Nov 30, 2024

2022-2023 Academic Catalog

2022-2023 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Geography, BA

The Geography, BA degree offered by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning , prepares students to understand the environment around us and interpret human and non-human patterns across the Earth’s surface. The major allows flexibility in course selection while providing a strong foundation in human, physical, and regional aspects of the discipline. Geography at SJSU also features a strong technology component based on applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Geography is essential to the growing need for global literacy and our faculty is committed to working with students to develop the skills that will serve them well in a career or in graduate studies.

Program Learning Outcomes

Summary of Degree Units

University Graduation Requirements	35
Major Preparation	3
Major Core	28
Major Electives	18-20
University Electives	34-36
Total	120

Program Roadmaps

The 4-Year Roadmap is available online. Roadmaps should be used in consultation with the catalog and your advisor to identify additional requirements for completing the major (for example, course grade minimums). Associate Degrees (ADT) Pathways are also available online.

University Requirements

Students must satisfy all of the major and Undergraduate University Graduation Requirements , which includes unit, GPA, and residency requirements as well as the below identified General Education , American Institutions, Graduation Writing Assessment, and Physical Education requirements. Courses that meet Undergraduate University Graduation Requirements are noted with an area designation (see Course Abbreviations ).

Core Lower Division General Education (27 units)

Of the 39 units required by the university, 12 units may be satisfied by coursework outlined below. Courses that meet GE Areas A1, A2, A3, B4, or F must be passed with a “C-” or better to meet the requirement. Consult with a major advisor for details.

Note: Students who have completed the ADT Transfer degree (under SB 1440) for this major will have completed all lower division GE requirements and should follow the 60 unit guarantee roadmap. Meet with an advisor prior to registering for your first semester for the 60 unit roadmap or Specific questions.

Upper Division General Education

Of the 9 units required by the university, 9 units may be satisfied by coursework outlined below. Consult with major advisor for details.

American Institutions (6 units)

Complete one 6-unit sequence of American Institutions (US123) courses, which also satisfies GE Area D. Students may also satisfy the American Institutions Requirement with other courses, but these may not satisfy other GE areas.

The American Studies (AMS 1A /AMS 1B ; 12 units) and Humanities Honors (HUM 1A /HUM 1B /HUM 2A /HUM 2B ; 24 units) sequences satisfy the American Institutions Requirement and additional GE Areas (see course descriptions for details).

Consult with a major advisor to select the appropriate sequence.

U.S. History and Government (6 units)

Complete One US1: US History Course

AMS 10 - Stories that Make America 3 unit(s) (C2+US1)
HIST 15 - Essentials of U.S. History 3 unit(s) (D+US1)

Complete One US23: US Constitution and California Government Course

POLS 15 - Essentials of U.S. & California Government 3 unit(s) (D+US23)
POLS 16 - Power and Ideas in American Politics 3 unit(s) (C2+US23)

Physical Education (2 units)

All SJSU undergraduate students, regardless of major, have an opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills in physical activities. To accommodate students’ needs and interests, the university offers a diverse selection of activity courses .

Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement

At SJSU, students must pass both the SJSU Writing Skills Test (WST) and a Writing in the Disciplines (100W) course. The Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) is satisfied by a course in the major. A grade of C or better (C- not accepted) is required to meet graduation requirements.

Major Preparation (3 units)

STAT 95 - Elementary Statistics 3 unit(s) (B4) (UNVS 15 may be used in lieu of the statistics course required by this major.)

Major Requirements (46-47 units)

Core Geography Courses (28 units)

GEOG 1 - Physical Geography 3 unit(s) (B1)
GEOG 10 - Cultural Geography 3 unit(s) (D)
GEOG 12 - World Regional Geography 3 unit(s) (D)
GEOG 100W - Writing Workshop 3 unit(s) (WID)
GEOG 105 - Urban Geography 3 unit(s)
GEOG 135 - Research Methods in Geography 3 unit(s)
GEOG 170 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 4 unit(s)
GEOG 186 - Field Methods in Geography 3 unit(s)
GEOG 199 - Senior Seminar 3 unit(s)

Major Electives (18-20 units)

GEOG 92, GEOG 124, GEOG 180, and GEOG 197 (no more than 12 units) may be substituted for core courses and major electives only with prior advisor approval.

Human Geography (minimum of 6 units)

Students must complete two human geography courses.

GEOG 112 - Nations, Cultures & Globalization 3 unit(s) (V)
GEOG 113 - Global Cities 3 unit(s)
GEOG 115 - Global Development 3 unit(s)
URBP 101 - The City 3 unit(s) (S)
URBP 136 - Introduction to Land Use Planning 4 unit(s)

Physical Geography (minimum of 6 units)

Students must complete two physical geography courses.

GEOG 107 - Mapping the World 3 unit(s) (R)
GEOG 121 - Population and Global Change 3 unit(s)
GEOG 130 - Natural Resources 3 unit(s)
GEOG 165 - National Parks 3 unit(s)

Regional Synthesis (minimum of 3 units)

Complete one regional geography course.

GEOG 110 - Urbanization in the Global South 3 unit(s)
GEOG 140 - The United States 3 unit(s) (S)
GEOG 145 - California 3 unit(s)
GEOG 150 - Central and South America and the Caribbean 3 unit(s)
GEOG 155 - Europe 3 unit(s)
GEOG 160 - East and South Asia 3 unit(s)
GEOG 168 - Sub-Saharan Africa 3 unit(s)

Geographic Information Science (minimum of 3 units)

Complete one GIS course.

GEOG 171 - Advanced Geographic Information Systems 4 unit(s)
GEOG 172 - Cartography and Data Visualization 3 unit(s)
GEOG 181 - Introduction to Remote Sensing 3 unit(s)

University Electives (34-36 units)

Declaring a minor is recommended.

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