Geography and Geospatial Science Undergraduate Major (BS, HBS)
This program is available at the following locations:
- Corvallis
- Ecampus
Geography and Geospatial Science provide a scientific approach to understanding people’s relationship with their environment and resources. Geography is central to many important issues, including land-use and marine spatial planning, global studies, and adaptation to climate change. Geospatial science applies geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, web mapping, geovisualization, remote sensing, and geographic information system (GIS), to address geographic problems. Geographic thinking and geospatial technology are present in every aspect of modern life, and career opportunities abound for students trained in geography and geospatial science. Students in the major gain expertise in physical geography, human geography, and geospatial science and technology. Students apply spatial reasoning and critical thinking to create, synthesize and analyze data; model human-environment interactions; and evaluate contemporary issues in geography. They gain skills in problem identification and problem solving and communicating about contemporary geographic problems to varied audiences using a variety of media.
Contact Information
Julia Jones, Director
Geography & Geospatial Science Program
104 CEOAS Administration Building
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331
541-737-1224
Email: julia.jones@oregonstate.edu
Website: https://ceoas.oregonstate.edu/geography-and-geospatial-science/
Major Code: 896
Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:
- Use terminology and basic principles to describe and explain (a) physical geography, (b) human geography, and (c) geospatial science and technology.
- Apply spatial reasoning and critical thinking to create, synthesize and analyze data; model human-environment interactions; and evaluate contemporary issues in geography.
- Communicate findings and their implications, including ethical aspects, in visual, oral and written form.
The major consists of 88 credits of coursework in the following areas:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Supporting Mathematics and Statistics | 12 | |
| Geography and Geospatial Science Core | 39 | |
| Experiential Learning | 9 | |
| Seminar | 1 | |
| Upper-Division Electives | 27 | |
| Total Credits | 88 | |
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Math and Statistics | ||
| MTH 112Z | +*PRECALCULUS II: TRIGONOMETRY | 4 |
| ST 351 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| ST 352 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| Earth System Science | ||
| GEOG 102 | *PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY | 4 |
| or GEO 202 | *EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE | |
| GEOG 323 | ^CLIMATOLOGY | 4 |
| or GEOG 324 | ^ECOLOGICAL BIOGEOGRAPHY | |
| Global Societies and Justice | ||
| GEOG 103 | *THE HUMAN PLANET | 3 |
| or GEOG 100 | *CLIMATE JUSTICE | |
| or GEOG 203 | *HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT GEOGRAPHY | |
| GEOG 105 | *PEOPLE, PLACES, AND PERSPECTIVES IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH | 3 |
| or GEOG 106 | *WESTERN TRADITION & EMERGING CHALLENGES IN THE GLOBAL NORTH | |
| Environmental Change, Hazards and Planning | ||
| GEOG 240 | *HUMAN DIMENSIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE | 3 |
| or GEOG 250 | *LAND USE PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES | |
| Resource Conflict and Cooperation | ||
| GEOG 241 | *TRANSFORMING ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS | 3 |
| or GEOG 300 | *SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE COMMON GOOD | |
| Geospatial Modeling and Analysis | ||
| GEOG 201 | *FOUNDATIONS OF GEOSPATIAL SCIENCE AND GIS | 4 |
| GEOG 360 | GISCIENCE I: GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND THEORY | 4 |
| GEOG 370 | CARTOGRAPHY | 4 |
| GEOG 380 | REMOTE SENSING: PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS | 4 |
| GEOG 464 | GEOSPATIAL PERSPECTIVES ON INTELLIGENCE, SECURITY AND ETHICS | 3 |
| Seminar | ||
| GEOG 407 | SEMINAR | 1 |
| Experiential Learning | ||
| GEOG 295 | GEOGRAPHIC FIELD RESEARCH | 3 |
| GEOG 410 | INTERNSHIP | 3 |
| or GEOG 401 | RESEARCH | |
| or GEOG 403 | THESIS | |
| GEOG 495 | FIELD GEOGRAPHY SYNTHESIS | 3 |
| Upper-Division Electives | ||
| Select 27 credits of electives including at least four courses numbered 361 or above: | 27 | |
| Geospatial Modeling and Analysis | ||
| QUANTITATIVE GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS AND MODELING | ||
| WEB MAPPING | ||
| GIS AND SPATIAL DATA SCIENCE | ||
| PROGRAMMING FOR GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS | ||
| INTERACTIVE CARTOGRAPHY | ||
| SATELLITE IMAGE ANALYSIS | ||
| Earth System Science | ||
| *FROZEN: OUR ICY PLANET IN CLIMATE AND SOCIETAL CONTEXT | ||
| ^CLIMATOLOGY | ||
| ^ECOLOGICAL BIOGEOGRAPHY | ||
| SNOW HYDROLOGY | ||
| HYDROLOGY FOR WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT | ||
| *OCEANS, COASTS, AND PEOPLE | ||
| Environmental Change, Hazards and Planning | ||
| *SNOW, SMOKE, AND STORMS: CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS IN THE PNW | ||
| *GEOGRAPHY OF NATURAL HAZARDS | ||
| CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS, ADAPTATION AND VULNERABILITY | ||
| PLANNING PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES FOR RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT | ||
| EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE SCIENCE | ||
| Global Societies and Justice | ||
| *GEOGRAPHY OF AFRICA | ||
| *GEOGRAPHY OF LATIN AMERICA | ||
| *GEOGRAPHY OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBALIZATION | ||
| *CLIMATE AND HEALTH | ||
| *ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE | ||
| Resource Conflict and Cooperation | ||
| *SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE COMMON GOOD | ||
| *POPULATION, CONSUMPTION, AND ENVIRONMENT | ||
| *INTRODUCTION TO WATER SCIENCE AND POLICY | ||
| RESILIENCE-BASED NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT | ||
| CONFLICT, COOPERATION, AND CONTROL OF WATER IN THE US | ||
| THE WORLD'S WATER | ||
| Additional Requirements | ||
| Remaining Bacc Core and Electives | 92 | |
| Total Credits | 180 | |
- *
Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC)
- ^
Writing Intensive Course (WIC)
- +
Core Education course. Applies only to students admitted to an OSU undergraduate degree from Summer 2025 onwards
Major Code: 896
Degree plans are subject to change and the following is only an example of how students may complete their degree in four years. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best degree plan for them. Contact details for advisors can be found on the Academic Advising page.
Four-Year Plan
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| GEOG 105 | *PEOPLE, PLACES, AND PERSPECTIVES IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH | 3 |
| GEOG 201 | *FOUNDATIONS OF GEOSPATIAL SCIENCE AND GIS | 4 |
| MTH 112Z | +*PRECALCULUS II: TRIGONOMETRY | 4 |
| Bacc Core: Speech | 3 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Winter | ||
| GEOG 102 | *PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY | 4 |
| WR 121Z | *COMPOSITION I | 4 |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| Bacc Core: Western Culture | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOG 250 | *LAND USE PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES | 3 |
| HHS 231 | *LIFETIME FITNESS FOR HEALTH | 2 |
| Bacc Core: PAC | 1 | |
| Bacc Core: Literature and The Arts | 3 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| GEOG 241 | *TRANSFORMING ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS | 3 |
| GEOG 295 | GEOGRAPHIC FIELD RESEARCH | 3 |
| GEOG 360 | GISCIENCE I: GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND THEORY | 4 |
| Bacc Core: Writing II | 3 | |
| Bacc Core: Biological Science | 4 | |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Winter | ||
| Upper Division GEOG Elective | 4 | |
| Bacc Core: Social Processes and Institutions | 4 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOG 203 | *HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT GEOGRAPHY | 3 |
| GEOG 324 | ^ECOLOGICAL BIOGEOGRAPHY | 4 |
| GEOG 370 | CARTOGRAPHY | 4 |
| Bacc Core: Cultural Diversity | 3 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| GEOG 380 | REMOTE SENSING: PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS | 4 |
| Upper Division GEOG Elective | 3 | |
| 400 Level GEOG Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Winter | ||
| GEOG 407 | SEMINAR | 1 |
| ST 351 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| 400 Level GEOG Elective | 4 | |
| Bacc Core: Science, Technology, and Society | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOG 410 | INTERNSHIP | 3 |
| GEOG 495 | FIELD GEOGRAPHY SYNTHESIS | 3 |
| ST 352 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Upper Divsion GEOG Elective | 4 | |
| 400 Level GEOG Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Winter | ||
| 400 Level GEOG Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOG 464 | GEOSPATIAL PERSPECTIVES ON INTELLIGENCE, SECURITY AND ETHICS | 3 |
| 400 Level GEOG Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 180 | |
Two-Year Plan
Up to 29 transfer credits may be accepted representing the equivalent of the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 102 | *PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY | 4 |
| or GEO 202 | *EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE | |
| GEOG 103 | *THE HUMAN PLANET | 3 |
| or GEOG 203 | *HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT GEOGRAPHY | |
| GEOG 105 | *PEOPLE, PLACES, AND PERSPECTIVES IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH | 3 |
| or GEOG 106 | *WESTERN TRADITION & EMERGING CHALLENGES IN THE GLOBAL NORTH | |
| GEOG 201 | *FOUNDATIONS OF GEOSPATIAL SCIENCE AND GIS | 4 |
| GEOG 240 | *HUMAN DIMENSIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE | 3 |
| or GEOG 250 | *LAND USE PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES | |
| MTH 112Z | +*PRECALCULUS II: TRIGONOMETRY | 4 |
| ST 351 & ST 352 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS and INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 8 |
| Total Credits | 29 | |
| Third Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| GEOG 295 | GEOGRAPHIC FIELD RESEARCH | 3 |
| GEOG 300 or GEOG 340 | *SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE COMMON GOOD or *INTRODUCTION TO WATER SCIENCE AND POLICY | 3 |
| GEOG 360 | GISCIENCE I: GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND THEORY | 4 |
| GEOG 370 | CARTOGRAPHY | 4 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Winter | ||
| GEOG 300 | *SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE COMMON GOOD or *GEOGRAPHY OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBALIZATION or *GEOGRAPHY OF NATURAL HAZARDS | 3 |
| GEOG 361 | QUANTITATIVE GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS AND MODELING | 4 |
| GEOG 371 | WEB MAPPING | 4 |
| GEOG 423 | SNOW HYDROLOGY or HYDROLOGY FOR WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT or THE WORLD'S WATER | 3 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOG 300 | *SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE COMMON GOOD or *INTRODUCTION TO WATER SCIENCE AND POLICY or CONFLICT, COOPERATION, AND CONTROL OF WATER IN THE US | 3 |
| GEOG 323 or GEOG 324 | ^CLIMATOLOGY or ^ECOLOGICAL BIOGEOGRAPHY | 4 |
| GEOG 462 or GEOG 472 | PROGRAMMING FOR GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS or INTERACTIVE CARTOGRAPHY | 4 |
| Upper-division GEOG elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| GEOG 380 | REMOTE SENSING: PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS | 4 |
| GEOG 440 or GEOG 463 | CONFLICT, COOPERATION, AND CONTROL OF WATER IN THE US or ANALYTICAL WORKFLOWS FOR EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE | 3 |
| GEOG 407 | SEMINAR | 1 |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Winter | ||
| GEOG 410 | INTERNSHIP or RESEARCH or THESIS | 3 |
| GEOG 423 | SNOW HYDROLOGY or HYDROLOGY FOR WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT or THE WORLD'S WATER or PLANNING PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES FOR RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | 3 |
| GEOG 481 | SATELLITE IMAGE ANALYSIS | 4 |
| Credits | 10 | |
| Spring | ||
| GEOG 430 | RESILIENCE-BASED NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT or CONFLICT, COOPERATION, AND CONTROL OF WATER IN THE US or ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT or INTERACTIVE CARTOGRAPHY | 3 |
| GEOG 464 | GEOSPATIAL PERSPECTIVES ON INTELLIGENCE, SECURITY AND ETHICS | 3 |
| GEOG 495 | FIELD GEOGRAPHY SYNTHESIS | 3 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 69 | |