Getting Started (Majors Guide)

College: CNS

 (Revised Spring 2018)

Department of Geosciences

How to Explore/Get Started in the Major

Suggested General Education Courses

Under the new guidelines students are still required to take two courses, one in U.S. Diversity and one in Global Diversity. Students entering in Fall 2018 are expected to take one of these diversity courses, either U.S. or Global, in their first year on campus.  For Fall 2018 Registration, look for courses with DU (formerly U) and DG (formerly G) to help students stay on track.  Any course labled DU will satisfy the requirement for a U.S. diversity course and any course labeled DG will satisfy the the requirement for Global diversity course. Course planning guidelines, including guidelines for students, are available at www.umass.edu/gened.

Consider taking one of the required introductory courses for the major, such as 

  • GEOGRAPH 102 Diversity, Globalization, and Sustainability: Introduction to Human Geography (GENED SB-DG)
  • GEOGRAPH 100 Introduction to Physical Geography or GEOGRAPH 110 Global Environmental Change. (Gened PS)

You are permitted to count ONE course from the major as part of your general education requirements.

Suggested Major and Pre-requisite Courses

Required prerequisite courses:

  • GEOGRAPH 102 Diversity, Globalization, and Sustainability: Introduction to Human Geography or GEOGRAPH 150 The Earth Transformed
  • GEOGRAPH 100 Introduction to Physical Geography or GEOGRAPH 110 Global Environmental Change 
  • Students pursuing the B.S. degree should make progress in supporting science requirements: Calculus, General College Physics, General College Chemistry and GEOLOGY 101 (The Earth) as well as CMPSCI 121. See blogs.umass.edu/umgeog for a list of requirements.

How to Declare the Major

To declare the Geography B.A. or B.S. as a major, make an appointment for Geography advising through the UMass educational advisory board system.  Login at http://umass.campus.eab.com/home  Exploratory students are welcome to declare the major at any time during their Freshman/Sophomore year.

As a Secondary Major:

Geography works well as a secondary major.  Secondary major students typically take the Junior Year Writing and Integrative Experience courses in their primary major and do no need to duplicate those courses in Geography.  To declare the Geography B.A. or B.S. as a secondary major, make an appointment for Geography advising through the UMass educational advisory board system.  Login at http://umass.campus.eab.com/home  Students may declare a secondary major in Geography at any time.  

Transfer Students: 

Students should declare before the junior year by seeing the departmental advisor. Some students do, however, enter the major as juniors and still graduate on time. Students should complete their General Education courses, GEOGRAPH 100 or 110, GEOGRAPH 102 or 150 and start taking 300-level courses drawn from the Geography core or Geography electives. Transfer students are encouraged to attend a transfer advising session or correspond with a geography advisor by emailing geography@geo.umass.edu

Summary of Requirements for the Major

Geography is a unique discipline which integrates social science and physical science. At UMass, Geography majors choose one of seven degree options: either one of the six  B.A. concentration options -- human geography, environmental geography and sustainability, climate change and society, geographic information science and technology, globalization and international studies, or urban geography, or a B.S. degree in physical geography is available.  Regardless of concentration or degree (B.A. or B.S.), all geography majors complete a common core curriculum including introductory courses in human and physical geography and skills courses including writing, fieldwork, GIS/mapping and statistics.  Note that B.A. students must complete the College of Natural Sciences foreign language requirement. A complete list of requirements and program descriptions is available at: blogs.umass.edu/umgeog.

for the B.A. concentration in Human Geography:  A minimum of forty-one ( 41) credits in Geography including GEOGRAPH 102 or 150, 100 or 110, 314, 340 OR an alternate department-approved statistics course, 352, and 486 (or approved substitute for the Integrative Experience), plus 21 elective credits in Geography/cognate courses numbered 200 and above

for the B.A. concentration in Environmental Geography and Sustainability:  A minimum of forty-one ( 41) credits in Geography including GEOGRAPH 102 or 150, 100 or 110, 314, 340 OR an alternate department-approved statistics course, 352, and 486 (or approved substitute for the Integrative Experience), plus one Environmental Geography and Sustainability Core Course (3 credits), three Environmental Geography and Sustainability Elective Courses (9 credits), and three General Elective Courses in Geography and Cognate Fields numbered 200 and above (9 credits)

for the B.A. concentration in Climate Change and Society:  A minimum of forty-one ( 41) credits in Geography including GEOGRAPH 102 or 150, 100 or 110, 314, 340 OR an alternate department-approved statistics course, 352, and 486 (or approved substitute for the Integrative Experience), plus GEOGRAPH 354 Climatology and 497C Climate Crisis (6 credits), Climate and Society Elective Courses (6 credits), and General Elective Courses in Geography and Cognate Fields numbered 200 and above (9 credits)

for the B.A. concentration in Geographic Information Science and Technology:  A minimum of forty-one ( 41) credits in Geography including GEOGRAPH 102 or 150, 100 or 110, 314, 340 OR an alternate department-approved statistics course, 352, and 486 (or approved substitute for the Integrative Experience),  plus two additional Mapping/GIS/Remote Sensing Core Courses (6-8 credits), GIST Elective Courses (6 credits), and General Elective Courses in Geography and Cognate Fields numbered 200 and above (9 credits)

for the B.A. concentration in Urban Geography:  A minimum of forty-one ( 41) credits in Geography including GEOGRAPH 102 or 150, 100 or 110, 314, 340 OR an alternate department-approved statistics course, 352, and 486 (or approved substitute for the Integrative Experience), plus two Core Courses in Urban Geography and Urban Issues (6 credits), Urban Geography Elective Courses (6 credits), and General Elective Courses in Geography and Cognate Fields numbered 200 and above (9 credits)

for the B.A. concentration in Globalization and International Studies:  At least 6 of these credits must be in conjunction with a study-abroad program, internship, experiential learning program or other international academic experience involving a period of residence outside the U.S. A minimum of forty-one ( 41) credits in Geography including GEOGRAPH 102 or 150, 100 or 110, 314, 340 OR an alternate department-approved statistics course, 352, and 486 (or approved substitute for the Integrative Experience), plus Globalization/International Studies Core Course (World Regional Geography), pre-trip & capstone (6 credits), Globalization Elective courses (6 credits), International Studies Elective courses (6 credits), and one additional General Elective Course in Geography or a Cognate Field numbered 200 and above (3 credits)

for the B.S.: . A minimum of forty-one ( 41) credits in Geography including GEOGRAPH 102 or 150, 100 or 110, 314, 340 OR an alternate department-approved statistics course, 352, and 486 (or approved substitute for the Integrative Experience), three Advanced Physical Geography Courses  includin g GEOGRAPH 354 (9 credits), General Elective Courses in Geography and Cognate Fields numbered 200 and above (15 credits), and the following supporting science courses (25-31): GEOLOGY 101, two semesters each of Chemistry, Physics, Calculus and any approved one-semester Computer Science programming course.  Note: the B.S. degree does not require foreign language.

Is there a minor? If so what are the requirements?
Yes. The minor requires sixteen (16) credits: GEOGRAPH 100, 102, 110 or 150 plus four upper-division courses in Geography.

For further information, contact:
Professor Piper Gaubatz
232 Morrill Science II
545-0768
gaubatz@geo.umass.edu