The B.S. requires a minimum of 63 credits, including 39 credits in GES courses plus a minimum of 24 credits in courses from outside the department. Internship courses (GES 482, GES 483, GES 497, GES 498) and Independent Study courses (GES 491) cannot be used as electives or count toward the minimum number of credits required for the B.S. degree.
Interested in a particular career pathway or topic? See the optional GES undergraduate streams for help in deciding which courses to take!
All students are required to complete the following:
Required GES Courses (24 credit hours)
- GES 102 – Human Geography (3)
- GES 110 – Physical Geography (3)
- GES 120 – Environmental Science and Conservation (3)
- GES 286 – Exploring the Environment: A Geo-Spatial Perspective (4)
- GES 386 – Introduction to GIS (4)
- GES 308 – Ecology (4)
- GES 310 – Geomorphology (3)
or
GES 311 – Weather and Climate (3)
GES Electives (minimum 15 credit hours)
Five (5) Physical Geography/Environmental Science courses at 300 and/or 400 level (GES 305 – 320, and GES 404 – 419), two of which must be at the 400 level (both have to be physical/environmental science courses).*
* Students, in consultation with their GES faculty advisor, may count up to two of their elective courses from the Human Geography/Environmental Studies/Policy area (GES 320 – 369, and GES 420 – 469), and one course from an advanced techniques course (GES 380 – 389, and GES 480 – 489) as GES Electives.
Note: GES 386 is a required course, and therefore cannot double-count as an elective.
* Selected topics courses (GES 302, GES 400) designated by faculty advisor as meeting the GES Electives requirement can be counted.
Required Courses Outside the GES Department (24 credit hours)
Math
- MATH 151 – Calculus and Analytic Geometry I (4)
Statistics
- STAT 350 – Statistics with Applications in Biological Sciences (4)
or - STAT 351 – Applied Statistics for Business and Economics (4)
or - STAT 355 – Introduction to Probability & Statistics for Science and Engineering (4)
Note: STAT 355 is recommended for those seeking advanced training in statistics, physical sciences, and fields employing probability and frequency distributions.
Natural Sciences
- BIOL 141 – Foundations of Biology: Cells, Energy and Organisms (4)
- CHEM 101 – Principles of Chemistry I (4)
- CHEM 102 – Principles of Chemistry II (4)
- PHYS 111 – Basic Physics I (4)
or
PHYS 121 – Introduction to Physics I (4)
Note: PHYS 111 is algebra-based and recommended for students with an ecology focus. PHYS 121 is calculus-based and recommended for students pursuing hydrology, geomorphology, and earth science courses.