Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Major in Geography Natural Resources and Environmental Studies

Minimum required: 120 semester credit hours

General Requirements

  1. The general education core curriculum courses are listed in the degree plan below along with the statewide component code number. See the General Education Core Curriculum section of this catalog for the Texas State requirements and options in the core curriculum, including Honors courses.
  2. This major requires students to select a minor from the approved list of Undergraduate Minors offered at Texas State. Recommended minors are Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Anthropology, Computer Science, Mathematics, Plant and Soil Science, and Physics; however, other minors may be appropriate depending on a student's interests and career goals. Students are encouraged to meet with an academic advisor to review minor options and degree requirements.
  3. This major requires a minimum of 36 semester credit hours of Geography courses.
  4. To satisfy graduation requirements, students must have at least a 2.50 major GPA for Geography and at least a 2.25 Texas State GPA. Students must make a grade of "C" or better in all Geography courses that are to be counted for credit toward their major.
  5. Required major courses include the following:
    GEO 1309Introduction to Cultural Geography3
    or GEO 1310 World Geography
    GEO 2410Introduction to Physical Geography4
    GEO 2426Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems4
    GEO 3301Research Methods in Geography3
  6. Required Geography core courses include the following:
    GEO 2310Global Environmental Change3
    GEO 3313Natural Resource Use and Management3
    Select at least two of the following:
    Energy Resource Management
    Water Resources
    Solid Waste Planning and Management
    Air Quality Management
  7. Required Geography capstone is GEO 4313.
  8. Geography electives to bring the required Geography hours to 36 should be selected in consultation with an advisor from the following courses:
    GEO 1305Meteorology3
    GEO 3303Economic Geography3
    GEO 3305Climatology3
    GEO 3310Urban Geography3
    GEO 3320Community and Regional Planning3
    GEO 3335Oceanography3
    GEO 3340Political Geography3
    GEO 3349World Population3
    GEO 3425Geomorphology4
    GEO 3426Advanced GIS4
    GEO 4309Cultural and Political Ecology3
    GEO 4310Regional Field Studies3
    GEO 4314River Basin Management3
    GEO 4316Landscape Biogeography3
    GEO 4322Interpretive Environmental Geography3
    GEO 4325Fluvial Processes3
    GEO 4326Parks and Protected Places3
    GEO 4334Groundwater Resources3
    GEO 4339Environmental Hazards3
    GEO 4341Water Policy3
    GEO 4380Internship in Geography3
    GEO 4412Digital Image Processing and Machine Learning4
    Students may select one regional course as a Geography Elective from the following:
    Geography of Europe
    Latin America
    United States and Canada
    Geography of North Africa and the Middle East
    Geography of Texas
    Geography of South and Southeast Asia
    Geography of East Asia
    Geography of the Southwest
    Geography of the Russian Realm
  9. Students must complete a minimum of 36 advanced hours (3000 or 4000 level courses).
  10. The minimum number of hours required for this degree program is 120. The number of free elective hours a student will complete depends on the number of hours a student may need to achieve the required 120 total or 36 advanced hours.
  11. Nine hours of writing intensive (WI) courses are required for graduation.

Course Requirements 

Freshman
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
Communication Component Code 0103Communication Component Code 0103
Mathematics Component Code 02013Life and Physical Sciences Component Code 0303
Life and Physical Sciences Component Code 0303American History Component Code 0603
Government/Political Science Component Code 0703Government/Political Science Component Code 0703
GEO 1309 or 1310 (TCCN GEOG 1302 or 1303)3GEO 24104
US 11001 
 16 16
Sophomore
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
Language, Philosophy, and Culture Component Code 0403Creative Arts Component Code 0503
American History Component Code 0603ENG Literature (Component Area Option Code 090/094)23
Social and Behavioral Sciences Component Code 080 (not to include GEO 1310)3Modern Language 1420 (if required) or Elective4
Modern Language 1410 (if required) or Elective4GEO 23103
GEO 33013Minor3
 16 16
Junior
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
Component Area Option Code 090/0913GEO 3321, 3434, 4350, or 43523-4
ENG 3303 (BS Literature or Technical Writing)3GEO Electives6
GEO 24264Minor3
GEO 33133Elective (as needed)3
Minor3 
 16 15
Senior
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
GEO 3321, 3434, 4350, or 43523-4GEO 43133
GEO Elective3Minor6
Minor3Elective (as needed)4
Elective (as needed)3 
 12 13
Total Hours: 120
1

A Mathematics course may be chosen from the following to satisfy the Mathematics Component Code 020 for this major: MATH 1315 (TCCN MATH 1314), MATH 1317 (TCCN MATH 1316), MATH 1319 (TCCN MATH 1324), MATH 1329 (TCCN MATH 1325), MATH 2321 (TCCN MATH 1323), MATH 2417 (TCCN MATH 2412), or MATH 2471 (TCCN MATH 2413)

2

An English Literature course may be chosen from the following to satisfy the Component Option Code 090/094 for this major: ENG 2310 (TCCN ENGL 2322), ENG 2320 (TCCN ENGL 2323), ENG 2330 (TCCN ENGL 2332), ENG 2340 (TCCN ENGL 2333), ENG 2359 (TCCN ENGL 2327), ENG 2360 (TCCN ENGL 2328), or ENG 2371.