About This Program
The Geography B.A. program offers a comprehensive education in the field of geography, including the physical, social and cultural aspects of the world. With experienced faculty and real-world opportunities, you will gain the skills needed to succeed in a variety of geography-related careers. Read more...
Contact Information
Program Delivery
Example of Possible Careers and Salaries*
Calibration technologists and technicians and engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other
- 2.1% slower than the average
- 91,600 number of jobs
- $64,190 potential earnings
Geographers
- -1.2% decline
- 1,600 number of jobs
- $85,430 potential earnings
Geography teachers, postsecondary
- 2.9% slower than the average
- 4,800 number of jobs
- $82,330 potential earnings
Surveying and mapping technicians
- 0.7% little or no change
- 58,400 number of jobs
- $46,200 potential earnings
Cartographers and photogrammetrists
- 4.5% about as fast as the average
- 12,000 number of jobs
- $68,380 potential earnings
Urban and regional planners
- 11.0% much faster than the average
- 39,700 number of jobs
- $75,950 potential earnings
Social scientists and related workers, all other
- 0.8% little or no change
- 38,800 number of jobs
- $87,260 potential earnings
Social science research assistants
- 5.8% faster than the average
- 40,100 number of jobs
- $49,210 potential earnings
Social and community service managers
- 17.0% much faster than the average
- 175,500 number of jobs
- $69,600 potential earnings
Natural sciences managers
- 4.8% about as fast as the average
- 71,400 number of jobs
- $137,940 potential earnings
Forest and conservation technicians
- 0.6% little or no change
- 21,200 number of jobs
- $38,940 potential earnings
Forest and conservation workers
- -0.5% little or no change
- 13,200 number of jobs
- $30,640 potential earnings
Environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- 7.8% faster than the average
- 90,900 number of jobs
- $73,230 potential earnings
Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers
- 4.9% about as fast as the average
- 31,800 number of jobs
- $93,580 potential earnings
Community and social service specialists, all other
- 11.7% much faster than the average
- 105,200 number of jobs
- $46,770 potential earnings
Area, ethnic, and cultural studies teachers, postsecondary
- 4.9% about as fast as the average
- 13,400 number of jobs
- $78,840 potential earnings
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
Admission Requirements
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students.
First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.
First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.
Former Students: Former Kent State students who have not attended another institution since Kent State and were not academically dismissed will complete the re-enrollment process through the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center. Former students who attended another college or university since leaving Kent State must apply for admissions as a transfer or post-undergraduate student.
Transfer Students: Students who attended an educational institution after graduating from high school or earning their GED must apply as transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.
Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.
Students may be required to meet certain criteria to progress in their program. Any progression requirements will be listed on the program's Coursework tab
Program Requirements
Major Requirements
Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours |
ENVS 22070 | NATURE AND SOCIETY (KSS) | 3 |
GEOG 17063 | WORLD GEOGRAPHY (DIVG) (KSS) | 3 |
or GEOG 17064 | GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA (DIVD) (KSS) |
GEOG 21062 | PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY (KBS) | 3 |
GEOG 21063 | PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
GEOG 22061 | HUMAN GEOGRAPHY (DIVG) (KSS) | 3 |
GEOG 39002 | STATISTICAL METHODS IN GEOGRAPHY | 3 |
or GEOG 40285 | FIELD EXPERIENCE IN GEOGRAPHY |
GEOG 39070 | MAPPING, SPACE AND POWER | 3 |
GEOG 40191 | SEMINAR IN GEOGRAPHY (ELR) (WIC) 1 | 3 |
or GEOG 40199 | CAPSTONE IN APPLIED GEOGRAPHY (ELR) (WIC) |
GEOG 49070 | GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE | 4 |
| 18 |
UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
| 10-16 |
| 6 |
| 3 |
| 9 |
| 2-3 |
| 3 |
| 41 |
Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 |
Graduation Requirements
Graduation Requirements Summary Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
2.000 | 2.000 |
Foreign Language College Requirement, B.A.
Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete the following:
- Elementary I and II of any language (or equivalent) and
- One of the following options:
- Intermediate I and II of the same language
- Elementary I and II of a second language
- Any combination of two courses from the following list:
- Intermediate I of the same language
- One to two college-level course(s) completed outside the United States
- Courses: ARAB 21401, ASL 19401, CHIN 25421, MCLS 10001, MCLS 20001, MCLS 20091, MCLS 21417, MCLS 21420, MCLS 22217, MCLS 28403, MCLS 28404
All students with prior foreign language experience should take the foreign language placement test to determine the appropriate level at which to start. Some students may start beyond the Elementary I level and will complete the requirement with fewer courses. This may be accomplished in one of three ways:
- Passing a course beyond Elementary I through Intermediate II level
- Receiving credit through one of the alternative credit programs offered by Kent State University
- Demonstrating language proficiency comparable to Elementary II of a foreign language
Certain programs may require specific languages, limit the languages from which a student may choose or require coursework through Intermediate II. Students who plan to pursue graduate study may need a particular language proficiency.
Roadmap
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
Plan of Study Grid Semester One |
GEOG 17063
| WORLD GEOGRAPHY (DIVG) (KSS)
or GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 |
UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 16 |
Semester Two |
GEOG 21062 | PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY (KBS) | 3 |
GEOG 21063 | PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
GEOG 22061 | HUMAN GEOGRAPHY (DIVG) (KSS) | 3 |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 16 |
Semester Three |
ENVS 22070 | NATURE AND SOCIETY (KSS) | 3 |
GEOG 39070 | MAPPING, SPACE AND POWER | 3 |
Foreign Language | 4 |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
General Elective | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 16 |
Semester Four |
GEOG 49070 | GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE | 4 |
Foreign Language | 4 |
General Electives | 6 |
| Credit Hours | 14 |
Semester Five |
GEOG 39002
| STATISTICAL METHODS IN GEOGRAPHY
or FIELD EXPERIENCE IN GEOGRAPHY | 3 |
Geography (GEOG) Upper-Division Elective (30000 or 40000 level) | 3 |
Foreign Language and/or General Elective | 3 |
General Electives | 6 |
| Credit Hours | 15 |
Semester Six |
Geography (GEOG) Upper-Division Elective (30000 or 40000 level) | 3 |
Foreign Language and/or General Elective | 3 |
General Electives | 9 |
| Credit Hours | 15 |
Semester Seven |
Geography (GEOG) Upper-Division Electives (30000 or 40000 level) | 9 |
General Electives | 6 |
| Credit Hours | 15 |
Semester Eight |
GEOG 40191
| SEMINAR IN GEOGRAPHY (ELR) (WIC)
or CAPSTONE IN APPLIED GEOGRAPHY (ELR) (WIC) | 3 |
Geography (GEOG) Upper-Division Elective (30000 or 40000 level) | 3 |
General Electives | 7 |
| Credit Hours | 13 |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 |
University Requirements
All students in a bachelor's degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.
NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements. Please see Program Requirements for details.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Describe spatial patterns of human and environmental features at multiple scales.
- Use geographic research tools, including geographic information systems, to analyze spatial patterns and identify processes that create these patterns.
- Explain linkages and interactions between social and environmental processes.
- Communicate these patterns, processes and interconnections through writing, speaking and map making.
- Apply a geographic perspective and geospatial skills to contemporary social and environmental issues, informing policy and practice.
Program Policies
Foreign Language Requirements
In general, students may elect any foreign language taught through the Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies. However, certain majors, concentrations and minors require specific languages or limit the languages from which students may choose. In addition, students who plan to pursue graduate study may need particular languages for that study. In such cases, students should seek the advice of the appropriate department before selecting a language.
Progress Toward Fulfillment
College of Arts and Sciences students are encouraged to begin meeting the foreign language requirement as early as possible in their program to ensure timely degree completion.
Mandatory Outcomes Assessment
In addition to the other General Requirements of the college, candidates for an undergraduate degree in the College of Arts and Sciences are required, as a condition of graduation, to participate in an outcomes assessment. These outcomes assessments are conducted by each undergraduate degree program in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Full Description
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography emphasizes a growing field that offers a wide range of career options. Geographers study both natural science and social science. Natural science topics include spatial patterns of rocks, soils, animals, plants, climate and weather. Social science topics include spatial patterns of culture, policy, conflict, demographics, economics, resources and waste, with an emphasis on investigating the intersection of human activity and environmental processes. Geographers use a variety of geospatial technologies to map the world in different ways from the global to the local.
Geographers use data (environmental and social statistics, interviews, textual and landscape analysis and archival documents) to describe natural and social patterns. They then apply their knowledge of human and environmental processes to analyze why these patterns exist. Geographers work at the intersection of multiple disciplines — geology, ecology, climate science, urban planning, economics, sociology, computer science and the humanities — using this knowledge to examine spatial processes. Geographers use GIS software and remote sensing for spatial analysis and cartography.
Geography offers a unique way of seeing and understanding the world, combined with the ability to communicate this understanding to others. Geographers find work in the environmental sciences, GIS and mapping and working with people in planning and other government and non-profit agencies.
Geography students may apply early to the M.S. degree in Geography and double count 9 credit hours of graduate courses toward both degree programs. See the Combined Bachelor's/Master's Degree Program Policy in the University Catalog for more information.