Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Major in Geography Natural Resources and Environmental Studies
Minimum required: 120 semester credit hours
General Requirements
- 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.
- 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.
- This major requires a minimum of 36 semester credit hours of Geography courses.
- 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.
- Required major courses include the following:
Course List Code Title Hours GEO 1309 Introduction to Cultural Geography 3 or GEO 1310 World Geography GEO 2410 Introduction to Physical Geography 4 GEO 2426 Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems 4 GEO 3301 Research Methods in Geography 3 - Required Geography core courses include the following:
Course List Code Title Hours GEO 2310 Global Environmental Change 3 GEO 3313 Natural Resource Use and Management 3 Select at least two of the following: Energy Resource Management Water Resources Solid Waste Planning and Management Air Quality Management - Required Geography capstone is GEO 4313.
- Geography electives to bring the required Geography hours to 36 should be selected in consultation with an advisor from the following courses:
Course List Code Title Hours GEO 1305 Meteorology 3 GEO 3303 Economic Geography 3 GEO 3305 Climatology 3 GEO 3310 Urban Geography 3 GEO 3320 Community and Regional Planning 3 GEO 3335 Oceanography 3 GEO 3340 Political Geography 3 GEO 3349 World Population 3 GEO 3425 Geomorphology 4 GEO 3426 Advanced GIS 4 GEO 4309 Cultural and Political Ecology 3 GEO 4310 Regional Field Studies 3 GEO 4314 River Basin Management 3 GEO 4316 Landscape Biogeography 3 GEO 4322 Interpretive Environmental Geography 3 GEO 4325 Fluvial Processes 3 GEO 4326 Parks and Protected Places 3 GEO 4334 Groundwater Resources 3 GEO 4339 Environmental Hazards 3 GEO 4341 Water Policy 3 GEO 4380 Internship in Geography 3 GEO 4412 Digital Image Processing and Machine Learning 4 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 - Students must complete a minimum of 36 advanced hours (3000 or 4000 level courses).
- 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.
- Nine hours of writing intensive (WI) courses are required for graduation.
Course Requirements
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| Communication Component Code 010 | 3 | Communication Component Code 010 | 3 |
| Mathematics Component Code 0201 | 3 | Life and Physical Sciences Component Code 030 | 3 |
| Life and Physical Sciences Component Code 030 | 3 | American History Component Code 060 | 3 |
| Government/Political Science Component Code 070 | 3 | Government/Political Science Component Code 070 | 3 |
| GEO 1309 or 1310 (TCCN GEOG 1302 or 1303) | 3 | GEO 2410 | 4 |
| US 1100 | 1 | ||
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| Language, Philosophy, and Culture Component Code 040 | 3 | Creative Arts Component Code 050 | 3 |
| American History Component Code 060 | 3 | ENG Literature (Component Area Option Code 090/094)2 | 3 |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences Component Code 080 (not to include GEO 1310) | 3 | Modern Language 1420 (if required) or Elective | 4 |
| Modern Language 1410 (if required) or Elective | 4 | GEO 2310 | 3 |
| GEO 3301 | 3 | Minor | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Junior | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| Component Area Option Code 090/091 | 3 | GEO 3321, 3434, 4350, or 4352 | 3-4 |
| ENG 3303 (BS Literature or Technical Writing) | 3 | GEO Electives | 6 |
| GEO 2426 | 4 | Minor | 3 |
| GEO 3313 | 3 | Elective (as needed) | 3 |
| Minor | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| First Semester | Hours | Second Semester | Hours |
| GEO 3321, 3434, 4350, or 4352 | 3-4 | GEO 4313 | 3 |
| GEO Elective | 3 | Minor | 6 |
| Minor | 3 | Elective (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.
