Bachelor in Geography
Aquinas College
Key Information
Campus location
Grand Rapids, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
USD 25,000 / per year
Application deadline
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Scholarships
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Introduction
How We're Different
- Aquinas is one of only two liberal arts colleges in Michigan to offer a geography major.
- Faculty have expertise in the triad of geography: physical geography, human geography, and geographic techniques.
- Students have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through faculty-directed research projects(e.g, Mohler-Thompson Summer Program) and internships in the local community (e.g, City of Grand Rapids, Grand Valley Metro Council, Michigan Department of Transportation, and others).
- Aquinas geography graduates are employed in a wide variety of jobs including: urban planner, dam inspector, property tax assessor, environmental educator, GIS director, and college professor.
- A strong, broad curriculum in geography prepares students well to continue on to graduate school. Since 2006, 100% of graduates applying to geography graduate programs have been awarded assistantships or fellowships.
- In the past 10 years, geography majors have gone on to study at graduate schools across the U.S. and the world including: Syracuse University, University of Oregon, University of Georgia, Rutgers University, Cal Poly, University of Wyoming, Swansea University(Wales), University of Texas at Austin, and numerous regional institutions.
- Graduate David Baylis ’06 was a Fulbright-Hays Fellow in Turkey for 2014.
- Both cartography (map making) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) are full semester classes, giving students a strong background in geographic techniques.
- We use the same GIS software as local, state, and federal agencies, so that students have the skills for entry-level employment in the field of GIS.
- Most geography programs are found in large universities where faculty work mostly with graduate students, but at Aquinas, our geography undergraduates are our only majors.
Major Requirements
Thirty-two (32) semester hours. Required courses: GY101, GY120, GY140, GY320, GY385, either GY490 or GY491, GY499 and either MS151 or MS252.
Of the remaining courses, at least one must be systematic and one must be regional. Students must obtain a grade of “C” or higher if they want to count the class toward a geography major or minor.
A transfer student majoring in Geography must complete a minimum of eighteen (18) credit hours in geography at Aquinas College.
Courses
- GY101 Earth Environments (4) NL
- GY120 Human Geography (4) PGC, GP
- GY140 World Regional Geography (3) PGC, GP
- GY320 Cartography: Map Making and Interpretation (4)
- GY385 Geographic Information Systems - GIS (4)*
- GY490 Advanced Techniques and Topics (4)
- GY491 Seminar: Readings in the Development of Geographic Thought (3)
- GY499 Geography Capstone Research Seminar (1) SC
- MS151 Elementary Statistics (3) QR
- MS252 Statistics (3)
English Language Requirements
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