Primary Contact:

Chelsea Smith - ELA 136 / Phone 512-245-1852 / Email

Major Advisor:

Dr. Brock Brown, ELA 370 / 512.245.3202 / Email
 

Major Faculty: All Faculty

For all faculty office locations, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and office hours, as well as information about Geography Department people, programs, courses and activities, check the department website and the bulletin boards on ELA 1st and 3rd floors. 

Major Description

The general geography degree provides flexibility in designing unique programs for students with highly specialized career or graduate study objectives. Students electing to follow this degree option are strongly encouraged to work closely with an advisor who has experience in their special area of interest. Check our website for more information and our General Geography Major Course Checklist.

Pre-Major Requirements

Students who meet the university admission requirements enter the Department of Geography’s undergraduate program as pre-majors. To become a major in geography, students must:

1. Complete GEO 1309 and/or GEO 1310, GEO 2410 & GEO 3301 with a minimum grade of C for each course.
2. Complete 45 or more credit hours with an overall minimum Texas State GPA of 2.25 for all courses.

Degree/Major Requirements

1. Students majoring in Geography (General) complete either the bachelor of arts (B.A) or the bachelor of   
     science (B.S.) degree. 
2. The B.A. requires a minimum of 30 semester hours in geography, while the B.S. degree requires a minimum of
    36 semester hours of geography. Both degrees require:  
    a) at least a 2.5 GPA for all geography courses attempted at Texas State University and   
    b) at least a 2.25 GPA for all courses taken at Texas State University. 
3. The degree requires a minor area of study with a minimum of 18 semester hours. 
4. Texas State requires a minimum of 120 semester hours of coursework to graduate including:  
    a) general education core requirements;
    b) major requirements;
    c) minor requirements; and  
    d) additional elective courses selected from disciplines other than major or minor. 
5. At least 36 semester hours must be advanced (3000 – 4000) level courses.
6. At least 9 semester hours must be writing intensive (WI).

Minor Requirements

Minor may be any approved Texas State minor. Various minors may be appropriate depending upon your interests and career goals. Discuss possible options with your advisor. 

Optional Certificates

Geographic Information System (GIS) - The GIS Certificate requires completion of 16 hours:  GEO 2426 & (Choose one: GEO 2427 or GEO 3411 or GEO 3416) & GEO 4426 & GEO 4427 with a minimum grade of C for each course and an overall minimum GPA of 2.5 for all four courses. Additional course work beyond minimum degree/major requirements may be required for the certificate. 

Water Resources Policy -The Water Resources Policy certificate requires completion of 13 hours: GEO 3434, GEO 4313,  GEO 4314 and GEO 4341 (spring only) with a minimum grade of C for each course and an overall minimum GPA of 2.5 for all four courses. Additional course work beyond minimum degree/major requirements may be required for the certificate.