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Geography B.A.
Honors Tutorial College Program
Geography Major
The Honors Tutorial (HTC) program in Geography offers you an unparalleled opportunity to explore the breadth of this dynamic interaction between people and their environment, while at the same time, gaining depth and proficiency in a subfield of your interest. Do you want to learn more about challenges and solutions to climate change? Do you want to learn more about the problem of global poverty and food insecurity? Do you want to learn how to design sustainable cities of the future? You can pursue these specific interests and so many more in the tutorial program in Geography. Our HTC geography program prepares talented and highly motivated students like you for employment in the public sector (government agencies), private sector (both nonprofit and for-profit organizations), and for graduate studies.
Curriculum
HTC geography students are required to take a total of eight tutorials, seven of which must be in geography. A senior thesis also must be completed under the direction of a faculty advisor and approved by the Director of Studies (DOS) and the Dean of the Honors Tutorial College.
HTC majors must take courses required by the Honors Tutorial College. In addition, students are expected to take various Geography courses as specified in the undergraduate catalog for their program of study. Additional courses in cognate fields are recommended in consultation with the faculty advisor and/or DOS.
Choose Between Four Tracks
As a student in our program, you have a great deal of flexibility in choosing your concentration of study. The Honors Tutorial Program in geography offers several tracks that can be tailored to suit your interests:
The Urban and Regional Planning for Sustainability Track is designed to provide students interested in sustainable urban futures with the conceptual and analytical tools for understanding and creating solutions for a complex and increasingly urbanized world. Courses emphasize ecological, social, political, and historical aspects of planning just, equitable, and therefore sustainable cities. Students will learn about energy, green space, urban forests, urban agriculture, and hydrological systems, among many other topics. Graduates will be prepared for work in public planning agencies, private sector firms (including urban related non-profits), and advanced study in top planning graduate programs.
Urban green spaces, forests, and waterways make cities more livable and sustainable. However, green and blue infrastructures are not equally distributed because of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic factors. Progressive urban planners must therefore figure out how to make these resources available to all urban residents while promoting the sustainable city.
The Globalization and Development Track provides students with a sophisticated understanding of contemporary global issues and a geographical framework for analyzing key issues involved in national and international development, especially as it relates to the Global South. Reflecting the discipline of Geography as a whole, this track emphasizes an integrated approach to studying the relationship of global change to individual and community well-being by combining the benefits of area studies with theoretical and topical investigations in the curriculum. This track prepares students not only for graduate school or law school, but also for employment in a variety of fields, including non-profit and government work, particularly in the areas of community and international development, as well as for work in the private sector in an international context.
The meteorology track provides HTC students the opportunity to study weather from meso-scale processes like thunderstorms to much larger synoptic-scale systems like mid-latitude and tropical cyclones. Students also have the opportunity to study forces impacting climate from local to global scales. The meteorology track creates an opportunity for majors to pursue certification requirements of the National Weather Service and the American Meteorological Society. Students will also be well prepared for graduate training in meteorology, climatology, or atmospheric physics. Our Scalia Laboratory for Atmospheric Analysis maintains two weather stations, and through practicum courses students learn to make weather observations and issue public-oriented forecasts.
Students enrolled in the HTC geography program do not have to pursue their studies in the other concentrations. Students are also encouraged to tailor and pursue their own concentration in consultation with the HTC Geography Director of Study.
The Geography Department at ɫߣߣ×ۺϵ¼º½ has 15 full-time faculty working in the natural and social sciences. This means that the Geography Department has significant breadth and depth of expertise to assist you in crafting a course of study that will challenge and reward your academic curiosity and dedication. For example, students may choose to tailor a focus in environmental geography that explores topics such as environmental assessment and monitoring, resource management, natural areas preservation, and outdoor and environmental education.
Students may also choose a focus in geographic information science that provides them with a rigorous and intensive set of analytical and computational skills. GIScience students gain a background in the fields of geographic information systems, cartography, remote sensing, and quantitative methods which makes them highly adept at identifying, analyzing, and creating solutions to real-world problems. Students who pursue this concentration frequently work with businesses, government agencies, non-profits, and planning agencies around the world upon completion of their degree.
Career Opportunities
The HTC program in geography prepares talented and highly motivated students for employment in the public or private sector as well as further studies in highly ranked graduate programs.
- Students who select the Urban Planning and Sustainability track may work in planning-oriented agencies and consulting firms. They may also be capable of working in sustainability offices on college campuses and for various nonprofits.
- Students who select the Globalization and Development track may work for public and private organizations that focus on development at a variety of scales, from local nonprofits to international aid agencies.
- Meteorology track students may work in forecast meteorology and/or research environments for public and private entities.
- The General Geography track students will have tailored their educational experience to meet their specific interests, and career options will depend on the kinds of courses taken.
The HTC geography program recommends all majors seek out internships that provide additional opportunities for career enhancement. The Geography Department’s record of placing its majors in top-tier graduate programs is also excellent.
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Financial Aid & Scholarships
All first-year Honors Tutorial College students admitted for fall semester earn the OHIO Premier Scholarship, valued at full in-state tuition and renewable for four years. Out-of-state HTC students may also earn the OHIO Trustee Award, valued at up to $7,000 annually.
Our Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships also provides services to students and parents both in-person and remotely.
Admission Requirements
This is a selective admission program. Students must demonstrate:
- Exceptional academic performance
- Strong potential for independent study and research
- Submission of additional essays and high school teacher recommendations
- An interview with the director of studies
First-year, transfer, and external applicants are held to the same high standards. More details can be found on the HTC Application Page.
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Why Study Geography?
Geographers are interested in the relationship between humans and their environment. Do you want to learn more about the problem of global poverty and food insecurity? Do you want to learn more about challenges and solutions to climate change? If you are eager to better understand these kinds of issues, Geography is the program for you! Geographers study how people impact the environment and in turn how the environment impacts people. Geography’s perspective is inherently spatial, meaning that geographers are interested in how people’s relationships with each other and the environment occur at a variety of scales from the local to the global.
Geographers use a variety of cutting-edge techniques to study topics like agriculture, cities, wealth, poverty, culture, population, landforms, politics, economics, climate, weather, and ecology to name just a few examples. Techniques include but are not limited to computerized geographic information systems, cartography (map-making), remote sensing, storm chasing, and interviews with research subjects.
Director of Studies
