Bachelor of Arts with Major in Geosciences: Geography Focus – Fully Online

   

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Overview | Curriculum | Careers

A B.A. in Geosciences with a Geography focus will give students an understanding of not only where phenomena are located upon the Earth’s surface, but how they came to be there. Geographic Information Sciences (GIS) allow us to manage and analyze these spatial relationships. Geography majors will be prepared for an exciting career in a variety of industries, both in the private and public sectors.

The science of Geography is the all-encompassing study of the planet upon which we live. Contrary to common public perception, it is not just the study of where things are, but rather the study of how those things came to be there in the first place, and how they have changed over time. This study accounts for both the influences of nature (Physical Geography) and man (Human Geography). Physical geographers study patterns of climates, land forms, vegetation, soils, and water, with a view to understanding the physical layout of the Earth. Human geographers, meanwhile, are concerned with the spatial aspects of human existence – how people and their activity are distributed in space, how they use and perceive space, and how they create and sustain the places that make up the Earth’s surface. The Geographic Information Sciences (GIS) empower geographers to both map and analyze the spatial patterns associated with both of these sub-disciplines. While geographers will ultimately specialize in one of these areas of Geography, students seeking their bachelor’s degree will have the opportunity to study each prior to later concentration.

Online Curriculum

Students who enter FAU as freshmen and major in Geosciences must meet the University’s Intellectual Foundations Program requirements as listed in the Degree Requirements section of the catalog. All Geoscience students seeking the B.A. degree must also meet the University’s foreign language requirement as listed in the Degree Requirements section.

Students transferring to Florida Atlantic University must complete both lower-division requirements (including the requirements of the Intellectual Foundations Program) and requirements for the college and major. Lower-division requirements may be completed through the A.A. degree from any Florida public college, university or community college or through equivalent coursework at another regionally accredited institution. Before transferring and to ensure timely progress toward the baccalaureate degree, students must also complete the prerequisite courses for their major as outlined in the Transfer Student Manual.

The Geoscience core courses below (10 credits) are required of all students for the B.A. in Geosciences. Students selecting the Geography focus are required to complete the Geography focus core courses (12 credits) noted below. Students then select 33 credits from the three areas of emphasis (Environmental Systems, Human Systems and Geographic Information Science). A minimum of 6 credits must be chosen from each area. Total credits for the B.A. in Geoscience with a Geography focus are 55 credits. All of the courses listed below are currently offered online. (Additional courses in each of the areas of concentration, not listed here, are offered as face-to-face courses which must be taken on campus)

Geoscience Core Courses: 10 credits
Take all of the following:

Course #	Course Title	Credits
MET 2010	Weather and Climate	3
STA 2023	Introductory Statistics	3
GIS 3015C	Introduction to Mapping and GIS	3
GEO 4920	Geosciences Honors Colloquium	3

Geography Focus Core Courses: 12 credits
The Advanced Certificate in Geographic Information Systems allows students to develop an in-depth understanding of programming and spatial data analysis through two required courses, and it allows them to expand their expertise in one additional applied area of Geographic Information Science. The requirements for completing the advanced certificate are: the GIS certificate plus the two required courses and one additional course from the list below.

Course #	Course Title	Credits
GEA 2000	World Geography	3
GEO 2200C	Introduction to Physical Geography	3
GEO 4022	Quantitative Methods	3
GEA 4275	Human-Environmental Interactions in South Florida	3

 

Areas of Emphasis: select 33 credits from the emphasis areas with a minimum of 6 credits from each. (Upon approval from an advisor in the Geosciences department, other Geoscience classes may be substituted.)

Course #	Course Title	Credits
ESC 2000	The Blue Planet	3
GEO 4300	Biogeography	3
ESC 3704	Environmental Issues in Atmospheric and Earth Science	3
GLY 4700C	Geomorphology	3
GEO 4280C	Water Resources	3
GLY 3730	Coastal and Marine Science	3

 

Human Systems

Course #	Course Title	Credits
GEO 4422	American Cultural Landscape	3
GEO 4602	Urban Geography	3

 

Geographic Information Science (GIS)

Course #	Course Title	Credits
GIS 4013C	Principles of GIS	3
GIS 4035C	Remote Sensing of the Environment	3
GIS 4037C	Digital Image Analysis	3
GIS 4102C	Programming in GIS	3
GEO 4167C	Spatial Data Analysis	3

Note: These degree requirements went into effect for the 2018-19 academic year. Catalog year determines the set of academic requirements (general education and the major) that must be fulfilled for graduation. Consult with an advisor about the degree requirements for the BA in Geography prior to the Summer of 2018.

Careers:

Geography graduates are employed in a wide range of sectors, including the public sector, education, commerce, industry, transport and tourism. Furthermore, the job prospects for Geography majors is bright. (http://www.geosciences.fau.edu/GeographyJobs.pdf).

Employers include:

• Local and national governments
• the military
• police departments
• private companies
• environmental consultancies
• environmental protection agencies
• utility companies
• charities

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We understand that there is more involved to being a student than just completing a class. The Center for eLearning at Florida Atlantic University offers a full range of support services to help our students be successful, such as online tutoring, career services, library services and disability access.