combined credit hours of the following courses may be applied toward the degree:
Major Core Courses - 20 Hours
Required core courses (7 courses + Physical Geography Lab):
- GEO 2200 Introduction to Physical Geography
- GEO 2200L Intro to Physical Geography Lab
- GEO 2400 Human Geography
- GEO 3164C Research Methods in Geography
- GEO 4933 Geography Colloquium
- GIS 3006 Computer Cartography
- GIS 4043C Geographic Information Systems
- GEA XXXX One course with GEA prefix
Major Elective Courses - 18 Hours
With the help of their advisor, students must select from among the following list of courses to provide at least 18 credit hours of additional course work:
- GEO 3602 Urban Geography
- GEO 4114C Geographic Techniques and Methodology
- GEO 4204C Topics in Physical Geography
- GEO 4210 Process Geomorphology
- GEO 4244 Tropical Meteorology
- GEO 4265 Soil Genesis and Classification
- GEO 4280C Hydrology
- GEO 4284 Water Resources Management
- GEO 4300 Biogeography
- GEO 4340 Natural Hazards
- GEO 4372 Global Conservation
- GEO 4421 Cultural Geography
- GEO 4471 Political Geography
- GEO 4502 Economic Geography
- GEO 4604 Topics in Urban Geography
- GEO 4700 Transportation Geography
- GEO 4930 Selected Topics
- GIS 4035C Remote Sensing of the Environment
- MET 4002 Climatology
- MET 4012C Meteorology
- URP 4052 Urban and Regional Planning
Research Opportunities
All undergraduate students in any degree program can participate in undergraduate research. There are a number of options to receive academic credit for a mentored research experience and to have the experience show on the official transcript. Students who wish to enroll in an undergraduate research course should consult with their academic advisor to understand how the credit will apply towards the degree requirements. If no credit is needed, students may be eligible to enroll in the 0-credit IDS 2912 or IDS 4914 courses. These courses will not impact degree credits or GPA but will show on an official transcript and document the experience. The Office for Undergraduate Research will assist students in understanding the various course options.
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Additional Requirements
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