General Education Requirements (53-57 Hours)
Area I - Written Composition (2 Courses, 6 Hours)
Area II - Humanities & Fine Arts (5 Courses, 15 Hours)
No more than six hours from any one discipline.
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3 hours: CA 110
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3 hours from: EH 215, EH 216, EH 225, EH 226, EH 235, EH 236
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3 hours from: ARH 100, ARH 103, ARH 123, ARS 101, DRA 110, MUL 101
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6 hours from: AFR 101, ARH 100, ARH 103, ARH 123, ARH 203, ARS 101, ARS 121, ARS 123, ARS 124, CLA 110, DRA 110, EH 215, EH 216, EH 225, EH 226, EH 235, EH 236, JHS 101, JOU 252, GS 101, IST 105, LG 173, LG 201, LG 202, LG 211, LG 212, LG 213, LG 221, LG 222, LG 231, LG 232, LG 234, LG 241, LG 242, LG 251, LG 252, LG 271, LG 272, LG 273, LGS 201, LGS 202, LGS 206, LGS 207, LGS 210, LGS 211, LGS 271, LGS 272, MUL 101, PHL 110, PHL 120, PHL 121, PHL 131, PHL 220, PHL 231, PHL 240, REL 100, REL 200, REL 201
Area III – Natural Sciences & Mathematics (3 Courses & Labs, 11-14 Hours)
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3-4 hours from: MA 110, MA 112, MA 113, MA 115, MA 120, MA 125, MA 126, MA 227, MA 237, MA 238
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8-10 hours from: AN 121 & AN 121L, BLY 101 & BLY 101L or BLY 121 & BLY 121L, BLY 102 & BLY 102L or BLY 122 & BLY 122L, BMD 110, BMD 111, CH 101 & CH 101L, CH 103 & CH 103L, CH 131 & CH 131L, CH 132 & CH 132L, GEO 101 & GEO 101L, GEO 102 & GEO 102L, GY 111 & GY 111L, GY 112 & GY 112L, MAS 134 & MAS 134L, PH 101 & PH 101L, PH 104 & PH 104L, PH 114 & PH 114L, PH 115 & PH 115L, PH 201 & PH 201L, PH 202 & PH 202L
Area IV – History, Social & Behavioral Sciences (4 Courses, 12 Hours)
No more than six hour from any one discipline.
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3 hours from: HY 101, HY 102, HY 121, HY 122, HY 135, HY 136
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9 hours from: AN 100, AN 101, CA 100, CA 211, CJ 105, ECO 215, ECO 216, GEO 114, GEO 115, GS 101, HY 101, HY 102, HY 121, HY 122, HY 135, HY 136, IS 100, IST 201, NAS 101, PSC 130, PSY 120, PSY 250, SY 109, SY 112
Area V (3 Courses, 9-10 Hours)
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Foreign Language. 6 hours from any one group:
LG 101 & LG 102, LGS 106 & LGS 107, LGS 110 & LGS 111, LG 111 & LG 112 or proficiency test or LG 113, LG 121 & LG 122, LG 131 & LG 132 or proficiency test or LG 134, LG 141 & LG 142, LG 151 & LG 152 or proficiency test or LG 153, LG 171 & LG 172 or LG 173, LGS 171 & LGS 172
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Natural Sciences/Math. 3-4 hour lab science or math/stat course from:
AN 121 & AN 121L, BLY 101 & BLY 101L or BLY 121 & BLY 121L, BLY 102 & BLY 102L or BLY 122 & BLY 122L, BMD 110, BMD 111, CH 101 & CH 101L, CH 103 & CH 103L, CH 131 & CH 131L, CH 132 & CH 132L, GEO 101 & GEO 101L, GEO 102 & GEO 102L, GY 111 & GY 111L, GY 112 & GY 112L, MAS 134 & MAS 134L, PH 101 & PH 101L, PH 104 & PH 104L, PH 114 & PH 114L, PH 115 & PH 115L, PH 201 & PH 201L, PH 202 & PH 202L, ST 210, MA 113- 299 (except 201 and 202).
_________________________
Students must complete a 6 credit hour sequence either in literature (Area II – EH 215 & EH 216, EH 225 & EH 226, or EH 235 & EH 236) or history (Area IV – HY 101 & HY 102 or HY 135 & HY 136 or HY 121 & HY 122).
All undergraduates must complete two designated writing credit (W) courses, at least one of which must be in the student's major or minor.
Major Requirements (47 Hours)
Geography Major Requirements (47 Hours)
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29 hours: GEO 101 and 101L, GEO 102 and 102L, GEO 114, GEO 115, GEO 201, GEO 331, GEO 332, GEO 435, GEO 485
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18 hours: At least one upper level course from each of the following 4 categories: Human Geography courses: GEO 312, GEO 321, GEO 365, GEO 370, GEO 417; Physical Geography courses: GEO 310, GEO 405, GEO 410, GEO 411, GEO 412, GEO 440, GEO 441, GEO 443; Regional Geography courses: GEO 313, GEO 314, GEO 315, GEO 317, GEO 475; Technical Geography courses: GIT 442, GIT460, GIT 461, GIT 462, GIT 490
Only two courses in the GIT minor may be counted toward the Geography major.
Complete at least 15 semester hours in residence in major at the 300 and/or 400 level.
A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required in major.
Minor Requirements (18-24 Hours)
A minor is required for this degree program
Notes:
Additional Information
The Geography degree also requires: One additional Natural science course, one additional social science course outside of Geography, and ST 210.
Note that a portion of Area IV (GEO 114, GEO 115) of the General Education requirements and the Natural Sciences portion of Area III (GEO 101, GEO 102, ST 210) of the General Education requirements are fulfilled by the major requirements specified above.
Geography (BS) : (47 Total Hours)
Second Year - Fall Semester
| Course ID | Course Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Literature | **Area II, D | 3 |
| LG or LGS | Foreign Language - 1st semester | 3 |
| Minor course | Course to satisfy minor | 3 |
| History | **Area IV, A | 3 |
| GEO 201 | Geographic orientation | 3 |
| Total Hours | 13 |
Second Year - Spring Semester
| Course ID | Course Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| History or English Sequence | **Area II, D or **Area IV, A | 3 |
| LG or LGS | Foreign Language - 2nd semester | 3 |
| Minor course | Course to satisfy minor | 3 |
| Geography elective | Upper level geography course (300+) (need 6 GEO elective courses) | 3 |
| GEO 332 | Remote Sensing | 4 |
| Total Hours | 16 |
Third Year - Fall Semester
| Course ID | Course Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Minor course | Course to satisfy minor | 3 |
| ST 210 | Statistics | 3 |
| Humanities and Fine Arts elective | **Area II, E | 3 |
| Geography elective | Upper level geography course (300+) (need 6 GEO elective courses) | 3 |
| GEO 331 | Computer Maps & Graphs | 4 |
| Total Hours | 16 |
Third Year - Spring Semester
| Course ID | Course Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Minor course | Course to satisfy minor | 3 |
| Minor course | Course to satisfy minor | 3 |
| Natural Science | **Area III, B | 3 |
| Natural Science Lab | **Area III, B | 1 |
| Geography elective | Upper level geography course (300+) (need 6 GEO elective courses) | 3 |
| Humanities and Fine Arts elective | **Area II, E | 3 |
| Total Hours | 16 |
Fourth Year - Fall Semester
| Course ID | Course Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Geography elective | Upper level geography course (300+) (need 6 GEO elective courses) | 3 |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences | **Area IV, B | 3 |
| Minor course | Course to satisfy minor | 3 |
| GEO 435 | Research Methods in Geography | 3 |
| Geography elective | Upper level geography course (300+) (need 6 GEO elective courses) | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15 |
Fourth Year - Spring Semester
| Course ID | Course Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Minor course | Course to satisfy minor | 3 |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences | **Area IV, B | 3 |
| Elective | Elective to reach 120 hours | 3 |
| GEO 485 | Seminar in Geography | 3 |
| Geography elective | Upper level geography course (300+) (need 6 GEO elective courses) | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15 |
| Notes |
|---|
| *Recommended Course |
| **See Degree Requirements |
| (W) Writing-Intensive Course - 2 required |
Department of Earth Sciences website
http://southalabama.edu/colleges/artsandsci/earthsci/
The Department of Earth Sciences includes the disciplines of Geography, Geology, and Meteorology, and it offers a B.S. degree as well as a minor in each of these three majors. Students can also earn a GIS Certificate and/or a minor in Geographic Information Technology (GIT) Geography, which is both a natural and a social science, studies the location, spatial distribution, and spatial interaction of Earth's natural and human environments. Courses and research in the program encompass the broad subfields of Human Geography (for example, tourism, health, and social justice), Physical Geography (like climatology, natural hazards, and environmental geography), Regional Geography (International Economics and Relations), and Geographic Techniques, including Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIS/GIT) and Remote Sensing. Upon completing their degree, geography students are employed in government, industry, and nonprofits in multiple kinds of work environments (includes field, lab, computer, office and work).
Geology is an interdisciplinary physical science pertaining to the study of the Earth. Courses and research within the department address the chemical and physical properties of minerals, rocks, soils, sediments, and water; the processes that shape the Earth’s surface; the stratigraphic, paleobiological, and geochemical records of Earth history; and the processes associated with deformation in the Earth’s crust and mantle. Together an understanding is obtained of present-day, historical, and long-term feedbacks between global systems, as well as the origin and occurrence of our natural resources.
Meteorology is the study of atmospheric phenomena and the processes that cause weather. The science of meteorology is firmly rooted in basic physical laws governing mass, momentum, and energy. Many weather processes are simulated by complex computer models; however, accurate weather analysis and forecasting often requires meteorologists to identify and conceptualize weather patterns often missed by automated techniques.
The programs of the Department of Earth Sciences are designed to give the non-major a background in Earth and atmospheric science and the human impact on the landscape as part of a general education. Students pursuing a degree in Geography, Geology, or Meteorology must also have a minor in another discipline.
The Department of Earth Sciences offers a departmental honors program that allows exceptional students to pursue independent research. Students work with a faculty committee to choose an Earth Sciences research project (Geography, Geology, Meteorology), develop a prospectus, and complete a senior thesis. Students completing this program graduate with departmental honors.
Requirements for successful completion of an honors degree in Geography, Geology, or Meteorology include a GPA of at least 3.50 at graduation and completion of ES 492 (Honors Earth Sciences Seminar), ES 497 (Senior Thesis Prospectus), and six hours of ES 499 (Senior Honors Thesis). These classes are in addition to those required for the major in Geography, Geology, or Meteorology. All honors courses are listed under the prefix ES. Students interested in Earth Sciences honors must apply for the program by their junior year. Complete requirements are available on the departmental web page.
All first-time freshmen must successfully complete CAS 100: First Year Experience as a degree requirement. Students must enroll during their first term at USA, except for summer-entry students who must enroll in the fall semester following entry. Students must demonstrate technology proficiency by passing the designated class in their major. GEO 331 for Geography majors, GY 301 for Geology majors, or MET 455 for Meteorology majors.
Graduate studies
Although the Department of Earth Sciences has no graduate degree program, courses, including Geographic Information Technology (GIT), are offered at the graduate level for students enrolled in Biology, Public Administration, Marine Sciences and Environmental Toxicology, and others who need such course work. Contact the Department for more information.