Geography Major, B.A.
Geography is the science of space, place, and environment. The department offers classes spanning the social and natural sciences and offering students training in qualitative, quantitative, spatial analysis and modelling, and lab methodologies. Human geographers study the spatial aspects of human activity, and physical geographers study patterns of climate, land forms, soils, and water. Geographic tools and techniques—including Geographic Information Systems, remote sensing, and online and interactive mapping technologies—are among the most important for exploring and understanding our complex world. Geographic inquiry is global and local, inherently interdisciplinary, and offers skills that enable insights into pressing issues valued by employers and policy makers.
Career opportunities for geographers are wide ranging in the public, private, and nongovernmental sectors. Geographers work in the areas of social, health, and environmental policy; energy, transportation, economic development, and tourism planning; urban and regional planning; research and education; community development; resource management; and environmental regulation and modeling.
With geography you can explore the world and find yourself.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the geography program, students should be able to:
- Apply current research methods in geography
- Construct a coherent, logical research approach to examine a question of geographic significance
- Analyze a geographic landscape and discuss the human and physical influences that have helped create it
- Report satisfaction with the geography major
Requirements
In addition to the program requirements, students must
- earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
- complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
- take at least half of their major core requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
- earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for major or specific courses.
For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Core Requirements | ||
GEOG 110 | The Blue Planet: An Introduction to Earth's Environmental Systems H | 3 |
or GEOG 111 | Weather and Climate | |
One of the following: | 3 | |
World Regional Geography | ||
Geographies of Globalization | ||
Development and Inequality: Global Perspectives F | ||
GEOG 370 | Introduction to Geographic Information | 3 |
GEOG 391 | Quantitative Methods in Geography | 3 |
GEOG 392 | Research Methods in Geography | 3 |
GEOG 697 | Capstone Seminar in Geographic Research 1 | 3 |
Four GEOG elective courses, at least two of which must be at the 400-level or above. | 12 | |
Total Hours | 30 |
H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
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Students wishing to pursue honors in geography are recommended to take the GEOG 697 in the spring of the junior year as preparation for the honors thesis (GEOG 691H and GEOG 692H).
Students are invited (but not required) to navigate through the major using a pathway, which reflects various subfields of geography (for example, urban geography, health geography, climate, international development, social and cultural geography). Students should refer to the full list of pathways below.
All General Education requirements apply. Although the major requires a total of 10 geography courses (30 credit hours), a maximum of 15 geography courses (45 credit hours) can count toward the 120 hours required to graduate. Students wishing more information should consult the director of undergraduate studies.
Geography (GEOG) course descriptions.
Urban Development and Planning Pathway
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Core Classes | ||
GEOG 228 | Urban Geography | 3 |
GEOG 423 | Social Geography | 3 |
GEOG 428 | Global Cities: Space, Power, and Identity in the Built Environment | 3 |
GEOG 429 | Urban Political Geography: Durham, NC | 3 |
GEOG 430 | Global Migrations, Local Impacts: Urbanization and Migration in the United States | 3 |
GEOG 458 | Urban Latin America: Politics, Economy, and Society | 3 |
GEOG 542 | Neighborhoods and Health | 3 |
Methods and Research | ||
GEOG 391 | Quantitative Methods in Geography 1 | 3 |
GEOG 392 | Research Methods in Geography 1 | 3 |
GEOG 491 | Introduction to GIS 1 | 3 |
GEOG 591 | Applied Issues in Geographic Information Systems 1 | 3 |
GEOG 697 | Capstone Seminar in Geographic Research 2 | 3 |
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Qualitative, quantitative, and GIS skills.
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Research opportunities.
Pursuing a minor in urban studies and planning may also be of interest.
There are career opportunities in city planning, architecture, real estate development, policy analysis, community development, or civil engineering.
Diversity and Justice Pathway
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Building Blocks | ||
GEOG 56 | First-Year Seminar: Local Places in a Globalizing World | 3 |
GEOG 67 | First-Year Seminar: Politics of Everyday Life | 3 |
GEOG 225 | Space, Place, and Difference | 3 |
GEOG 228 | Urban Geography | 3 |
Advanced Courses | ||
GEOG 212 | Environmental Conservation and Global Change | 3 |
GEOG 232 | Agriculture, Food, and Society | 3 |
GEOG 447 | Gender, Space, and Place in the Middle East | 3 |
GEOG 470 | Political Ecology: Geographical Perspectives | 3 |
GEOG 480 | Liberation Geographies: The Place, Politics, and Practice of Resistance | 3 |
GEOG 650 | Technology and Democracy Research | 3 |
Methods | ||
GEOG 491 | Introduction to GIS | 3 |
GEOG 541 | GIS in Public Health | 3 |
GEOG 543 | Qualitative Methods in Geography | 3 |
GEOG 591 | Applied Issues in Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
Climatology Pathway
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Core Classes | ||
GEOG 110 | The Blue Planet: An Introduction to Earth's Environmental Systems H | 3 |
GEOG 111 | Weather and Climate | 3 |
GEOG 412 | Synoptic Meteorology | 3 |
GEOG 414 | Climate Change | 3 |
GEOG 416 | Applied Climatology: The Impacts of Climate and Weather on Environmental and Social Systems | 3 |
Geography Methods and Skills | ||
GEOG 391 | Quantitative Methods in Geography | 3 |
GEOG 410 | Modeling of Environmental Systems | 3 |
GEOG 477 | Introduction to Remote Sensing of the Environment | 3 |
Complimentary Methods and Skills | ||
MATH 231 | Calculus of Functions of One Variable I H, F | 4 |
MATH 232 | Calculus of Functions of One Variable II H, F | 4 |
MATH 383 | First Course in Differential Equations H | 3 |
STOR 151 | Introduction to Data Analysis | 3 |
or STOR 155 | Introduction to Data Models and Inference | |
COMP 110 | Introduction to Programming and Data Science H | 3 |
or COMP 116 | Introduction to Scientific Programming |
H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Building Block Courses | ||
GEOG 120 | World Regional Geography | 3 |
GEOG 121 | Geographies of Globalization | 3 |
GEOG 123 | Cultural Geography | 3 |
GEOG 130 | Development and Inequality: Global Perspectives F | 3 |
Region Specific | ||
GEOG 259 | Society and Environment in Latin America | 3 |
GEOG 265 | Eastern Asia | 3 |
GEOG 266 | Society and Environment in Southeast Asia | 3 |
GEOG 267 | South Asia | 3 |
GEOG 268 | Geography of Africa | 3 |
GEOG 464 | Europe Today: Transnationalism, Globalisms, and the Geographies of Pan-Europe | 3 |
Advanced Concepts | ||
GEOG 423 | Social Geography | 3 |
GEOG 428 | Global Cities: Space, Power, and Identity in the Built Environment | 3 |
GEOG 453 | Political Geography | 3 |
GEOG 460 | Geographies of Economic Change | 3 |
GEOG 470 | Political Ecology: Geographical Perspectives | 3 |
Contemporary Issues | ||
GEOG/GLBL 210 | Global Issues and Globalization | 3 |
GEOG 435 | Global Environmental Justice | 3 |
GEOG 447 | Gender, Space, and Place in the Middle East | 3 |
GEOG 448 | Transnational Geographies of Muslim Societies | 3 |
GEOG 452 | Mobile Geographies: The Political Economy of Migration | 3 |
GEOG 480 | Liberation Geographies: The Place, Politics, and Practice of Resistance | 3 |
F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
GIScience
Geographic information science (GIScience) emphasizes geographic information technologies, their real-world applications, and the science and technology underlying them. These technologies include geographic information systems (GIS), satellite remote sensing, global positioning systems, computer cartography, terrain analysis, and geospatial visualization. These skills are in high demand, giving students a competitive edge to pursue careers in the private, public, and non-profit sectors.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
GIScience Courses | ||
GEOG 370 | Introduction to Geographic Information | 3 |
GEOG 391 | Quantitative Methods in Geography | 3 |
GEOG 410 | Modeling of Environmental Systems | 3 |
GEOG 477 | Introduction to Remote Sensing of the Environment | 3 |
GEOG 541 | GIS in Public Health | 3 |
GEOG 577 | Advanced Remote Sensing | 3 |
GEOG 591 | Applied Issues in Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
GEOG 592 | Geographic Information Science Programming | 3 |
GEOG 594 | Global Positioning Systems and Applications | 3 |
GEOG 597 | Ecological Modeling | 3 |
Courses Outside of Geography | ||
COMP 116 | Introduction to Scientific Programming | 3 |
COMP 401 | Foundation of Programming H | 4 |
COMP 410 | Data Structures | 3 |
MATH 231 | Calculus of Functions of One Variable I H, F | 4 |
MATH 232 | Calculus of Functions of One Variable II H, F | 4 |
MATH 383 | First Course in Differential Equations H | 3 |
MATH 577 | Linear Algebra | 3 |
ENVR/ENEC 468 | Temporal GIS and Space/Time Geostatistics for the Environment and Public Health | 3 |
H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
Geography of Health and Disease
Health geography takes a socio-ecological approach, rather than a biomedical approach to understanding the occurrence of human disease and wellbeing. This is a highly integrated field, requiring knowledge of social systems, environmental systems, and the etiology and ecology of disease. In addition, geospatial technologies such as geographic information systems, satellite remote sensing, and geographic analysis are powerful tools in the study and management of human diseases. This pathway will prepare students for a career in the spatial, social, and ecological dimensions of public health, as well as for graduate school in the spatial health sciences.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Health Courses in Geography | ||
GEOG 60 | First-Year Seminar: Health Care Inequalities | 3 |
GEOG 222 | Health and Medical Geography | 3 |
GEOG 446 | Geography of Health Care Delivery | 3 |
GEOG 451 | Population, Development, and the Environment | 3 |
GEOG 542 | Neighborhoods and Health | 3 |
Geography Methods & Skills | ||
GEOG 232 | Agriculture, Food, and Society | 3 |
GEOG 269 | Human-Environment Interactions in the Galapagos Islands | 3 |
GEOG 391 | Quantitative Methods in Geography | 3 |
GEOG 410 | Modeling of Environmental Systems | 3 |
GEOG 451 | Population, Development, and the Environment | 3 |
Classes Outside Geography | ||
ANTH 319 | Global Health | 3 |
BIOL 101 | Principles of Biology H, F | 3 |
SOCI 121 | Population Problems | 3 |
SOCI 172 | Introduction to Population Health in the United States | 3 |
STOR 151 | Introduction to Data Analysis | 3 |
STOR 155 | Introduction to Data Models and Inference F | 3 |
STOR 358 | Sample Survey Methodology | 4 |
H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
Political Ecology
Political ecologists study the reciprocal and dynamic relations between society and nature. How do markets, social relations, and populations influence resource governance practices and vice versa? Whose voices and ideas count in the creation of protected areas, or in the decisions about where toxic waste and trash are deposited? When and how do decision makers or community members mobilize scientific knowledge to pursue nvironmental and ethical commitments? The political ecology pathway in geography offers a cross-disciplinary approach for answering such questions and, more broadly, for studying the relationship between the economy, politics, and ecology.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Core Courses | ||
GEOG 141 | Geography for Future Leaders | 3 |
GEOG 212 | Environmental Conservation and Global Change | 3 |
GEOG 232 | Agriculture, Food, and Society | 3 |
GEOG 414 | Climate Change | 3 |
GEOG 435 | Global Environmental Justice | 3 |
GEOG 470 | Political Ecology: Geographical Perspectives | 3 |
Methods and Skills 1 | ||
GEOG 370 | Introduction to Geographic Information | 3 |
GEOG 391 | Quantitative Methods in Geography | 3 |
GEOG 392 | Research Methods in Geography | 3 |
GEOG 222 | Health and Medical Geography | 3 |
Classes Outside of Geography | ||
ANTH 139 | Ecological Anthropology | 3 |
ANTH 151 | Anthropological Perspectives on Food and Culture | 3 |
ANTH/NUTR 175 | Introduction to Food Studies: From Science to Society | 3 |
ANTH 238 | Human Ecology of Africa | 3 |
ANTH 306 | Water and Inequality: Anthropological Perspectives | 3 |
ANTH 320 | Anthropology of Development | 3 |
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More advanced quantitative and GIS courses are very useful to students wishing to pursue professional paths in this field.
Culture, Society, and Space
How are our identities, experiences, and daily practices shaped by the places that we live in? How do we transform our environments to reflect who we are? These questions underpin key debates about culture and society today. Cultural and social geographers study the relationships among culture, society, space, and place. Their research examines the dynamic geography of cultural and societal change due to, for example, migration, technological developments, or religious movements. The culture, society, and space pathway in geography prepares students for work in international NGOs and the public and private sectors, specializing in cultural and social issues, as well as training students for graduate school in the social sciences and humanities.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Core Courses | ||
GEOG 120 | World Regional Geography | 3 |
GEOG 121 | Geographies of Globalization | 3 |
GEOG 123 | Cultural Geography | 3 |
GEOG 124 | Feminist Geographies | 3 |
GEOG 125 | Cultural Landscapes | 3 |
GEOG 225 | Space, Place, and Difference | 3 |
GEOG 281 | Ethnographies of Globalization: From 'Culture' to Decolonization | 3 |
GEOG 423 | Social Geography | 3 |
GEOG 424 | Geographies of Religion | 3 |
GEOG 428 | Global Cities: Space, Power, and Identity in the Built Environment | 3 |
GEOG 430 | Global Migrations, Local Impacts: Urbanization and Migration in the United States | 3 |
GEOG 447 | Gender, Space, and Place in the Middle East | 3 |
Methods and Skills | ||
GEOG 115 | Maps: Geographic Information from Babylon to Google | 3 |
GEOG 370 | Introduction to Geographic Information | 3 |
GEOG 391 | Quantitative Methods in Geography | 3 |
GEOG 392 | Research Methods in Geography | 3 |
Classes Outside Geography | ||
ANTH 102 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
ANTH 120 | Anthropology through Expressive Cultures | 3 |
ANTH 259 | Culture and Identity | 3 |
ANTH 428 | Religion and Anthropology H | 3 |
COMM 140 | Introduction to Media History, Theory, and Criticism F | 3 |
COMM 450 | Media and Popular Culture | 3 |
H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
Special Opportunities in Geography
Joint Degree Program with the National University of Singapore (NUS)
The Department of Geography is one of several departments offering a joint degree in conjunction with the National University of Singapore (NUS). Students in the program will spend one or two years studying geography at NUS, and their diploma will be jointly granted by both universities.
Honors in Geography
Qualifying students are encouraged to pursue an honors degree. To gain admission to the honors program students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 or higher and a grade point average of 3.4 or higher in geography courses. Honors students take GEOG 691H and GEOG 692H (honors readings and research and theses hours) with their honors thesis chair in their senior year. Honors study involves the completion of a substantial piece of original research and the formal presentation of the results in an honors thesis and oral defense. Those who successfully complete the program are awarded their B.A. degree with either honors or highest honors in geography.
Departmental Involvement
All students are welcomed and encouraged to attend the department's seminar, held on most Friday afternoons at 3:35 p.m. in Carolina Hall 220. The department sponsors the Carolina Geography Club, which provides an avenue for student involvement with the department outside of course work (see the club’s Facebook page). Students can also interact with the department through service on the faculty undergraduate committee and through independent research with faculty.
Experiential Education
The department offers several experiential education courses:
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
GEOG 53 | First-Year Seminar: Battle Park: Carolina's Urban Forest | 3 |
GEOG 419 | Field Methods in Physical Geography | 3 |
GEOG 429 | Urban Political Geography: Durham, NC | 3 |
GEOG 452 | Mobile Geographies: The Political Economy of Migration | 3 |
GEOG 493 | Internship | 3 |
GEOG 650 | Technology and Democracy Research | 3 |
GEOG 691H | Honors | 3 |
GEOG 692H | Honors | 3 |
Internship
Students can gain course credit by interning with an organization, agency, or business that will augment their classroom learning. The department has an internship coordinator available to assist students find internships and to manage participation in the organization’s activities. Internship can be taken with a geography faculty member for academic credit through GEOG 493.
Independent Study
Independent study with a geography faculty member can be taken for academic credit through GEOG 296. Students are responsible for arranging their independent study with a faculty member who will sponsor them for this activity. Students must fill out a learning contract and syllabus in collaboration with the sponsoring faculty member and then be enrolled by Nell Phillips in the department office. For more information, contact the individual faculty member or the director of undergraduate studies.
Undergraduate Research
Research with a geography faculty member can be taken for academic credit through GEOG 295. Students are responsible for arranging their research activities and responsibilities with a faculty member who will sponsor them for this activity. Students must fill out a learning contract with the sponsoring faculty member and then be enrolled by Nell Phillips in the department office.
Study Abroad
Experiences with other cultures and environments are important to a sound background in geography, and thus the department encourages a study abroad experience. Many of our students study abroad in the Galapagos Islands at the Galapagos Science Center. The department also participates in a junior-year exchange program with King's College London. Many other study abroad programs combine well with a major in geography.
Undergraduate Awards
The Andrew McNally Award is given each spring to an outstanding graduating geography major, as chosen by a committee of the faculty. The department also administers the Melinda Meade Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Geographic Research, the John D. Eyre Service in Geography Award, as well as the John D. Eyre Travel Award, and the Burgess McSwain Travel America Fund, which are open to all undergraduates at UNC–Chapel Hill.
Department Programs
Major
Minor
Graduate Programs