Geography students are typically interested in protecting natural resources, planning the best possible use of land, teaching about interactions among people and places, developing and applying advanced new technologies, and solving environmental problems. Geographers can make a difference — from teaching to planning, from working for sustainable development to working with geospatial technologies and more.
Admission into the Major
Students are expected to formally declare a major no later than the fourth semester of full-time enrollment (or at 61 semester hours for transfer students). Students can declare a major by completing the Change of Major/Minor Application online under the Student tab of myBama.
Special Opportunities
The Department of Geography and the Environment offers internship opportunities with a variety of organizations including the Geological Survey of Alabama and many local planning agencies. Additional information is available in the department's main office.
Students earning the bachelor of arts (BA) degree with a major in geography must complete all University, College and departmental degree requirements. These include the general education requirements, the following major requirements, all requirements for an approved minor and other sufficient credits to total a minimum of 120 applicable semester hours.
| Code and Title | Hours |
| GY 101 | Atmospheric Proc & Patterns | 4 |
| GY 102 | Earth Surface Processes | 4 |
| GY 105 | World Regional Geography | 3 |
| GY 110 | People, Places, & Environment | 3 |
| GY 204 | Maps and Spatial Reasoning | 4 |
| 18 |
| 12 |
| 12 |
| 6 |
| 6 |
| Total Hours | 36 |
Grade Point Average
A 2.0 grade point average in the major is required for completion of the degree. Please see the Grades and Grade Points section of this catalog for an explanation on grade point average calculations.
Upper-level Residency
A minimum of 12 hours of 300- and 400-level courses in the major must be earned on this campus.
Required Minor
The geography major requires completion of a minor.
Additional Major Requirements
A maximum of 3 hours of internship or practicum credit can be applied to the major. Each geography course applied to the 36-hour requirement must be completed with a grade of C- or higher. Students are responsible for ensuring that they have met all requirements. However, each student must meet with an adviser in the major department for academic planning and to be approved for registration each semester. College advisers are also available for additional assistance with minor, College and University requirements.
Concentrations
Students must earn a minimum of 12 hours from one of the following three concentrations. With approval, topic appropriate GY 470 Special Topics may be substituted in each concentration.
Concentration I: Earth System Science (minimum of 12 hours)
Concentration II: Regional, Urban and Environmental Planning (minimum of 12 hours)
| Code and Title | Hours |
| GY 317 | Natural Hazards | 3 |
| GY 339 | Natural Resource Envirmn Plang | 3 |
| GY 341 | Geography Of Us And Canada | 3 |
| GY 344 | Geography Of Africa | 3 |
| GY 346 | Geography of Europe | 3 |
| GY 370 | Special Topics | 3 |
| GY 375 | Sports Geography | 3 |
| GY 377 | Cultural Geography | 3 |
| GY 385 | Watershed Management Plan Development (Watershed Management Plan) | 3 |
| GY 406 | Dir Res Human Geography | 1-3 |
| GY 410 | National Parks | 3 |
| GY 415 | The Geography of Extinctions and Endangered Species | 3 |
| GY 417 | Extreme Weather and Society | 3 |
| GY 418 | Spatial and Geostats | 3 |
| GY 440 | Commun Facil Planning | 3 |
| GY 441 | Land Use Regulations | 3 |
| GY 444 | Field Studies In Africa | 6 |
| GY 445 | Agriculture | 3 |
| GY 449 | Field Studies: Ireland | 6 |
| GY 450 | Field Studies in Belize | 6 |
| GY 451 | Global Environmental Change | 3 |
| GY 452 | Environ Decision Making | 3 |
| GY 453 | Environment & Society | 3 |
| GY 454 | Field Studies in Costa Rica | 4 |
| GY 456 | Planning Internship | 3-9 |
| GY 457 | Environmental Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| GY 458 | Urban Planning And Analysis | 3 |
| GY 459 | Water Energy and Food | 3 |
| GY 461 | Political Ecology | 3 |
| GY 462 | Land Use Science | 4 |
| GY 464 | Conservation Politics | 3 |
| GY 466 | Geography of Automobility | 3 |
| GY 468 | Grant Writing for Nonprofits | 3 |
| GY 470 | Special Topics | 3 |
| GY 473 | Public Policy Water | 3 |
| GY 477 | Water Resources Management | 3 |
| GY 481 | Water Diplomacy | 3 |
Concentration III: Geographic Information Techniques (minimum of 12 hours)
| Code and Title | Hours |
| GY 330 | Computr Mapping Graphics | 4 |
| GY 418 | Spatial and Geostats | 3 |
| GY 420 | Remote Sensing I | 4 |
| GY 424 | Cartography Practicum | 3-9 |
| GY 425 | Cartography Internship | 3-9 |
| GY 430 | Intro Geographic Info Systems | 3 |
| GY 430 | Intro Geographic Info Systems | 1 |
| GY 433 | Gis Practicum | 3-9 |
| GY 434 | Gis Internship | 3-9 |
| GY 435 | Remote Sensing II | 4 |
| GY 436 | Adv Geographic Info Syst | 4 |
| GY 437 | GIS for Transportation | 4 |
| GY 439 | GIS Programming | 4 |
| GY 443 | Location Science | 3 |
| GY 488 | Digital Terrain and Watershed | 4 |
Types of Jobs Accepted
Our graduates accept positions such as environmental consultant; forest technician; Geographic Information Systems analyst; land steward; park ranger; regional, urban, or environmental planner; remote sensing analyst; scientist; software engineer; agent with the Central Intelligence Agency; and as staff members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, and city, county, and regional planning commissions.
Learn more about opportunities in this field at the Career Center
