Environmental Geography and Sustainability

The Environmental Geography and Sustainability Concentration

Environmental Geography and Sustainability centers on understanding environmental issues, environmental justice and sustainability within the contexts of politics, economy, society and culture.

 Careers:

Students majoring in geography with a concentration in Environmental Geography and Sustainability gain analytical and geographical skills and perspectives appropriate for careers in fields such as environmental advocacy, conservation, energy management, urban and regional planning, local, state and national government, and education.

For detailed requirements, please see Geography BA Concentration Tables

Sustainability/Environmental Courses

The study of sustainability, sustainable development, and environmental issues long has been integral to geographic research and teaching.  Geographers are engaged with diverse aspects of sustainability studies.

Currently UMass geographers are particularly engaged with water management, energy use and transitions, biodiversity conservation including protected areas, urban ecology and development, and green cities.

All Sustainability Classes (see topic-specific lists below)

Geography 100                  Global Environmental Change (Gen Ed PS)

Geography 102                  The Human Landscape (Gen Ed G, SB)

Geography 150                  The Earth Transformed: World Environmental Issues (Gen Ed SB)

Geography 250                  Natural Disasters (Gen Ed SI)

Geography 354                  Climatology

Geography 362                  Conservation Geography

Geography 370                  Urban Geography

Geography 372                  Urban Issues

Geography 397WG           Water Geographies: Conflict & Sustainability

Geography 420                  Political Ecology

Geography 426                  Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation

Geography 440                  Political Geography

Geography 450                  Indigenous Peoples and Conservation

Geography 458                  Climate Change

Geography 468                  GIS and Spatial Analysis

Geography 492CC             Chinese City: Geography, History, Environment

Geography 492NP             National Parks and Protected Areas

Geography 497E                Geography, Policy and the Environment

Geography 497PA             Protected Areas and Indigenous Peoples

Geography 658                  Paleoclimatology

Geography 670                  Urban Environmental History

Geography 692PA             Indigenous Peoples and Protected Areas

Geography 694C               New Paradigm Conservation

Geography 694P                Political Geography

Geography 694T                Political Ecologies of Conservation

Geography 697G               Geography, Policy and the Environment

Climate Change

Geography 100                  Global Environmental Change (Gen Ed PS)

Geography 150                  The Earth Transformed: World Environmental Issues (Gen Ed SB)

Geography 250                  Natural Disasters (Gen Ed SI)

Geography 354                  Climatology

Geography 458                  Climate Change

Geography 658                  Paleoclimatology

Conservation and Ecology

Geography 100                  Global Environmental Change (Gen Ed PS)

Geography 150                  The Earth Transformed: World Environmental Issues (Gen Ed SB)

Geography 354                  Climatology

Geography 362                  Conservation Geography

Geography 397WG           Water Geographies: Conflict & Sustainability

Geography 420                  Political Ecology

Geography 440                  Political Geography

Geography 450                  Indigenous Peoples and Conservation

Geography 458                  Climate Change

Geography 492NP             National Parks and Protected Areas

Geography 497E                Geography, Policy and the Environment

Geography 497PA             Protected Areas and Indigenous Peoples

Geography 692PA             Indigenous Peoples and Protected Areas

Geography 694C               New Paradigm Conservation

Geography 694P                Political Geography

Geography 694T                Political Ecologies of Conservation

Geography 697G               Geography, Policy and the Environment

Urban/Built Environment

Geography 370                  Urban Geography

Geography 372                  Urban Issues

Geography 470                 Chinese City: Geography, History, Environment

Geography 670                  Urban Environmental History

 

Gen-Ed Credit

 

Geography 100                  Global Environmental Change (Gen Ed PS)

Geography 102                  The Human Landscape (Gen Ed G, SB)

Geography 150                  The Earth Transformed: World Environmental Issues (Gen Ed SB)

Geography 250                  Natural Disasters (Gen Ed SI)

Geography 370                  Urban Geography (Gen Ed SB)

Environmental Geography and Sustainability Concentration Requirements

Geography BA – Environmental Geography and Sustainability ConcentrationCredits
Introductory Courses ( 2 Courses)8

GEOGRAPH 102 Diversity, Globalization, and Sustainability: Introduction to Human Geography

Take ONE introductory physical geography course from the following:

GEOGRAPH 100 Earth: Introduction to Physical Geography –OR-
GEOGRAPH 110 Global Environmental Change –OR-
GEOGRAPH 150 The Earth Transformed: World Environmental Issues


Skills & Techniques (4 Courses)

12

GEOGRAPH 314 Writing in Geography (required; fulfills Junior Year Writing)
GEOGRAPH 486 Field Methods in Geography (required; fulfills integrative experience requirement)

Take ONE Statistics course from the following:

GEOGRAPH 340 Quantitative Methods -OR-
STATISTC 240 Intro to Statistics –OR-
RES-ECON 212 Intro to Statistics for Social Science –OR-
SOCIOLOGY 212 Elementary Statistics


Take ONE spatial methods class from the following:

GEOGRAPH 352 Computer Mapping -OR-
GEOGRAPH 426 Introduction to Remote Sensing -OR-
GEOGRAPH 468 Introduction to GIS/GEOGRAPH 597G Introduction to GIS


Environmental Geography and Sustainability Core Course (1 course) 3

GEOGRAPH 492S Sustainability: Critical Perspectives and Pathways

Environmental Geography and Sustainability Elective Courses (choose 3)9

GEOGRAPH 360 Economic Geography
GEOGRAPH 364 Geography of Development
GEOGRAPH 372 Urban Issues
GEOGRAPH 397WG Water Geographies: Conflict and Sustainability
GEOGRAPH 420 Political Ecology
GEOGRAPH 440 Political Geography
GEOGRAPH 450 Indigenous Peoples and Conservation
GEOGRAPH 458 Climate Change
GEOGRAPH 497C Climate Crisis: Political Ecology of Climate Change
GEOGRAPH 497E Geography, Policy and the Environment
GEOGRAPH 497EG Energy Geographies
GEOGRAPH 492NP National Parks and Protected Areas
GEOGRAPH 492PA Protected Areas and Indigenous Peoples
GEOGRAPH 492UH Urban Environmental History
Other environmental studies/sustainability classes, such as courses in natural resource management, sustainable communities, economics, history or politics numbered 200+, with approval of the Chief Undergraduate Adviser.


Upper-Division Elective Courses (3 Courses)9
Students take 9 credits in Geography/cognate courses numbered 200 and above. These courses are chosen in consultation with the chief undergraduate adviser. Up to two courses may be approved cognate courses. Students may choose electives from the methods and skills courses (see list above) which they have not used to fulfill those requirements, may use any other GEOGRAPH courses, and may also take cognate elective courses outside of the Geography Program with the approval of the undergraduate advisor. Up to 3 credits may be independent study and an additional 3 credits may be senior thesis credits.