Print this page.About the Program
The Department of Geography offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees, as well as outstanding facilities, staff, and faculty. Our department has a national and international reputation as one of the leading centers for Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing instruction, and our undergraduate program offers a number of courses in computer cartography, geographic information systems, and air photo interpretation and remote sensing. Our faculty members represent three broad areas of expertise within the discipline: human/economic, physical/environmental, and geographic information systems. We provide an excellent undergraduate education that prepares students for a variety of career paths. If you are fascinated with the world around you and keenly interested in different peoples and places, the relationships of people and environments, and the environmental challenges facing the world, geography, the study of the earth as the home of humans, may be the field for you. Our courses cover many regions of the world, including North America, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and South Carolina.
Career Opportunities
A variety of career opportunities are available to professional geographers, including:
• map production, planning and locational analysis, geographic information systems, air photo interpretation, remote sensing
• community planning, real estate development, environmental impact assessment
• climate analysis, land use and hydrologic modeling, transportation planning
• local, state, and federal agencies
The University Career Center is available to assist you in choosing a career direction and in increasing your marketability upon graduation. For additional information, call the center at 803-777-7280.
Admission/Progression Requirements
To be admitted into the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Geography, you must meet all University admissions requirements, including (for freshmen) a completed application, nonrefundable application fee, high-school record complete up to the time of application (including record of at least 20 academic units of study earned as required by the University), and entrance examination scores (either SAT or ACT). Details for all applicant categories can be found in the Undergraduate Bulletin.
Program of Study
The baccalaureate curriculum provides for 53 to 65 hours of College of Arts and Sciences general education requirements. You should review departmental guidelines for the distinctions between the BA and BS degree requirements. For the BS degree, you must take at least 15 credit hours from an approved combination of mathematics (141 and above), statistics (201 and above), and computer science (102 and above) courses to satisfy the mathematics/analytic reasoning requirement. All geography majors must also complete from 32 to 38 hours of geography courses, including the core requirements of Introduction to Physical Geography; Peoples, Places, and Environments; and Seminar in Geography. Geography majors must also complete additional hours in physical/environmental geography, human/economic geography, geographic information science, and general geography with at least two courses at the 500 level (excluding Internship in Geography, which carries three to six credit hours). A minimum grade of “C” is required in order for your courses to be used toward fulfillment of your major requirements. Your degree requirements will be rounded out by 12 to 24 hours of arts and sciences cognate or minor requirements and up to 24 hours of arts and sciences electives. The Department of Geography also offers a flexible general geography minor that requires 18 credit hours in geography courses. Besides the general geography minor, students may instead choose a specialized minor in environmental geography, geographic information science, meteorology and climatology, physical geography, or regional geography. Please see a faculty advisor in the Department of Geography for more details on the requirements for specialized minors.
Of Special Interest
USC’s is the only program in the state that offers bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees in geography. Our department was one of the founding members of the University Consortium on Geographic Information Sciences and is considered one of the top programs in remote sensing and geographic information systems. Our facilities include the Hazards Research Center, a NASA-affiliated Research Center; the South Carolina Geographic Alliance, a cognitive research lab; the campus GIS program; and a climate research lab. Departmental research is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Department of Energy, the South Carolina Emergency Preparedness Division, and the South Carolina Department of Commerce. Our faculty members are involved in many significant research projects that focus on important environmental issues, climate modeling, economic development, urban sprawl, political conflict, cultural change, and vulnerability to natural hazards. As a geography major you will have the chance to work on research projects and receive specialized technical training in the latest computer-based methods. Our faculty members will also advise you on the appropriate program of study, relevant extracurricular activities, and career planning.