BA/MA in Geography and Environment
The Department of Geography and Environment offers a combined Bachelor’s and Master’s (Plan A) pathway that allows students to earn both degrees in five years.
Minimum Credits: Students are required to take a minimum of 141 credits. Of this, nine will be double-counted toward both degrees. With the double-counted courses, students will receive 150 credits, reflecting 120 credits for the BA and 30 credits for the MA.
Double Counting: Up to nine (9) credits of coursework may be double-counted for both the bachelor’s and master’s degree, including two (2) 600-level courses and one (1) 400-level course.
The courses to be double counted include:
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- GEO 695 – Concepts and theories in geography (3 credits)
- GEO 696 – Research designs / methods in geography (3 credits)
- One GEO course numbered 400+ that fits the student’s specialization from the following courses:
- Human Geography
- GEO 425 – Geographies of popular culture (3 credits)
- GEO 426 – Environment, resources and society (3 credits)
- Environmental Geography
- GEO 401 – Climate change (3 credits)
- GEO 411 – Past global change and the human era (3 credits)
- Geospatial Information Science
- GEO 470 – Remote sensing (3 credits)
- GEO 489 – GIS for Environmental Sciences (3 credits)
- Human Geography
- Passed with a grade of B or better;
Gateway Course: GEO 325 (Geography, Environment and Society – 3 credits). Undergraduate majors must complete this course with a minimum grade of B or higher in order to be considered for the pathway.
Application: Students submit the Graduate Admissions Application and fee as well as all required program admission materials by March 15 to be considered for the Fall admission of the same year.
Admission: Accepted students will receive notice of “admission,” typically in the spring of the junior year (6th semester). The following semester, which would generally be the fall of senior year (7th semester), pathway students begin the double-counted coursework at the undergraduate tuition rate. Pathway students are considered dual program students. An overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (upon graduation with the baccalaureate degree) is required to apply for and continue in the graduate program.
Bachelor’s Degree: The bachelor’s degree is conferred after successful completion of all required coursework, including meeting the minimum upper division credit requirement (currently 45 credits) for the undergraduate degree. The Geography and Environment BA requires that a minimum of 31 credits come from GEO courses.
Graduate Enrollment: Pathway students begin their 9th semester as “graduate students,” and continue the master’s degree program at the graduate tuition rate. Continuous enrollment after conferral of the bachelor’s degree is required (unless on approved leave of absence after the first semester as a graduate student). If the baccalaureate degree is not conferred, graduate status will be inactivated and the student may not continue to take courses applicable to the graduate program.
Leaves of Absence: Until the bachelor’s degree is conferred, pathway students should follow the undergraduate procedures to request a leave of absence (LOA), if needed. Graduate students, once classified, must be enrolled for at least one semester before becoming eligible for a LOA.
- Download GEO BAM Sample Plan
