10 Geography Associate of Arts Programs

The Associate in Arts for Transfer Degree in Geography focuses on the world’s physical and social processes. While Geography majors may go on to specialize in a specific area of Geography, the AAT provides students with a foundational understanding of the main systems and processes that interact to produce and maintain our physical and social world, as well as the tools to study them, including GIS (Geographic Information Systems).

Why do some people have access to adequate water or health care, and others don’t? How does climate change drive political conflict? If you’re intrigued by these questions, consider majoring in Geography. Geographers study how human society and culture interact with the physical environment. They explore what we build, where we build, and why.

An Associate in Arts in Geography for Transfer (AA-T) from Skyline College is intended for students who are interested in transferring to a California State University (CSU) campus with a major in Geography, or similar major.

Geography is an Associate in Arts (AA) programs generally aim to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the spatial relationships between humans and their environment. The curriculum typically covers a range of topics, including physical geography, human geography, geographic information systems (GIS), cartography, environmental studies, and regional geography.

The Associate of Arts degree in Geography is designed to complete the lower-division portion of a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree and provide a foundation for a wide variety of careers.

Geography stimulates curiosity about the world’s diverse inhabitants and places because it involves the study of the earth as created by natural forces and as modified by human action. Geographers synthesize knowledge from many disciplines as they explore the linkages and interdependencies between physical and cultural landscapes to offer insights into the spatial organization of the earth’s surface. A geographically informed student has a deeper understanding of the web of relationships between people, places and the environment at local, regional and global scales.

Geography is more than looking at countries and cities on maps. Geography today is about the economic, political, cultural and environmental interconnections between people and places. Taking geography will teach you to think critically, spatially, and analytically -- all important career skills. In our geography classes (whether online, remote or in person), you will gain an up-to-date, practical understanding of how today's world works. These classes will help you meet the Social Science requirements of your AAS, enable you to transfer to the school of your choice for a bachelor's degree in geography, or serve as elective options for a variety of different pathways.

The Associate in Arts for Transfer degree in Geography provides students with the foundational knowledge necessary to make a successful transition into a Baccalaureate Degree at any of the CSU campuses. The Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T or AS-T) is a special degree offered at California Community Colleges. Students who earn an AA-T or AS-T degree are guaranteed admission to a campus within the California State University (CSU) system in a similar major, although not necessarily to a specific campus. Students who complete an AA-T or AS-T are given priority consideration when applying to a particular program that is similar to the student’s community college major and will be given a special GPA advantage when applying to CSU-impacted campuses or majors. Students who are planning to pursue an AA-T or AS-T are strongly advised to meet with a counselor for additional information about this transfer program.

Geography is the study of Earth phenomena, including analyzing distributional patterns and interrelationships among these phenomena.

Geographers study both the human and physical features of Earth and although they view the world from many different perspectives, the spatial and ecological perspectives are at the core of the discipline.The spatial perspective examines the whereness of ideas, processes, and events, why they happen where they do, and why we should care about them.