Fairfax, USA
DURATION
4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline *
EARLIEST START DATE
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TUITION FEES
USD 4,897 / per semester **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for International student | Domestic student is 1st of February
** in-state tuition full-time (12-15 credits); USD 16,980 - out-of-state tuition full-time (12-15 credits); USD 1,803 - mandatory student fee
Key Summary
Introduction
The Geography, BA is designed to offer students the opportunity to study the integrated social and environmental processes that continuously shape and reshape the world we live in.
This major provides students with broad training across the core subdisciplines of geography (human, physical, and GIScience), while also offering the requisite flexibility for those students seeking a multidisciplinary educational experience.
Given their interdisciplinary approach and uniquely spatial perspective, geographers are well suited to address important local, regional, and global challenges in today's world. Numerous employment opportunities await graduates of our Geography, BA program.
The Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science fosters a supportive, active learning environment in which students are encouraged to work closely with both faculty and peers. The curriculum in this major provides students with the synthesis skills and a broad base of knowledge that prepares them to be successful in an ever-evolving job market.
Concentrations
Supplement your bachelor's degree by specializing in one of our interdisciplinary concentrations.
- Environmental Geography Concentration: The Environmental Geography concentration for the BA in Geography provides a unique opportunity for majors to take a broader, integrative science approach to studies of the environment. In collaboration with the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, BA in Geography majors have the opportunity to focus their studies on geographic approaches to climatology and global changes, environmental issues, policy matters, and sustainability topics.
- Health Geography Concentration: The field of Health Geography addresses the role of place, location dynamics, and geography in health, well-being, and disease. Public health patterns can vary significantly by physical and social characteristics of places both within and between regions, states, or countries. In collaboration with the Department of Global and Community Health, BA in Geography majors get introduced to local and global health issues and develop their skill set in spatial and statistical analysis of diverse health outcomes in populations.
- Geoanthropology Concentration: This concentration enables BA in Geography majors, versed in systematic techniques and regional geography, to become better versed in the theoretical constructs of anthropology that situate the environment as part of a global cultural system.
Career Opportunities
Where can you go with a Geography degree? Anywhere.
- Work for companies that create maps or engineer the tools to help create maps. Students have gone on to work for Mapbox, Esri, and local government agencies such as county GIS offices.
- Further your education and continue on to get a graduate degree.
Research Opportunities
Research opportunities aren't just for graduate students. Our undergraduate students participate in research with faculty and local sponsors such as:
- DARPA
- Department of Transportation
- Fairfax County Government
- NOAA
Curriculum
Degree Requirements
Total credits: minimum 120
Candidates for a degree in geography must complete the approved GGS geography courses with a minimum GPA of 2.00.
Students must complete the Core, Systematic and Regional Geography, and GGS electives, then select one concentration or an additional program and lastly complete the College Requirements for the BA Degree and the Mason Core and Elective Credits.
Core Courses
- GGS 102 Physical Geography (Mason Core) 3-4 or GGS 121 Dynamic Atmosphere and Hydrosphere (Mason Core) or GGS 122 Dynamic Geosphere and Ecosphere
- GGS 103 Human Geography (Mason Core) 3
- GGS 110 Introduction to Geoinformation Technologies 3
- GGS 300 Quantitative Methods for Geographical Analysis 3
- GGS 310 Cartographic Design 3
- GGS 311 Geographic Information Systems 3
- GGS 415 Seminar in Geographic Thought and Methodology 3
Total Credits 21-22
Systematic and Regional Geography
Students must take one systematic course and one regional course from the list below:
Systematic Courses
Select one from the following: 3
- GGS 301 Political Geography (Mason Core)
- GGS 302 Global Environmental Hazards
- GGS 303 Geography of Resource Conservation (Mason Core)
- GGS 304 Population Geography (Mason Core)
- GGS 305 Economic Geography
- GGS 306 Urban Geography
- GGS 307 Geographic Approaches for Sustainable Development
- GGS 309 Introduction to Weather and Climate
- GGS 312 Physical Climatology
- GGS 314 Severe and Extreme Weather
- GGS 321 Biogeography
- GGS 340 Health Geography
- GGS 344 Military Geography
- GGS 357 Urban Planning
Regional Courses
Select one from the following: 3
- GGS 315 Geography of the United States
- GGS 316 Geography of Latin America
- GGS 317 Geography of China (Mason Core)
- GGS 320 Geography of Europe
- GGS 325 Geography of North Africa and the Middle East
- GGS 326 Geography of Eastern Europe and Russia
- GGS 333 Issues in Regional Geography
- GGS 380 Geography of Virginia
Total Credits 6
GGS Electives
- Select 3-4 credits of GGS electives 3-4
- Select 6 credits of upper division GGS electives 6
Total Credits 9-10
Geoanthropology Concentration (GEA)
Anthropology, a social science, focuses on human activities—past, present, and future. Geography, positioned in the social science and STEM field, studies the physical features of the Earth and its atmosphere, and human activities as they affect and are affected by these, including the distribution of populations and resources, land use, urbanization, and other topics. Just as anthropologists use insights from other disciplines to understand humans, geographers cross disciplinary boundaries to collect, store, analyze, model, and visualize data. Such broad and inclusive disciplines and definitions yield a large number of possible themes in Geoanthropology. This concentration enables BA in Geography majors, versed in systematic techniques and regional geography, to become better versed in the theoretical constructs of anthropology that situate the environment as part of a global cultural system.
Core Courses
- GGS 304 Population Geography (Mason Core) 3
Select one core track: 3
Cultural Track
- ANTH 114 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (Mason Core)
Archaeology Track
- ANTH 120 Unearthing the Past: Prehistory, Culture, and Evolution (Mason Core)
Biological Track
- ANTH 135 Introduction to Biological Anthropology (Mason Core)
Electives
Select 9 credits from the following courses. Choose at least one GGS elective and at least one ANTH elective: 9
- GGS 301 Political Geography (Mason Core)
- GGS 305 Economic Geography
- GGS 306 Urban Geography
- GGS 307 Geographic Approaches for Sustainable Development
- GGS 309 Introduction to Weather and Climate
- GGS 321 Biogeography
- GGS 357 Urban Planning
- GGS 315 Geography of the United States
- GGS 316 Geography of Latin America
- GGS 320 Geography of Europe
- GGS 325 Geography of North Africa and the Middle East
- GGS 333 Issues in Regional Geography
- GGS 380 Geography of Virginia
Cultural Track
- ANTH 302 Peoples and Cultures of Latin America (Mason Core)
- ANTH 308 Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East (Mason Core)
- ANTH 309 Peoples and Cultures of India (Mason Core)
- ANTH 376 Food and Culture
- ANTH 381 Medical Anthropology
- ANTH 382 Urban Anthropology (Mason Core)
- ANTH 396 Issues in Anthropology: Social Sciences (Mason Core) (Cultural Topic)
- ANTH 499 Independent Research (Cultural Topic)
Archaeology Track
- ANTH 307 Ancient Mesoamerica (Mason Core)
- ANTH 325 Field Techniques in Archaeology
- ANTH 357 Bioarchaeology
- ANTH 370 Environment and Culture
- ANTH 377 Mortuary Archaeology
- ANTH 379 Andean Archaeology
- ANTH 396 Issues in Anthropology: Social Sciences (Mason Core) (Archaeological Topic)
- ANTH 499 Independent Research (Archaeological Topic)
Biological Track
- ANTH 355 Human Origins
- ANTH 357 Bioarchaeology
- ANTH 366 Food and Human Evolution
- ANTH 396 Issues in Anthropology: Social Sciences (Mason Core) (Biological Topic)
- ANTH 499 Independent Research (Biological Topic)
Total Credits 15
Alternative to a Concentration
Students who are not selecting a concentration must choose an established minor or second major. 1
Mason Core and Elective Credits
In order to meet a minimum of 120 credits, this degree requires additional credits (specific credit counts by concentration are shown below), which may be applied toward any remaining Mason Core requirements (outlined below), Requirements for Bachelor's Degrees, College Requirements for the BA Degree (outlined below), and electives. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with their advisors to ensure that they fulfill all requirements.
- EGEO Concentration: 66-69 credits
- HGEO Concentration: 66-67 credits
- GEA Concentration: 66-67 credits
- Alternative to a Concentration: Consult with an advisor for credit totals
College Requirements for the BA Degree
In addition to the program requirements and the Mason Core requirements, students pursuing a BA degree must complete the coursework below. Except where expressly prohibited, a course used to fulfill this college-level requirement may also be used simultaneously to satisfy other requirements such as Mason Core requirements, other college-level requirements, or requirements for the major. In some cases, the requirements listed below may be superseded by requirements of the degree program and the Mason Core.
- Foundational Breadth
- Natural Science
- Foreign Language
Admissions
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English Language Requirements
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