Undergraduate Program

Undergraduate Program Director
Dr. Caitlin L. Lippitt


College of Arts and Sciences and Department of Geography and Environmental Studies Undergraduate Admission Requirements

A minimum of 26 credit hours; 23 credit hours must be in courses acceptable toward graduation.

A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 on all work.

  • Transfer students must have a 2.00 transfer GPA.
  • Continuing UNM students must have a 2.00 institutional GPA.

Demonstrated academic achievement by satisfying the following:

  • Completion of General Education Curriculum: Communication. (GEOG 2115 Information Design for Science and Society can fulfill)
  • Completion of General Education Curriculum: Mathematics and Statistics.
  • Completion of General Education Curriculum: Second Language.

Completion of Department of Geography and Environmental Studies admission coursework with grades of "C" or better:

  • GEOG 1160.
  • GEOG 1165.

Degrees Offered

  • Bachelor of Arts in Geography (B.A.)
  • Bachelor of Science in Geography (B.S.)

Major Study Requirements

Bachelor of Arts in Geography

The B.A. major in Geography requires the following coursework. The requirements that a given course can satisfy are generally indicated by the course number. For instance, courses in the range 360-369 (written below as 360s) belong to the Place Group of electives. 

Requirements

Credit
Hours
GEOG 1115 Maps and GIScience 3
GEOG 1115L Maps and GIScience Laboratory 1
GEOG 1160 Home Planet: Land, Water and Life 3
GEOG 1160L Home Planet Laboratory 1
GEOG 1165 People and Place 3
GEOG **381L Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 4
GEOG 419 Senior Geography Capstone 1
Subtotal 16
Electives Two courses, with at least one upper-division course, chosen from each group. One course in each group may be replaced by GEOG 491, 493, or *499 with departmental approval. Select from:
Place Group: GEOG 1175, 1970, or courses numbered in the 360s, 370s, 460s, or 470s. 6
Process Group: GEOG 1150, 2170, or courses numbered in the 340s, 350s,
440s, or 450s.
6
Method Group: GEOG 2115, or courses numbered in the 320s, 380s, 420s, or
480s.
6-8
Subtotal 18-20
  Total 34-36


Bachelor of Science in Geography

The B.S. major in Geography requires the following coursework.The requirements that a given course can satisfy are generally indicated by the course number. For instance, courses in the range 360-369 (written below as 360s) belong to the Place Group of electives. 

Requirements

  Credit
Hours
GEOG 1115 Maps and GIScience 3
GEOG 1115L Maps and GIScience Laboratory 1
GEOG 1150 Introduction to Environmental Studies 3
GEOG 1160 Home Planet: Land, Water and Life 3
GEOG 1160L Home Planet Laboratory 1
GEOG 1165 People and Place 3
GEOG 1175 World Regional Geography 3
GEOG **381L Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 4
GEOG 419 Senior Geography Capstone 1
Subtotal 22
Electives Four courses chosen from any one group. One course may be replaced by GEOG 491, 493, or *499 with departmental approval. Select from:
Place Group: GEOG Courses numbered in the 360s, 370s, 460s, or 470s. 12
Process Group: GEOG Courses numbered in the 340s, 350s, 440s, or 450s. 12
Method Group: GEOG Courses numbered in the 320s, 380s, 420s, or 480s. 12-15
Subtotal 12-15
  Total 34-37

 

Second Major in Geography

The second major is designated a B.A. in Geography. It requires 28-31 credits, of which 15-18 must be upper-division credits. Those students wishing to declare both a Second Major and a Minor in Geography should consult with the department's Undergraduate Advisor.

Requirements

  Credit
Hours
GEOG 1115 Maps and GIScience 3
GEOG 1160 Home Planet: Land, Water and Life 3

GEOG 1165

-or-

GEOG 1175

People and Place

 

World Regional Geography

3
GEOG **381L Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 4
Electives: 

Five upper-division courses, with at least one from each of the three groups. One course may be replaced with GEOG 499, with department approval.

Place group: Courses numbered in the 360s, 370s, 460s, or 470s
Process group: Courses numbered in the 340s, 350s, 440s, or 450s
Method group: Courses numbered in the 320s, 380s, 420s, or 480s

15-18
Total 28-31

Minor Study Requirements

Minor in Geographic Information Science (GIScience)
The minor in GIScience requires 20-23 credit hours of coursework:

  • Required courses (11 credits): 1115, 1115L, 2115, and **381L.
  • Three electives from the following list (9-12 credits): Courses numbered in the 320s, 380s, 420s, or 480s

Minor in Geography
The minor in Geography requires 20-22 credit hours of coursework:

  • Required courses (14 credits): 1115; 1160; 1115L or 1160L; 1165 or 1175; and **381L, *421L, or 483L.
  • Electives (6-8 credits): Two upper-division Geography courses.
  • Distributed minor not available.

 


Departmental Honors

Undergraduate students pursuing either the B.A. or B.S. in Geography have the option of seeking Departmental Honors in Geography by completing advanced independent work that leads to a senior thesis or comparable project, such as a map, database, website, or other substantial research product approved by the student's Thesis/Project Committee (described below). Minimum requirements for graduation with honors in Geography are as follows: (1) completion of all requirements for the B.A. or B.S. in Geography; (2) maintenance of an overall grade point average of at least 3.50; (3) completion of a minimum of 6 credit hours of GEOG 491 Problems; (4) submission of a written senior thesis or comparable project, and (5) a final public presentation and discussion of the work.

Students electing to pursue honors must, at least two semesters before they intend to graduate: (1) declare their intention to enter the Departmental Honors program to the Undergraduate Program Director, and (2) establish a Thesis/Project Committee made up of an advisor and a second committee member who are both members of the faculty of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies.

Candidates for Honors in Geography are required to take GEOG 491 Problems for 3 credit hours for each semester during their senior year. The objective of these 6 credit hours is for the candidate to develop a substantial independent project of geography research, which leads to completion and submission of a senior thesis or comparable project by the 12th week of the final term of the student's senior year. A public presentation of the work must be made during the final semester. The Thesis/Project Committee shall determine if the quality of the thesis or project is sufficient for Honors designation, and at what level (Magna Cum Laude or Summa Cum Laude).


Courses

GEOG 1115. Maps and GIScience. (3)



GEOG 1115L. Maps and GIScience Laboratory. (1)



GEOG 1150. Introduction to Environmental Studies. (3)



GEOG 1160. Home Planet: Land, Water and Life. (3)



GEOG 1160L. Home Planet Laboratory. (1)



GEOG 1165. People and Place. (3)



GEOG 1175. World Regional Geography. (3)



GEOG 1970. World of Beer. (3)



GEOG 1996. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)



GEOG 2115. Information Design in Science and Society. (3)



GEOG 2170 [217]. Energy, Environment and Society. (3)



GEOG 2996. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)



GEOG 320 [350]. Field Methods in Geography. (3)



GEOG 352. Global Climate Change. (3)



GEOG 355 [365]. Nature and Society. (3)



GEOG **360. Land Use Management. (3)



GEOG 361. The Global Countryside. (3)



GEOG 364. Law, Place and Space. (3)



GEOG 369 [340]. Latin American Culture and Society. (3)



GEOG 380L. Basic Statistics for Geographers. (3)



GEOG **381L. Introduction to Geographic Information Systems. (4)



GEOG 389 [390]. Qualitative Methods for Geographers. (3)



GEOG 419 [471]. Geography Careers [Senior Geography Capstone]. (1)



GEOG *421L [*481L]. Map Design and Geovisualization. (4)



GEOG 423 / 523 [453 / 553]. Environmental Systems Modeling. (3)



GEOG 426 / 526 [413 / 513]. Critical Cartography. (3)



GEOG 427 / 527. Introductory Programming for GIS. (3)



GEOG 428 / 528. Open Source GIS Programming [Advanced Programming for GIS]. (3)



GEOG 440 / 540. Race and Geography [Geographies of the Body]. (3)



GEOG 441 / 541 [461 / 561]. Environmental Management. (3)



GEOG 442 / 542 [462 / 562]. Water Governance. (3)



GEOG 443 / 543 [463 / 563]. Public Lands [Public Land Management]. (3)



GEOG 444 / 544. Interdisciplinary Museum Science. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



GEOG 447 / 547 [467 / 567]. Governing the Global Environment. (3)



GEOG *450. Hazards and Disasters. (3)



GEOG 457 / 557 [470 / 570]. Environmental Security: Energy. (3)



GEOG 458 / 558 [472 / 572]. Environmental Security: Food and Water. (3)



GEOG 464 / 564. Food, Environment, and Society. (3)



GEOG 466 / 566. The City. (3)



GEOG 469 / 569. Environments and Peoples in Latin America. (3)



GEOG 475 / 575 [*445]. Geography of New Mexico and the Southwest. (3)



GEOG 476 [446]. Field Experience Abroad [Exploring Oaxaca Through Food and Craft]. (3)



GEOG 483L / 583L. Remote Sensing Fundamentals. (4)



GEOG 484L / 584L. Applications of Remote Sensing. (4)



GEOG 485L / 585L. Interactive Web Mapping [Internet Mapping]. (3)



GEOG 486L / 586L. Applied GIS and Spatial Analysis [Applications of GIS]. (3)



GEOG 487L / 587L. Geocomputation and Spatial Modeling [Spatial Analysis and Modeling]. (3)



GEOG 488L / 588L. GIS Concepts and Techniques. (3)



GEOG 491. Problems. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



GEOG 493. Internship in Applied Geography. (1-3 to a maximum of 3 Δ)



GEOG *499. Topics in Geography. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



GEOG 501. Geographic History and Methods. (3)



GEOG 502. Approaches to Geographical Research. (3)



GEOG 514. Human Dimensions of Climate Change [Natural Resources Management Seminar]. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



GEOG 515. Seminar in Geographies of Power. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



GEOG 516. Seminar: Globalization and Development. (3)



GEOG 518. Political Ecology. (3)



GEOG 522. Introduction to Spatial Data Management. (3)



GEOG 523 / 423 [553 / 453]. Environmental Systems Modeling. (3)



GEOG 524. Advanced Remote Sensing Seminar [Advanced Topics in Remote Sensing]. (3)



GEOG 525. Advanced GIScience Seminar. (3)



GEOG 526 / 426 [513 / 413]. Critical Cartography. (3)



GEOG 527 / 427. Introductory Programming for GIS. (3)



GEOG 528 / 428. Open Source GIS Programming [Advanced Programming for GIS]. (3)



GEOG 540/440. Race and Geography [Geographies of the Body]. (3)



GEOG 541 / 441 [561 / 461]. Environmental Management. (3)



GEOG 542 / 442 [562 / 462]. Water Governance. (3)



GEOG 543 / 443 [563 / 463]. Public Lands [Public Land Management]. (3)



GEOG 544 / 444. Interdisciplinary Museum Science. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



GEOG 547 / 447 [567 / 467]. Governing the Global Environment. (3)



GEOG 551. Drylands. (3)



GEOG 557 / 457 [570 / 470]. Environmental Security: Energy. (3)



GEOG 558 / 458 [572 / 472]. Environmental Security: Food and Water. (3)



GEOG 564 / 464. Food, Environment, and Society. (3)



GEOG 566 / 466. The City. (3)



GEOG 569 / 469. Environments and Peoples in Latin America. (3)



GEOG 575 / 475. Geography of New Mexico and the Southwest. (3)



GEOG 580L. Spatial Statistics. (3)



GEOG 581L. Introduction to GIS for Graduate Students. (3)



GEOG 583L / 483L. Remote Sensing Fundamentals. (4)



GEOG 584L / 484L. Applications of Remote Sensing. (4)



GEOG 585L / 485L. Interactive Web Mapping [Internet Mapping]. (3)



GEOG 586L / 486L. Applied GIS and Spatial Analysis [Applications of GIS]. (3)



GEOG 587L / 487L. Geocomputation and Spatial Modeling [Spatial Analysis and Modeling]. (3)



GEOG 588L / 488L. GIS Concepts and Techniques. (3)



GEOG 589 [590]. Qualitative Methods. (3)



GEOG 591. Problems. (1-3 to a maximum of 3 Δ)



GEOG 593. Internship in Applied Geography. (1-3 to a maximum of 3 Δ)



GEOG 597. Master's Project. (3)



GEOG 598. Topics in Geography. (1-3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



GEOG 599. Master's Thesis. (1-6, no limit Δ)



GEOG 601. Introduction to Geographic Theory and Application. (3)



GEOG 602. Integrative Research Design. (3)



GEOG 603. Professional Geographic Practice. (3)



GEOG 691. Independent Study. (3, may be repeated six times Δ)



GEOG 696. Supervised Research in Geography. (3-9 to a maximum of 18 Δ)



GEOG 699. Dissertation. (3-12, no limit Δ)



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Office of the Registrar

MSC11 6325
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131

Phone: (505) 277-8900
Fax: (505) 277-6809