Major in Geography

The Geography major is housed in the Department of Anthropology and Geography. Through course work and internship opportunities, majors are provided with a broad background in geographic thinking. The major emphasizes interactions between humans and the environment in an era of rapid global change. Critical study of diverse relationships between space, place, humans, built and natural environments allows students to interpret geographic features, patterns and processes.

The Geography curriculum also concentrates specifically on mountain ecosystems and human-environment interactions. Course work takes advantage of faculty expertise in these areas of study, some of which are specific to the state of Colorado. Geography faculty use a wide range of research methods, including geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, spatial modeling, spatial statistics, participatory methods, and ethnography to address applied research questions in Colorado, the Rocky Mountains, Patagonia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Melanesia, and Africa. Undergraduate majors can expect to gain knowledge of and/or participate in faculty research related to:

1. Climate change implications for society and ecosystems
2. Land-use and land-cover change
3. Critical human geography
4. Critical Health geographies
5. Biogeography
6. Livelihood systems
7. Conservation
8. Cultural geography
9. Urban geography
10. Economic geography
11. Political/electoral geography
12. Geography of virtual worlds

The Geography major is built on the core values the Department of Anthropology and Geography promotes. These values emphasize experiential training, primary research, public engagement, and education.

Learning Objectives:

Students will demonstrate:

1. Mastery of the unifying themes of human and physical geography, as well as knowledge of the diverse conceptual and methodological approaches present in the discipline of geography.
2. The ability to identify, describe, and interpret spatial patterns and structures.
3. A critical understanding of relationships between humans and the environment, with a specific focus on mountain systems and local cultures.
4. An ability to present geographic concepts, approaches, methodologies, and applications in written, oral, cartographic, and other visual forms.
5. An understanding of the discipline’s relevance to everyday life.
6. An ability to communicate effectively and respectfully, including critical thinking and discussion skills. 

Potential Occupations:

Like many other majors in Liberal Arts, the Geography major provides students with a broad academic background suitable for a variety of jobs in the public and private sectors. Geography majors are trained to think independently and critically, communicate effectively, and function in a multicultural world. Careers for graduates vary depending upon your focus in Geography. Geographers often work in international development, Foreign Service, education, conservation/natural resource management, urban and regional planning, data analysis, data management, GIS analyst, marketing, and business. Graduates who go on to advanced studies can pursue academic careers in geography.

Change of Major:

To change your major to Geography, you can either call the College of Liberal Arts Academic Advising Center at 970-491-3117 or send an email to cla_advising@colostate.edu. More information is available on https://advising.libarts.colostate.edu.

Effective Fall 2024

¹

GR 431 may also fulfill this requirement, but GR 431 must be taken concurrently with GR 430.

²

Select enough elective credits to bring the program total to a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level).