B.A. in Geography Requirements

Group 1. General Education Foundation, Diversification, Structural, and Integrative Requirements in effect Fall 2018

Students may choose to graduate under the General Education Foundation, Diversification, Structural and Integrative requirements and graduation requirements in force at the time they entered the UH System, when they entered UH Hilo, or when they graduate, provided there is no break in enrollment.

Students should meet with their academic advisor to ensure that they enroll in courses that will enable them to meet these requirements as well as requirements for the major and for graduation. Some courses may meet both General Education requirements and major requirements.

The new GE foundations, diversification, structural and integrative requirements and lists of certified courses are posted on the General Education website.

Group 2. Major Requirements and Assigned Credits

Choose one of the following tracks.

A. Geography Track (45 Credits)

1. Core Courses (15)

  • ENG 225 Writing for Sci & Technology (3) or ENG 287 Introduction to Rhetoric (3)
  • GEOG 101 Geog & Nat Environ (3) or ENSC 100 Intro to Environmental Science (3)
  • GEOG 103 Geog And Contemp Soc (3) or GEOG 102 World Regional Geography (3)
  • GEOG 201 Interp Geog Data (3)
  • GEOG 495 Senior Seminar in Geography (3) or GEOG 490 Senior Thesis (3)

2. Quantitative Methods (3)

Choose one course from the three-credit courses listed below:

  • BIOL 280 Biostatistics (3)
  • GEOG 280 Introduction to Geostatistics (3)
  • MARE 250 Statistical Apps in Marine Sci (3)
  • MATH 115 Intro to Stats and Prob (3)

3. Physical Geography: (6)

Choose two courses from the following list:

  • GEOG 300 Climatology (3)
  • GEOG 301 Global Warming/Climate Change (3)
  • GEOG 309 Biogeography (3)
  • GEOG 319 Nat Hazards/Disasters (3)
  • GEOL 342 Earth Surface Processes (3)
  • GEOL 360 Surface Water (3)
  • GEOG 409 Princples of Landscape Ecology (3)
  • GEOL 460 Groundwater (3)
  • ENSC/BIOL 457 Vegetation of the Hawaiian Isl (3)
  • GEOG 494 Special Topics in Subject Matter (To Be Arranged)

4. GIS and Spatial Techniques: (6)

Choose two courses from the following list:

  • CS 150 Intro To Computer Science I (3)
  • GEOG 385 Field Methods in Geog/Env Sci (3)
  • GEOG 470 Remote Sensing/Air Photo (3)
  • GEOG 480 Geog Info Sys & Visualization (3)
  • GEOG 481 Advance Geo-Spatial Techniques (3)
  • GEOG 488 Advanced Geostatistics (3)
  • GEOG 494 Special Topics in Subject Matter (To Be Arranged)

5. Human Geography and Planning: (6)

Choose two courses from the following list:

  • GEOG 107 Hawaiʻi in the Pacific (3)
  • GEOG 312 Food and Societies (3)
  • GEOG 328 Cultural Geography (3)
  • GEOG 321 Geog Of Economic Activity (3)
  • GEOG 325 Environments of Law (3)
  • GEOG 326 Natural Resources (3)
  • GEOG 329 Rethinking Development (3)
  • GEOG 331 Tourism Geographies (3)
  • GEOG 332 Geog Of Hawaiian Islands (3)
  • GEOG 335 Geog Of Oceania (3)
  • GEOG 336 Political Ecology (3)
  • GEOG 340 Intro to Land Use Planning (3)
  • GEOG 382 Qualitative Research (3)
  • GEOG 387 Climate Change Literature (3)
  • GEOG 401 Confronting the Climate Crisis (3)
  • GEOG 430 Gender, Place and Environment (3)
  • GEOG 435 Senior Seminar Pacific Studies (3)
  • GEOG 436 Environ Politics in Pacific (3)
  • GEOG 441 Environmentl Impact Assessment (3)
  • GEOG 494 Special Topics in Subject Matter (To Be Arranged)
  • GEOG 496 Planning Internship (3)

6. Area of Specialization (9)

  • Choose three additional 300- or 400-level courses from the above areas. Two of those courses must be within the same area of specialization.

B. Environmental Studies Track (48 Credits)

1. Core Courses (27)

  • BIOL 171 Introductory Biology I (3) or BIOL 172 Introductory Biology II (3)
  • BIOL 281 General Ecology (3)
  • CHEM 151 Elementary Survey of Chemistry (3) or CHEM 161 General Chemistry I (3)
  • ENG 225 Writing for Sci & Technology (3) or ENG 287 Introduction to Rhetoric (3)
  • ENSC 100 Intro to Environmental Science (3) or GEOG 101 Geog & Nat Environ (3)
  • GEOG 102 World Regional Geography (3) or GEOG 103 Geog And Contemp Soc (3)
  • GEOG 201 Interp Geog Data (3)
  • GEOG/ENSC 495 Senior Seminar in Geography (3) or GEOG 490 Senior Thesis (3)
  • GEOG 326 Natural Resources (3)

2. Quantitative Methods: (3)

Choose one course from the three-credit courses listed below:

  • BIOL 280 Biostatistics (3)
  • GEOG 280 Introduction to Geostatistics (3)
  • MARE 250 Statistical Apps in Marine Sci (3)
  • MATH 115 Intro to Stats and Prob (3) 1

3. Humans and the Environment: (6)

Choose two courses from the three-credit courses listed below:

  • ANTH 315 Ecological Anthropology (3)
  • ECON 482 Natural Resource Env Eco (3)
  • GEOG 321 Geog Of Economic Activity (3)
  • GEOG 328 Cultural Geography (3)
  • GEOG 329 Rethinking Development (3)
  • GEOG 336 Political Ecology (3)
  • GEOG 340 Intro to Land Use Planning (3)
  • GEOG 387 Climate Change Literature (3)
  • GEOG 401 Confronting the Climate Crisis (3)
  • GEOG 430 Gender, Place and Environment (3)
  • GEOG 436 Environ Politics in Pacific (3)
  • GEOG 440 Community Planning (3)
  • PHIL 412 Philosophy of Nature (3)
  • POLS 335 Environmental Politics (3)

4. Environmental Science: (6)

Choose two courses from the three-credit courses listed below:

  • BIOL/GEOG 309 Biogeography (3)
  • GEOG 319 Nat Hazards/Disasters (3)
  • BIOL 381 Conservation Biology (3)
  • CHEM 272-272L Organic Chem I (3), Organic Chem I Lab (2)
  • CHEM 360 Environmental Chemistry (3)
  • GEOG 300 Climatology (3)
  • GEOG 301 Global Warming/Climate Change (3)
  • GEOG 409 Princples of Landscape Ecology (3)
  • GEOL 300 Adv Environmental Earth Sci (3)
  • GEOL 342 Earth Surface Processes (3)
  • GEOL 360 Surface Water (3)
  • GEOL 460 Groundwater (3)
  • MARE 282 Global Change (3)
  • SOIL 304 Tropical Soils (3)

5. Advanced Environmental Techniques: (6)

Choose two courses:

  • ANTH 481 Archaeometry (3)
  • FOR 202 Forestry & Natural Resources (3)
  • ENSC 385 Field Methods in Geog/Env Sci (3)
  • GEOG 382 Qualitative Research (3)
  • GEOG 441 Environmentl Impact Assessment (3)
  • GEOG 470 Remote Sensing/Air Photo (3)
  • GEOG 480 Geog Info Sys & Visualization (3)
  • GEOG 481 Advance Geo-Spatial Techniques (3)
  • GEOG 488 Advanced Geostatistics (3)
  • GEOL 445 GIS for Geology (3)
  • GEOL 450 Geological Remote Sensing (3)
  • ENSC 441 Environmentl Impact Assessment (3)
  • ENSC 457 Vegetation of the Hawaiian Isl (3)

1 MATH 115 Intro to Stats and Prob (3) in Group 2 above counts as a Quantitative Reasoning course in Group 1 above.

Total Semester Hours Required for the B.A. in Geography

120 credits required.

Notes

  1. Students must earn at least a 2.0 GPA in courses required for the major.
  2. Where appropriate, and with the approval of the Geography chairperson, one Special Topics course (GEOG 494 Special Topics in Subject Matter (To Be Arranged) ) may be substituted for a course under Blocks I or II.
  3. Students in the Geography Track must earn at least 45 credits at the 300- and 400-level.
  4. Students in the Environmental Studies Track must earn at least 33 credits at the 300- and 400- level.
  5. To earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography, students must fulfill the requirements for the major and meet all of the University’s other baccalaureate degree requirements. (Please see the Baccalaureate Degree Requirements in this Catalog.)
  6. Students wishing to make timely progress toward graduation are urged to pay careful attention to all degree requirements.
  7. In addition, when planning a schedule of courses, it is imperative to be aware of course prerequisites and the frequency with which courses are offered. This information is available in the course listings in this Catalog.
  8. To ensure progress toward degree completion, students are urged to meet with an advisor each semester before registering.