Geography

The Department of Geography offers theoretical and practical work in physical geography, including climatology, hydrology, geomorphology and biogeography; environment-society relations, including political ecology, conservation of natural resources and natural hazards; human geography, including political, cultural, development, indigenous, feminist, population and urban geography; geographic information science (GIS), including spatial analysis using GIS, remote sensing, computer cartography and GIS and society; and regional analysis, including mountain geography and geographies of China, Africa and Latin America. To complement its curriculum, the department offers internship opportunities to geography majors.

The Department of Geography offers BA, MA and PhD degree programs in geography.

The undergraduate degree in geography emphasizes knowledge and awareness of:

the unique contributions of the discipline to understanding the spatial components of problems and the diverse factors relating to human interaction with the environment;
the spatial distributions of physical and human characteristics on the Earth surface, the general patterns these form and the processes that have created and are changing these patterns;
major themes of geographical analysis, including human and physical characteristics of place; human-environmental relations; movement of people, ideas and products; and regionalization; and
the general geographical principles of human-environment interaction, global change and human spatial organization.

In addition, students completing the degree in geography are expected to acquire proficiency in:

one or more of the specific geographic skill areas of cartography, remote sensing and geographic information systems;
writing, quantitative methods, computer literacy, and library and field methods of data collection; and
identifying the geographic dimensions of a problem and analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating relevant data and applying geographic principles offering a geographic perspective on that problem.

MAPS (Minimum Academic Preparation Standards)

To fulfill a MAPS deficiency in geography, students may take any one of the following courses: GEOG 1982, 1992, 2002 or 2412, or pass the Geography Exemption Exam. For more information on the exemption exam, contact Testing Services at 303-492-5854 or www.colorado.edu/career/testing-services.

The course code for this program is GEOG.

Bachelor's Degree Program(s)

Undergraduate Study in Geography

Students must complete the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and the required courses listed below. Students must complete at least 36 and no more than 45 credit hours in geography courses with grades of C- or better (22 hours must be upper division). No pass/fail grades are allowed in the major. Transfer students majoring in geography must complete at least 12 credit hours of upper-division geography courses at CU-Boulder.

Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours

GEOG 1001 Environmental Systems I: Climate and Vegetation—4
GEOG 1011 Environmental Systems II: Landscapes and Water—4
One of the following:
GEOG 1982 World Regional Geography—3
GEOG 1992 Human Geographies—3
GEOG 2002 Geographies of Global Change—3
GEOG 2412 Environment and Society—3
One additional upper- OR lower-division human geography course (course numbers ending in 2)
One of the following:
GEOG 2053 Mapping a Changing World—4
GEOG 3053 Cartography 1: Visualization and Information Design (introductory statistics course recommended; may be taken concurrently)—4
One of the following:
GEOG 4023 Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Human Geography (prereq: GEOG 3023)—3
GEOG 4043 Cartography 2: Interactive and Multimedia Mapping (prereq: GEOG 3053)—4
GEOG 4093 Remote Sensing of the Environment—4
GEOG 4103 Introduction to Geographic Information Science (prereq: GEOG 3053 or equivalent and introductory statistics course)—4
GEOG 4173 Research Seminar (restricted to senior GEOG and ENVS majors)—3
GEOG 4203 Geographic Information Science: Modeling Applications (prereq: GEOG 4103)—4
GEOG 4383 Methods of Vegetation Analysis (prereq. or coreq.: GEOG 4371)—3
Introductory Statistics (Note 1):
ANTH 4000 Quantitative Methods in Anthropology—3
BCOR 1020 Business Statistics—3
ECON 3818 Introduction to Statistics w/Computer Applications—4
GEOG 3023 Statistics for Geography—4
MATH 2510 Introduction to Statistics—3
PSCI 2074 Quantitative Research Methods—3
PSYC 3101 Statistics and Research Methods in Psychology—4
SOCY 2061 Introduction to Social Statistics—3
SOCY 4061 Social Statistics—3

Note:
1. Courses taken in other departments may be used to satisfy the statistics requirement, but credits earned in these courses are not counted in the 36 hours of geography. Only GEOG 3023 applies to the 36 hours required in the Department of Geography.

Human Geography Concentration

One of the following four courses—GEOG 1982, 1992, 2002 and 2412—are prerequisites to all upper-division courses listed below. Additional prerequisites are listed.

GEOG 1982 World Regional Geography
GEOG 1992 Human Geographies
GEOG 2002 Geographies of Global Change
GEOG 2412 Environment and Society
GEOG 3672 Gender and Global Economy
GEOG 3682 Geography of International Development
GEOG 3742 Power, Place and Contemporary Culture
GEOG 3812 Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
GEOG 3822 Geography of China
GEOG 3862 Geography of Africa
GEOG 4023 Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Human Geography (prereq: GEOG 3023)
GEOG 4292 Migration, Urbanization and Development
GEOG 4622 City Life
GEOG 4712 Political Geography
GEOG 4732 Population Geography
GEOG 4742 Topics in Environment and Society
GEOG 4812 Environment and Development in South America (recommended Prereq: GEOG 3812 or 3422)
GEOG 4822 Environment and Development in China
GEOG 4832 Geography of Tibet (prereq. GEOG 3822)
GEOG 4892 Geography of Western Europe

*core curriculum course

Environment-Society Relations Concentration

Two of the following four courses—GEOG 1982, 1992, 2002 and 2412—are prerequisites to all upper-division courses listed below. Additional prerequisites may be listed.

GEOG 1001 Environmental Systems 1: Climate and Vegetation*
GEOG 1011 Environmental Systems 2: Landscapes and Water*
GEOG 1982 World Regional Geography
GEOG 1992 Human Geographies
GEOG 2002 Geographies of Global Change
GEOG 2412 Environment and Society
GEOG 3251 Mountain Geography
GEOG 3301 Analysis of Climate and Weather Observations*
GEOG 3351 Biogeography
GEOG 3402 Natural Hazards
GEOG 3412 Conservation Practice and Resource Management
GEOG 3422 Conservation Thought
GEOG 3511 Introduction to Hydrology*
GEOG 3601 Principles of Climate*
GEOG 3612 Geography of American Cities
GEOG 3682 Geography of International Development
GEOG 3812 Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
GEOG 3822 Geography of China*
GEOG 3862 Geography of Africa
GEOG 4401 Soils Geography (prereq: GEOG 1011; recommended prereq: inorganic chemistry)
GEOG 4430 Seminar: Conservation Trends
GEOG 4501 Water Resources and Water Management in the Western U.S.
GEOG 4632 Development Geography
GEOG 4742 Topics in Environment and Society
GEOG 4812 Environment and Development in South America*
GEOG 4822 Environment and Development in China
GEOG 4852 Health and Medical Geography
*core curriculum course

Physical Geography Concentration

GEOG 1001 Environmental Systems: Climate and Vegetation*
GEOG 1011 Environmental Systems 2: Landscapes and Water*
GEOG 3301 Analysis of Climate and Weather Observations* (prereq: GEOG 1001 or ATOC 1050/1060, 3600 and a statistics course)
GEOG 3601 Principles of Climate* (prereq: 1 semester calculus or instructor approval)
GEOG 3351 Biogeography (prereq: GEOG 1001)
GEOG 3511 Introduction to Hydrology* (prereq: GEOG 1011)
GEOG 4211 Physical Climatology: Principles (prereq: GEOG 1001)
GEOG 4231 Physical Climatology/Field Methods (prereq: GEOG 1001 and 4211 or 5211)
GEOG 4241 Principles of Geomorphology* (prereq: GEOG 1011) (restricted to junior/senior GEOG/GEOL/ENVS majors)
GEOG 4311 Watershed Biogeochemistry (prereq: GEOG 1011, 3511)
GEOG 4321 Snow Hydrology (prereq: GEOG 1001 and 1011; any statistics course)
GEOG 4331 Mountain Climatology (prereq GEOG 1001 or ATOC 1050/1060)
GEOG 4371 Forest Geography: Principles and Dynamics (prereq: GEOG 1001)
GEOG 4383 Methods of Vegetation Analysis (prereq or coreq GEOG 4371)
GEOG 4401 Soils Geography (prereq 1011; recommended prereq inorganic chemistry)
GEOG 4411 Methods of Soil Analysis (prereq: GEOG 1001 or 1011; prereq/coreq GEOG 4401/5401)
*core curriculum course

Geographic Information Science Concentration

1000- and 2000-level courses in physical and human geography are prerequisites to all upper-division courses listed below.

Additional prerequisites may be listed or permission of instructor required.

GEOG 2053 Mapping a Changing World
GEOG 3023 Statistics for Earth Sciences
GEOG 3053 Cartography: Visualization and Information Design (restricted to junior/senior GEOG/ENVS major)
GEOG 3093 Geographic Interpretation of Aerial Photographs
GEOG 4023 Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Human Geography (prereq: GEOG 3023 or equivalent)
GEOG 4043 Cartography 2: Interactive and Multimedia Mapping (prereq: GEOG 3053)
GEOG 4093 Remote Sensing of the Environment
GEOG 4103 Introduction to Geographic Information Science (prereq: GEOG 2053, 3053 or equivalent and an introductory statistics course)
GEOG 4160 Teaching Geography
GEOG 4203 Geographic Information Science: Modeling Applications 2 (prereq: GEOG 4103/5103)
GEOG 4173 Research Seminar (restricted to senior GEOG/ENVS major)
GEOG 4303 Geographic Information Science: Programming (prereq: 4103 or 5103)
GEOG 4383 Methods of Vegetation Analysis (prereq or coreq: GEOG 4371)
GEOG 4983 Field Problems (restricted to junior/senior geography major)

*core curriculum course

Graduating in Four Years

Consult the Four-Year Guarantee Requirements for information on eligibility. The concept of “adequate progress” as it is used here only refers to maintaining eligibility for the four-year guarantee; it is not a requirement for the major. To maintain adequate progress in geography, students should meet the following requirements:

Complete GEOG 1001, 1011 and one of the following courses: GEOG 1982, 1992, 2002 or 2412, by the end of the third semester.
Complete GEOG 1982, 1992, 2002 or 2412 or an approved upper-division human geography course (must be different than the course used to complete the previous requirement) and 9 credit hours of upper-division geography courses by the end of the sixth semester.
Complete GEOG 2053 or 3053 and statistics by the end of the sixth semester.
Complete the remaining upper-division credit hours by the eighth semester.

Geography Honors Program

Students interested in participating in a special honors program should contact the departmental honors advisor during their junior year.

Geography Internship Program

To complement its curriculum, the department offers geography majors internship opportunities in which students earn academic credit in GEOG 3930 Internship while working in selected positions in public agencies and firms.

Residential Academic Program

Geography students specializing in environmental issues may want to consider the Baker Residential Academic Program. Students may visit the geography department office or refer to Residential Academic Programs section.

Minor Program

A minor is offered in geography. Declaration of a minor is open to any student enrolled at CU-Boulder, regardless of college or school.

Participation in the minor program is optional on the part of the student.
A minimum of 18 credit hours must be taken in the minor area, including a minimum of 9 upper-division credits.
All course work applied to the minor must be completed with a grade of C- or better. No pass/fail work may be applied. The GPA of all minor degree course work must equal 2.00 (C) or higher.
Students pursuing an individually structured major, or who are pursuing a major in distributed studies, will not be eligible to earn a minor.
Students will be allowed to apply no more than 9 credit hours (including six 6 upper-division) of transfer work toward a minor.
Students may earn no more than two minors.
Course work applied toward a minor may also be applied toward general education (core/college list) and major requirements.
No specific concentration is required. However, students who do wish to focus on one area of geography should see the following suggested course lists below:

Graduate Degree Program(s)

Graduate Study in Geography

Students wishing to pursue graduate work in geography leading to candidacy for advanced degrees should read carefully the requirements for advanced degrees in the Graduate School section. Graduate-level course work at the Boulder campus may be combined with graduate courses offered at the Denver and Colorado Springs campuses. Additional information should be obtained from the Department of Geography. The following are departmental requirements.

Master’s Degree in Geography

Prerequisites. For admission without deficiency and to meet the department mandatory requirements for a knowledge of basic geography, all entering graduate students are required to have the kind of knowledge presented in the department introductory courses in physical geography (GEOG 1001 Environmental Systems/Climate and Vegetation and GEOG 1011 Environmental Systems/Landscapes and Water) and human geography (GEOG 1982 World Regional Geography, GEOG 1992 Human Geographies, GEOG 2002 Geographies of Global Change and GEOG 2412 Environment and Society). It is the responsibility of the student to obtain this knowledge as part of his/her preliminary exam. Students may gain the required knowledge by formally taking the introductory courses, by auditing the courses, by reading the textbooks or by other means. This knowledge will enhance the student's ability to perform at the level expected in the GEOG 5152–5161 core series. In addition to knowledge of basic geography, it is desirable that the student has course work in at least two areas outside geography in cognate fields in the social and natural sciences. Students are encouraged to have some background in college math, statistics and computer skills.

General Requirements. The minimum requirements for an MA in geography may be fulfilled by completing 30 semester hours of graduate work, including a thesis, which carries up to 6 credit hours (i.e., 24 hours of course work at the 5000 level or above, plus a minimum of 4 but not more than 6 hours of thesis). Master students may, with the written approval of their advisor, use a maximum of 6 hours of 3000- or 4000-level course work to reach the required 30 hours.

Doctoral Degree in Geography

Prerequisites. The minimum requirement for admission to the PhD program is normally a master's degree.

General Requirements. The PhD degree is not conferred merely upon the satisfactory completion of a course of study. The candidate must also demonstrate proficiency in some broad subject of learning, and be able to critically evaluate work in the field, show the ability to work independently in the chosen field and make an original contribution of significance to the advancement of knowledge.

The minimum requirements are 30 credit hours of course work numbered 5000 or above and 30 credit hours of dissertation. Ordinarily the number of course work hours and dissertation hours will be greater than 30 each. At least 20 of these hours must be taken at the University of Colorado; up to 10 credit hours from another institution may be transferred upon approval.

A 3.00 (B) average or higher must be maintained in all course work.

Six semesters of residence are required beyond the bachelor’s degree, of which four must be at the University of Colorado; this may include two semesters for the master degree. Students with a University of Colorado master degree in geography, with departmental approval, may apply all credit hours from 5000 or above courses (except thesis credits) to the PhD requirements.

Certificate Program(s)

Undergraduate Certificate Program in Public Health

As the world becomes more interconnected, our communities and populations face increasingly complex health challenges emerging through the interaction of individual vulnerability and behavior, cultural and social factors, environmental and geographic influences as well as economic and political dynamics. Addressing these public health challenges requires innovative approaches arising from multiple disciplines.

The Undergraduate Certificate in Public Health encourages students to extend the breadth of their undergraduate education to include elements of public health. Students are encouraged to take courses from a variety of participating departments to develop an appreciation of the interdisciplinary nature of public health.

Requirements:

The certificate requirements include a minimum of 18 credits (not to exceed 24) of coursework including at least 9 upper division credits. There are two required core public health courses (6 credits - upper division):

GEOG 3692 (3) Introduction to Global Public Health (First offered: Fall 2015) and
IPHY 3490 (3) Introduction to Epidemiology (First offered: Spring 2015);

Students are also required to take several public health electives (6 credits - primarily upper division), at least one of which must be from outside their major. Students participating in the certificate program must also complete foundational coursework in biology and statistics. Please visit www.colorado.edu/publichealthprogram/requirements.html for the detailed requirements.

Graduate Certificate in Development Studies

The department offers a graduate certificate in development studies. Development Studies is a well-established, interdisciplinary field of research with institutional centers at a number of major universities and several scholarly journals dedicated to its study. The certificate provides training in development studies to graduate students through a structured yet flexible program built around courses taught by CU faculty in a number of social science departments. Because development issues such as agrarian change, labor migration, new social movements, industrial growth, urban planning and natural resource use cut across disciplinary divides, the study of development demands interdisciplinary approaches. For more information, visit geography.colorado.edu/grad_program/certificates.

Graduate Certificate in Population Studies

Offered through the Population Program of the Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS), the Graduate Certificate in Population Studies recognizes master’s and doctoral degree students for interdisciplinary work in demography. The Population Program, which is international in scope and has an applied and policy-oriented focus, fosters research on population trends and patterns and provides training in population analysis. Students who are earning graduate degrees through the Departments of Economics, Geography or Sociology and are interested in majoring in demography are eligible to petition for admission to the program.

The Population Program emphasizes research training through direct faculty/student interaction and involvement in research projects. Students are required to take three core courses:

ECON 8666 Economic Demography
GEOG 6732 Formal Population Geography
SOCY 6012 Population Issues, Problems and Policies

Students are granted a certificate on the basis of the three core courses, their independent research and their thesis or dissertation.

Questions about the certificate program in population studies should be directed to the Population Program, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado Boulder, 484 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0484; 303-492-7986; www.colorado.edu/ibs/pop; or cupc@colorado.edu.

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