College Level Requirements

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State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites

Students wishing to transfer to USF should complete an 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 a student wishes to transfer without an A.A. degree and has fewer than 60 semester hours of acceptable credit, the student must meet the university’s entering freshman requirements including ACT or SAT test scores, GPA, and course requirements.

Transfer students are also required to comply with the immunization, foreign language, and continuous enrollment policies of the university.

Students should complete the following prerequisite courses at the lower level prior to entering the university. If these courses are not taken at a Florida college System institution, they must be completed before the degree is granted.

• Two introductory courses in Geography with GEO prefix (6 credit hours) must be completed.

Total Major Hours: 44 Hours

Major Core

The Geography bachelor's degree of 44 total hours comprises six core courses (14 credit hours) that includes a specified concentration (30 credit hours). To complete their elective requirements for Geography, students are encouraged to consider courses offered in Geology and Environmental Science and Policy.

Major Core Courses - 14 Hours

• GEO 2200 Introduction to Physical Geography
• GEO 2200L Introduction to Physical Geography Lab
• GEO 2400 Human Geography
• GEO 3164C Research Methods in Geography
• GEO 4933 Geography Colloquium
• GIS 4043C Geographic Information Systems

Three concentrations are offered: Physical Geography, Human Geography, and General Geography, comprising 30 credit hours (10 courses) each. Students must identify a concentration in consultation with their academic advisor in the School of Geosciences and select appropriate courses as shown below.

Concentration Core Courses - 30 Hours

Students must take a minimum of:

• Five courses from the Physical Geography category (15 credit hours)
  • EVR 4027 Wetland Environments
  • EVR 4104 Karst Environments
  • EVR 4218 Research Methods in Wildlife Ecology
  • GEO 3280 Environmental Hydrology
  • GEO 4210 Process Geomorphology
  • GEO 4244 Tropical Meteorology
  • GEO 4265 Soil Genesis and Classification
  • GEO 4300 Biogeography
  • GLY 4734 Beaches and Coastal Environments
  • MET 4002C Climatology
  • MET 4012C Meteorology
  • MET 4106C Climate Studies
• One course from the Human Environment Interaction category (3 credit hours)
  • EVR 4033 Environmental Regulation
  • EVR 4114 Climate Change
  • EVR 4807 Sustainable Healthy Environments
  • EVR 4873 Environmental Policy and Sustainability
  • GEO 4284 Water Resources Management
  • GEO 4340 Natural Hazards
  • GEO 4372 Global Conservation
  • GEO 4450 Medical Geography
• One course from the Geographical Technique and Analysis category (3 credit hours)
  • GEO 4114C Geographic Techniques and Methodology
  • GIS 4035C Remote Sensing of the Environment
  • GIS 4300 Environmental Modeling with GIS
  • GIS 5075 Global Positioning Systems
• One course from the Regional Perspectives category (3 credit hours)
  • GEA 2000 World Regional Geography
  • GEA 3194 Regional Geography*
  • GEA 3405 Geography of Latin America
  • GEA 3500 Geography of Europe
  • GEA 3703 Geography of Asia
• Two additional courses selected from any Geography category (6 credit hours)
  • Student will take six credit hours of unduplicated coursework from any of the Geography categories.
    • A maximum of three credit hours may be taken from the following and will count as one of the additional courses: Directed Reading (GEO 4900) and/or Individual Research (GEO 4910).

*Course may be taken one additional time.

Courses taken as Special Topics in Geography (GEO 4930), Selected Topics in Geology (GLY 4930), and Selected Topics in Environmental Science and Policy (EVR 4930) may substitute for elective courses in particular categories as designated by the undergraduate director.

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.