Program Description

The discipline of Geography is one that incorporates many different studies and concepts. The word geography comes from the Greek word geographia, which means “earth description.” Geography is a study of the earth through the landscape and terrain. It also incorporates anthropological concepts through the study of the people in those lands and how those people have been affected by their environment and vice versa. The discipline of Geography also incorporates ideals of history, sociology, archaeology, and geology.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Students will have a general understanding of global human population patterns, factors influencing the distribution and mobility of human populations including settlement and economic activities and networks, and human impacts on the physical environment.
• Students will be able to think in spatial terms to explain what has occurred in the past as well as using geographic principles to understand the present and plan for the future.
• Students will have a general understanding of how the physical environment, human societies, and local and global economic systems are integral to the principles of sustainable development.
• Students will have a general understanding of the various theoretical and methodological approaches in both physical and human geography and be able to develop research questions and critically analyze both qualitative and quantitative data to answer those questions.
• Students will be able to present completed research, including an explanation of methodology and scholarly discussion, both orally and in written form and, wherever possible, utilize cartographic tools and other visual formats.

Degree Requirements

Geography Minor: Students will need to complete 18 credit hours. Required courses in this field are:

• Geography 202 – Human Geography (3 hours)
• Geography 205 – World Regional Geography (3 hours)
• Geography 496 – Senior Seminar in the Social Sciences (3 hours)

An additional 9 hours of elective courses in geography are needed.

Geography Degree Plan — Download Here

Here you will find the geography minor degree plan. Just prior to graduation, the student will fill out this degree plan, get appropriate signatures and submit it to the Registrar’s Office. It is also advised that they do a degree audit as they approach the semester they plan to graduate. It is best to print this out and bring it to your adviser for their review.

Admissions

Students may declare a minor in geography upon enrollment to the university. You will want to fill out a Declaration of Minor form, available at the link below or through the First Year Experience Office.

https://form.jotform.com/wnmu_forms/declaration-of-major