Department of Geography
Concentration in Climate and Environmental Change (Bachelor of Science in Geography)
Students on Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Spring 2025 requirements GEOGCLCCON
Requirements
The concentration requires at least 15 credit hours, including the requirements listed below.
- Climate and Environmental Change. 15 credit hours:
- GEOG-G 107 Physical Systems of the Environment
- GEOG-G 109 Weather and Climate
- GEOG-G 185 Environmental Change: The End of the World as We Know It?
- GEOG-G 304 Physical Meteorology and Climatology
- GEOG-G 307 Biogeography: The Distribution of Life
- GEOG-G 315 Environmental Conservation
- GEOG-G 329
- GEOG-G 341 Ecological Restoration: Science, Politics, and Ethics
- GEOG-G 347 Geographies of Resilience
- GEOG-G 349 Holocene Paleoclimate
- GEOG-G 350 Field Methods in Physical Geography
- GEOG-G 405 Ecological Climatology
- GEOG-G 407
- GEOG-G 444 Climate Change Impacts
- GEOG-G 449 Political Ecology
- GEOG-G 451 Physical Hydrology
- GEOG-G 452 Tree-Ring Science
- GEOG-G 461 Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change
- GEOG-G 467 Ecohydrology
- GEOG-G 478 Global Change, Food, and Farming Systems
- GEOG-X 473 Internship in Geographical Analysis (approved topics only; see academic advisor)
- GEOG-X 490 Undergraduate Readings and Research in Geography (approved topics only; see academic advisor)
- One (1) additional course from the Geographic Methods course list
GEOG-G 107 Physical Systems of the Environment
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Explores the physical processes of the Earth—its weather, climate, landforms, oceans and ecosystems—and analyzes a range of environmental issues.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourseSpring 2025CASE NMcourseFall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 109 Weather and Climate
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- What causes tornadoes, hurricanes, and other extreme weather? What is climate change and why is it occurring? Learn about weather, climate, and how they interact.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of EAS-E 122, GEOG-G 109, or GEOL-G 122.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourseSpring 2025CASE NMcourseFall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 185 Environmental Change: The End of the World as We Know It?
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- How has the global environment changed? How are we influencing Earth's natural processes, now and in the future? Learn about climate change, resource consumption, and land use change.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourseSpring 2025CASE NMcourseFall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 304 Physical Meteorology and Climatology
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Provides an introduction to the physical basis of Earth\'s atmosphere and climate system from global to local scales, emphasizing physical processes and properties. Analyzes surface energy and water balances in varied landscapes. Covers issues related to climate change.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of GEOG-G 304, EAS-A 340, or GEOL-G 340.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourseSpring 2025CASE NMcourseFall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 307 Biogeography: The Distribution of Life
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- A survey of the present and past distributions of the world's plants and animals, emphasizing ecological explanation of species distributions. Topics include evolution and distribution of major plant and animal groups, world vegetation, plant and animal domestication, introduction of plant and animal pests, destruction of natural communities, and extinction.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourseSpring 2025CASE NMcourseFall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 315 Environmental Conservation
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Explores the environmental impact of global population growth, natural resources utilization, and pollution. Examines current problems relating to energy consumption, farming practices, water use, resource development and deforestation from geologic and ecological perspectives. Strategies designed to avert predicted global catastrophe will be examined to determine success potential.
- Summer 2025CASE SHcourseSpring 2025CASE SHcourseFall 2024CASE SHcourse
- Summer 2025CASE SLcourseSpring 2025CASE SLcourse
GEOG-G 341 Ecological Restoration: Science, Politics, and Ethics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Can humans restore ecosystems and undo the environmental harm they have caused? To what state/extent should ecosystems be restored? What drives the ecological restoration movement? Investigates the deeply interconnected history, philosophy, ecology, geomorphology, and political economy of restoration through readings, discussions, and fieldwork.
- Summer 2025CASE SHcourseSpring 2025CASE SHcourseFall 2024CASE SHcourse
GEOG-G 347 Geographies of Resilience
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- The recent expansion of the concept of resilience into the policy realm has generated theoretical, methodological, and practical challenges. This course explores the theoretical foundations of resilience and its current use in guiding practitioners and policy makers. Emphasizes the work on social-ecological systems under global environmental change.
GEOG-G 349 Holocene Paleoclimate
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Explores how and why the climate has fluctuated throughout Earth\'s history, the impacts of past climate change, and the implications for our future. Covers the tools and methods used in paleoclimatology including proxies (e.g., sediment core, tree rings, ice cores, etc.).
GEOG-G 350 Field Methods in Physical Geography
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Use of instrumentation for the measurement, analysis, and interpretation of field data concerning features and processes of the natural environment. Field and laboratory equipment will be used for research projects and environmental monitoring. Practical application of biogeographic, climatological, and hydrological principles.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourseSpring 2025CASE NMcourseFall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 405 Ecological Climatology
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Surveys the relationship between climate and vegetation and explores the consequences of human impacts. Examines the role of climate on vegetation patterns, agricultural crops, and select ecosystems and in turn, the influence of vegetation on climate.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourseSpring 2025CASE NMcourseFall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 444 Climate Change Impacts
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases are causing climate to change at an unprecedented rate. This course will explain how and why anthropogenic activity is causing climate to change, how this impacts society and options for adaptation and mitigation, plus the potential to reduce climate change through geoengineering.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourseSpring 2025CASE NMcourseFall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 449 Political Ecology
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- An introduction to political ecology, an approach which focuses on the political-economic context of natural resource conflicts with particular attention to issues of equity, justice, and power. Covers the theoretical lineage of political ecology, its development over the last twenty years, and current hot topics in the field.
- Summer 2025CASE SHcourseSpring 2025CASE SHcourseFall 2024CASE SHcourse
GEOG-G 451 Physical Hydrology
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Introduction to hydrological processes occurring at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Principles of water resources such as infiltration, runoff, surface- and groundwater flow will be explored. Topics covered also include the environmental, economic, and social implications of floods, droughts, dams, and water usage as well as current and future issues in water quality, water pollution, and water-resource regulation.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourseSpring 2025CASE NMcourseFall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 452 Tree-Ring Science
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Examines the science of dendrochronology. Developing a scientific understanding of the information recorded by trees is essential to our quest to better understand natural and human processes.
GEOG-G 461 Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Introduction to global environmental change (GEC), focusing on the human causes and consequences of biophysical transformations of land systems. Emphasis on socioeconomic, political, institutional, and environmental dimensions of land change; tropical forests, grasslands, and urbanizing areas; international environmental regimes; spatial methodologies in GEC research, and integrated approaches.
- Summer 2025CASE SHcourseSpring 2025CASE SHcourseFall 2024CASE SHcourse
GEOG-G 467 Ecohydrology
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- Consent of instructor
- Description
- Introduces basic principles and concepts in forest ecohydrology, focusing on modeling perspectives. Examines processes and feedback among water, carbon, and nitrogen fluxes in application to water resources and forest management: control of climate, vegetation change, and disturbance regimes on hydrological and biogeochemical processes.
- Summer 2025CASE NMcourseSpring 2025CASE NMcourseFall 2024CASE NMcourse
GEOG-G 478 Global Change, Food, and Farming Systems
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Introduction to food production and consumption systems, emphasizing linkages to land use and social change on food/farming system sustainability. Topics include urbanization, population growth, and economic liberalization; farming livelihoods, gender, and poverty; biotechnology; agro-ecology, global health.
- Summer 2025CASE SHcourseSpring 2025CASE SHcourseFall 2024CASE SHcourse
GEOG-X 473 Internship in Geographical Analysis
- Credits
- 1–6 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Consent of instructor
- Notes
- Maximum of 3 credit hours will count toward major
- Description
- Supervised field experience in geography, normally in conjunction with approved work at a government agency or private firm. Requires 45 hours of work per 1 credit hour.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours in GEOG-X 274, GEOG-X 374, GEOG-X 473 and GEOG-X 474.
- Grading
- S/F grading.
GEOG-X 490 Undergraduate Readings and Research in Geography
- Credits
- 1–3 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Consent of instructor
- Description
- Individual readings and research in geography.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours in GEOG-G 450 and GEOG-X 490.
- 300–499 Level Requirement. 12 credit hours of concentration courses must be at the 300–499 level.
- Concentration GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
- Concentration GPA. A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the concentration—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
- Concentration Minimum Grade. Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the concentration.
- Concentration Upper Division Credit Hours. At least 9 credit hours in the concentration must be completed at the 300–499 level.
Concentration Area Courses
-
Courses that may apply toward the Credit Hours and GPA requirements in this academic program include all courses listed on the requirement course lists at the time the course was taken as well as any other courses that are deemed functionally equivalent.
Exceptions to and substitutions for concentration requirements may be made with the approval of the unit's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.