Geography (Minor)
Minor: Geography
Program Code: M726
The geography minor is meant for students who would like to acquire basic knowledge of geography in addition to their major area of study. CMU also offers an additional undergraduate certificate in GIS .
Geography faculty use a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including geographic information systems (GIS), participatory methods, ethnography, remote sensing, spatial modeling, and spatial statistics, to address applied research questions. The geography curriculum is complementary to the larger Applied Anthropology and Geography major.
Undergraduate minors can expect to gain knowledge of and/or participate in faculty research related to:
- Geographic information systems
- Urban geography
- Economic geography
- Nature-society geography
- Land use management
- Climate change implications for societies and ecosystems
- Cultural geography
- Cartography
- Political geography
- Critical development studies
The geography minor is built on the core values of the Applied Anthropology and Geography program. These values emphasize the use of spatial data, which is broadly defined to include cultural and physical landscapes as well as the human body. The liberal arts education combined with transferable expertise in GIS sets the student up for a broad variety of careers in the public and private sectors.
Each section below contains details about the requirements for this program. Select a header to expand the information/requirements for that particular section of the program's requirements.
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Institutional Minor Requirements
The following institutional requirements apply to all CMU minors. Specific programs may have different requirements that must be met in addition to institutional requirements.
- A minor consists of 15-24 semester hours. There may be prerequisites required for the minor which will increase the total number of credit hours for a student who has not already taken those prerequisites.
- Courses taken to satisfy Essential Learning, major requirements, or electives can be counted toward the minor if applicable.
- At least 33 percent of the credit hours required for the minor must be in courses numbered 300 or above.
- At least 25 percent of the classes must be taken at CMU.
- 2.00 cumulative GPA or higher for the courses used for the minor.
- A minor is not a degree by itself and must be earned at the same time as a baccalaureate degree.
- A minor must be outside the major field of study.
- A student may earn up to five minors with any baccalaureate degree at CMU.
- The Catalog Year determines which program sheet and degree requirements a student must fulfill in order to graduate. Visit with your advisor or academic department to determine which catalog year and program requirements sheet you should follow.
- See “Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees and Certificates” in the catalog for a complete list of graduation requirements.
Program Specific Certificate Requirements
| Code | Title | Semester Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select 9 credit hours of the following foundational courses: | 9 | |
| Human Geography-GTSS2 | ||
| World Regional Geography-GTSS2 | ||
| Introduction to Cartography | ||
| Topics: | ||
| GIS for Social Scientists and GIS for Social Scientists Lab 1 | ||
| Geographies of Migration 1 | ||
| Topics: 2 | ||
| Topics: 2 | ||
| Select 6 credit hours from your area of specialization: | 6 | |
| Nature-Environment Geography | ||
| Climate Change Adaptation | ||
| Colorado Archaeology: A Geographical Perspective | ||
| Topics: 2 | ||
| Topics: 2 | ||
| Environmental History of the United States | ||
| Environmental Political Theory | ||
| Environmental Sociology | ||
| Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Introduction to Remote Sensing and Introduction to Remote Sensing Laboratory | ||
| Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Introduction to Geographic Information Systems Laboratory | ||
| GIS for Social Scientists and GIS for Social Scientists Lab 1 | ||
| Global Positioning Systems for GIS and Global Positioning Systems for GIS Laboratory | ||
| GIS Data Management and Editing and GIS Data Management and Editing Laboratory | ||
| Spatial Analysis and Modeling in GIS and Spatial Analysis and Modeling in GIS Laboratory | ||
| Human Geography | ||
| Indigenous Cultures of North America | ||
| Comparative Criminal Justice | ||
| History and Culture of Latin America | ||
| Colorado Archaeology: A Geographical Perspective | ||
| GIS for Social Scientists and GIS for Social Scientists Lab 1 | ||
| Political Geography | ||
| Geographies of Migration 1 | ||
| Topics: 2 | ||
| Topics: 2 | ||
| History of the United States-Mexico Borderlands | ||
| The American West | ||
| The 20th Century | ||
| The International History of the Cold War | ||
| History of the Middle East | ||
| History of Immigration, Race, and Ethnicity in America | ||
| Global America: 1970-2000 | ||
| Environmental History of the United States | ||
| American Court Systems | ||
| Indigenous Politics | ||
| Government and Politics of Asia | ||
| Peace and Conflict Studies | ||
| Global Politics of Women and Gender | ||
| International Organizations and Law | ||
| American Foreign and National Security Policy | ||
| International Relations Theory | ||
| Population | ||
| Social Inequality | ||
| Race and Ethnic Relations | ||
| Social Work with Immigrants and Refugees | ||
| Correlation and Regression | ||
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
- 1
Courses cannot count in both the foundational section and the area of specialization.
- 2
Topics courses may be taken more than once as long as the title/content of each course differs.
Advising Process and DegreeWorks
Documentation on the pages related to this program is intended for informational purposes to help determine what courses and associated requirements are needed to earn a minor. Meeting with an academic advisor is essential in planning courses and developing a suggested course sequencing. It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to understand and fulfill the requirements for their intended minor.
DegreeWorks is an online degree audit tool available in MAVzone. It is the official record used by the Registrar’s Office to evaluate progress towards a minor. Students are responsible for reviewing their DegreeWorks audit on a regular basis and should discuss questions or concerns with their advisor or academic department head for the minor. Discrepancies in requirements should be reported to the Registrar’s Office.
Graduation Process
A minor cannot be awarded by itself. It must be combined with a baccalaureate degree outside the major field of study. Students should follow the graduation process outlined for the baccalaureate degree and list their majors and minors on the “Intent to Graduate” form.
If a student’s petition for graduation is denied, it will be their responsibility to consult the Registrar’s Office regarding next steps.