Geography Undergraduate Major

Undergraduate Major In addition to course work required by the university and the college, majors must complete 40 hours of department requirements. Students in both the B.A. and B.S. programs must complete the following:

Core Requirements (13 hours total)

GEOG 1000 World Regional Geography (3)
GEOG 1010 Intro to Physical Geography (4)
GEOG 1020 Intro to Human Geography (3)
GEOG 2150 Maps Use & Analysis (3)

Content areas

27 hours distributed among a minimum of three of the following areas with at least two courses in each of two areas:

Human geography
Physical geography
Geographic information science
Natural resource management/recreation

Courses which satisfy content area requirements are identified by the following codes which appear at the end of the course descriptions: (H) human geography, (P) physical geography, (A) geographic information science, (R) natural resource management/recreation. Courses used to meet department requirements must be approved by the faculty adviser. The remaining credit hours needed for completion of the B.A. or B.S. are elective credits (approximately 13-15).

Undergraduate Concentrations

Although students are encouraged to sample from the wide variety of courses within the geography program, and the general geography major is an option selected by many students, most undergraduate majors choose to specialize in one of the department’s areas of concentration.

Physical Geography
Geographic Information Science
Natural Resource Management/Recreation
Human Geography
Planning

Concentration in Physical Geography

Offerings in this concentration include an introductory survey of the natural environment and advanced course work in areas that include landforms, soils, weather and climate, glacial and periglacial environments, paleoenvironments, and biogeography. Course work in this concentration is frequently related to ongoing faculty research programs and activities. Courses in this concentration are designated with (P) in the following course listing. The concentration consists of 16 hours to include:

GEOG 1010 Intro to Physical Geography (4)
and any four of the following courses
GEOG 3010 Landforms/Soils (3)
GEOG 3450 Weather & Climate (3)
GEOG 3550 Natural Hazards & Society (3)
GEOG 4460 Biogeography (3) GEOG 4000 Terrain Analysis (3)
GEOG 4470 Fire Ecology (3)

Concentration in Geographic Information Science (GIS)

This concentration focuses upon the interface between geography and the computer. It offers specialized training in a variety of analytic tools and methods courses ranging from the design and preparation of maps using computer-aided mapping programs to the spatial analysis of physical and human phenomena using detailed computer-based geographic-based geographic information systems (GIS). Courses in this concentration are designated with an (A) in the following course listing. The concentration consists of 19 hours to include:

GEOG 2150 Map Use & Analysis (3)
GEOG 4200 Geographic Information Systems I (4)
And at least 12 credits from among the remaining courses, with the understanding that GEOG 4111 and GEOG 4112 must both be taken to obtain credit for either as part of the concentration.
GEOG 4111 Remote Sensing of the Environment (2)
GEOG 4112 Remote Sensing Lab (2)
GEOG 4140 Remote Sensing & Nat Res Mgt (3)
GEOG 4150 Cartography and Digital Map Design (4)
GEOG 4210 Geographic Information Systems II (4)
GEOG 4280 Quantitative Methods (4)
GEOG 4300 GPS for Nat Res Mgt (3)

Concentration in Natural Resource Management/Recreation

This concentration provides a broad interdisciplinary approach to the management of natural and recreational resources, with emphasis on the Rocky Mountain region. Resource management is a major focus of departmental faculty and encompasses an array of topics, including physical and social aspects of natural resource management, management of fire in natural systems, public land management, hazard studies, the planning-managing-administration of recreation and tourism resources, and the geographic analysis of resource systems. Courses in this concentration are designated as (R) in the course listing. The concentration consists of 15 hours to include:

GEOG 1050 Intro to Environment and Nat Resources (3)
GEOG 4040 Conservation of Nat Resources (3)
and any three of the following courses
GEOG 2550 Recreation & Nat Resources (3)
GEOG 3550 Natural Hazards & Society (3)
GEOG 4000 Terrain Analysis (3)
GEOG 4080 Management of Major River Basins (3)
GEOG 4370 Environmental Planning (3) GEOG 4400 Nat Resource Policy (3)
GEOG 4420 Tourism/Recreation (3)
GEOG 4460 Biogeography (3)
GEOG 4680 Administration of Nat Res Agencies (3)
GEOG 4750 Public Land Mgt (3)

Concentration in Human Geography

The human geography concentration examines how societies organize their economic, cultural, and political activities spatially, and how human societies interact with their environments. Courses in the concentration are directed toward economic, cultural, regional, and global studies. Students in this concentration typically take a variety of courses from related fields such as sociology, political science, economics, international studies, and American studies. Courses within this concentration are designated with (H) in the course listing. The concentration consists of 15 hours to include:

GEOG 1000 World Regional Geography (3)
GEOG 1020 Human Geography (3 cr.)
and any three of the following courses
GEOG 2500 Impact of UP on Wyoming History (3)
GEOG 3030 Geography & Development (3)
GEOG 3050 Economic Geography (3)
GEOG 3550 Natural Hazards & Society (3)
GEOG 4050 Intermediate Economic Geography (3)
GEOG 4500 The American Landscape (3)
GEOG 4530 Images of Wyoming and the West (3)
GEOG 4540 Topics in Cultural Ecology (3)

Concentration in Planning

The concentration in planning offers students a pre-professional curriculum; many students in this concentration go on to complete a graduate degree in the department’s graduate planning program. The planning specialty examines the environmental, social and economic factors that influence community and regional change. The program is designed to integrate community visions with current conditions to determine options for the future. The emphasis of the planning concentration is on natural resource and rural community planning, approached from an interdisciplinary perspective. Courses within this concentration are designated with (PL) in the course listing. The concentration consists of 15 hours to include:

GEOG 4310 Planning Theory (3)
GEOG 4330 Land Use Planning (3)
and any three of the following courses
EOG 4325 Legal Aspects of Planning (3)
GEOG 4340 Nat Resource Mgmt on Western Reservations (3)
GEOG 4390 Rural & Small Town Planning (3)
GEOG 4400 Natural Resource Policy (3)
GEOG 4370 Environmental Planning (3)
OG 4750 Public Land Management (3)