Academic Bulletin

College of Arts & Sciences - Undergraduate

GEOGRAPHY AND REGIONAL STUDIES - Dept. Code: GEG
www.as.miami.edu/geography

Major | Minor | Policies

Geography and Regional Studies is concerned with the spatial or locational dimensions of environmental phenomena and organizational patterns of human activity on the earth’s surface. Concretely, geography deals with the analysis of topics ranging from environmental problems, political boundary disputes, and ethnic conflict to applied and more localized issues such as establishing new voting districts to provide better representation for ethnic minorities, determining where the next freeway link should be built, assessing the location of oil pipelines, or various matters regarding urban planning and governance.

Traditionally, geographers have regional expertise combining topical and geographic fields of knowledge: for example, population issues in the Caribbean, sustainable development in the Amazon basin, economic and political integration in Europe, territorial conflict in the Middle East, or the growth of megacities in South Asia.

Geographers are prepared for positions in teaching, government, private business, urban and regional planning, cartography, geographic information systems (GIS), conservation, and environmental analysis. The University of Miami’s Department of Geography and Regional Studies offers a wide range of specializations that relate to the social sciences at large and especially the field of international studies. Processes of globalization have increased the importance of the geographical analysis of human society and particularly the linkages between global processes and local outcomes and the growing interconnections of places across the globe.

The Department of Geography and Regional Studies offers specializations in areas, such as:

International migration
Urban geography and international urbanization
Environmental studies
International and regional development
Globalization

In addition, there is a range of courses on world regions such as Europe, the Middle East, Middle America, South America, etc. Finally, the department offers a set of courses that provide training in indispensable skills for everyone entering the present-day labor market:

Research methodology
Statistics
Computer cartography
Geographic information systems
Remote sensing of the environment

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Major

REQUIREMENTS FOR GEOGRAPHY AND REGIONAL STUDIES

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences who take Geography and Regional Studies as a major must complete the following requirements:

1. Students must take at least 30 credits in geography courses.
2. For a geography course to count towards the major, the student must achieve a grade of C- or higher.
3. The overall GPA in courses toward the major must be 2.00 or higher.
4. Majors must successfully complete three of the following courses:
   GEG 105
   GEG 110
   GEG 120
   GEG 199

GEOGRAPHY AS A SECOND MAJOR

Students who take Geography and Regional Studies as a second major must complete the following requirements:

1. Students must take at least 24 credits in geography courses.
2. For a geography course to count towards the major, the student must achieve a grade of C- or higher.
3. The overall GPA in courses counting toward the major must be 2.00 or higher.
4. Majors must successfully complete two of the following courses:
   GEG 105
   GEG 110
   GEG 120 or GEG 121
   GEG 199

Minor

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences who take Geography as a minor must meet the following requirements:

1. Completion of at least 15 credits in Geography courses.
2. For a Geography course to count towards the minor, the student must achieve a grade of C- or higher.
3. The overall GPA in courses counting toward the minor must be 2.00 or higher.
4. At least 6 credits must be at the 300-level or higher.

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Policies

INTERNSHIP CREDIT

Students are encouraged to find a suitable internship experience with the Career Planning and Placement Center. Upon approval, 3 to 4 credits may be earned with an internship. These credits will be included in the fulfillment of major requirements (GEG 535).

HONORS THESIS

Students with an appropriate GPA are encouraged to write an honors thesis in order to graduate Magna (minimum 3.75 GPA) or Summa Cum Laude (minimum 3.90 GPA). Six credits toward the major may be earned with the honors thesis.

OVERLAPPING COURSES AMONG DUAL MAJORS

Of the coursework at the 200-level or higher in Geography and Regional Studies, no more than 6 credits may count double towards the other major.

STUDY ABROAD

Majors are strongly encouraged to study abroad for a summer, a semester, or an entire year. Study abroad at carefully selected institutions will complement the student’s curriculum and area of specialization, will enhance fluency in the foreign language, and will result in heightened affinity for a foreign culture. The study abroad experience need not result in credit overloads or extended time spent in the program.

ACADEMIC STANDING

Only courses in which the grade of C- or better is attained may be counted towards the major or minor, and students must maintain a GPA of 2.00 or better in all required courses.

For more information, e-mail rgrant@miami.edu, come by the Department of Geography and Regional Studies at 229 Ferre, or call 284-4087, to make an appointment.

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