Geography Degree Overview
Geography Degree
Students can complete 2-3 years of study at the Kent State Stark before transitioning to the Kent Campus to complete their geography degree.
Bachelor of Arts in Geography
Environmental Geography ConcentrationEnvironmental geography provides learning opportunities that exceed the 23-credit-hour geography core requirements. In addition to required upper-division courses (two in geographic information science and one in social geography), students may choose among course offerings in atmospheric science, Climatology, environmental change, polar and glacial environments, natural resources and soils geography. Students who choose this concentration can pursue careers in environmental science and planning, disaster management, conservation of natural resources and environmental education, or they may choose to study these and related fields on a graduate level.
Geographic Information Concentration
Geographic Information provides students with a comprehensive background in the field of geospatial technology. This involves the study and application of theory, method, technology and data knowledge to processes, relationships and patterns in both human and physical geography. This rapidly growing field can be divided into three areas: geographic information sciences (capturing, checking, integrating, analyzing and displaying spatially referenced data); remote sensing (analyzing and interpreting aerial data and satellite imagery); and global positioning systems. Students in this concentration gain quantitative and technical skills to prepare them for jobs in both the public and private sectors, or for further study in graduate school.
Social Geography Concentration
Social Geography includes courses that involve the social sciences and humanistic aspects of geography. Students choose from a variety of upper-level courses in urban (including planning), economic, political and historical geography. In addition to at least four courses in this concentration, students take three distributional requirements: two in geographic information sciences and one in environmental geography. Potential careers include urban planning, transportation, government at all scales, business, international relations, mapping and geography education. Students may choose to pursue graduate studies in these or related fields.