Bachelor of Arts in Geography Roadmap
120 Total Units Required
Minimum Number of Units in the Major: 39
This roadmap is a suggested plan of study and does not replace meeting with an advisor. Please note that students may need to adjust the actual sequence of courses based on course availability. Please consult an advisor in your major program for further guidance.
| First Semester | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 114 | Writing the First Year: Finding Your Voice (A2) 1 | 3 |
| GE Area A 2 | 3 | |
| GE Area B: Quantitative Reasoning (B4) 3 | 3 | |
| GE Area C | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective 4 | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| GEOG 101 | Our Physical Environment (Major Core, B1, ES) | 3 |
| GE Area A | 3 | |
| GE Area E | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective – Take Two 4 | 6 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Third Semester | ||
| Select One (Major Core): | 3 | |
| The Human Environment (D1, ES, GP) 5 | ||
| World Regions and Interrelations (D1, ES, GP) | ||
| GE Area B: Life Science (B2) and Laboratory Science (B3) 6 | 3-4 | |
| GE Area D: U.S. History (D2) | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective - Take Two 4 | 6 | |
| Units | 15-16 | |
| Fourth Semester | ||
| GEOG 205 | Geographic Techniques (Major Core) | 3 |
| GE Area C - Take Two | 6 | |
| GE Area F ± | 3 | |
| U.S. and California Government | 3 | |
| Units | 15 | |
| Fifth Semester | ||
| GEOG 500GW | Physical and Human Dimensions of Climate Change - GWAR 5 | 3 |
| Distribution Requirement (12-16 units) - Take One 7 | 3-4 | |
| Major Electives (12 units) - Take One 8 | 3 | |
| GE Area UD-B: Upper-Division Physical and/or Life Sciences | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective 4 | 3 | |
| Units | 15-16 | |
| Sixth Semester | ||
| Distribution Requirement (12-16 units) - Take One 7 | 3-4 | |
| Major Electives (12 units) - Take One 8 | 3 | |
| GE Area UD-C: Upper-Division Arts and/or Humanities | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective – Take Two 4 | 6 | |
| Units | 15-16 | |
| Seventh Semester | ||
| Distribution Requirement (12-16 units) - Take One 7 | 3-4 | |
| Major Electives (12 units) - Take One 8 | 3 | |
| GE Area UD-D: Upper-Division Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective – Take Two 4 | 6 | |
| Units | 15-16 | |
| Eighth Semester | ||
| GEOG 690 | Senior Seminar in Geography and Environmental Science (Major Capstone) | 3 |
| Distribution Requirement (12-16 units) - Take One 7 | 3-4 | |
| Major Electives (12 units) - Take One 8 | 3 | |
| Complementary Studies or SF State Studies or University Elective - Take Two 4 | 6 | |
| Units | 15-16 | |
| Total Units | 120-125 | |
- 1
ENG 114 can only be taken if you complete Directed Self-Placement (DSP) and select ENG 114; if you choose ENG 104/ENG 105 through DSP you will satisfy A2 upon successful completion of ENG 105 in the second semester; multilingual students may be advised into alternative English courses.
- 2
To avoid taking additional units, it is recommended that you meet the SF State Studies (AERM, GP, ES, SJ) requirements within your GE or major.
- 3
To determine the best B4 course option, students should complete the online advising activity at mathadvising.sfsu.edu. Questions? Contact Gator Smart Start.
- 4
Complementary Studies
All Bachelor of Arts students must complete 12 units of Complementary Studies in courses outside the primary prefix for the major, and not cross-listed with the primary prefix for the major. Students who complete two majors or a major and a minor automatically complete the Complementary Studies requirement.
An additional way to satisfy the Complementary Studies requirement for students in the Geography major is to meet with an advisor to identify courses other than GEOG, and not cross-listed with GEOG, that would serve to complement each student’s area of interest. Four units from Complementary Studies will also double-count toward units in the major.
Students who have earned AA-T or AS-T degrees and are pursuing a similar B.A. degree at SF State are required to fulfill the Complementary Studies requirement as defined by the major department. Students should consult with a major advisor about how transfer units and/or SF State units can best be applied to this requirement in order to ensure degree completion within 60 units.
Students are advised that the CR grade is acceptable in any two courses to be counted for the Geography major. No more than one course counted toward major requirements may be completed with a grade less than a C-.
- 5
GEOG 102 is a prerequisite for GEOG 500GW.
- 6
Consider taking a class combined with a laboratory or a separate lab to fulfill B3 if not already satisfied.
- 7
Distribution Requirement (12-16 units)
Courses used to satisfy distribution requirements cannot be double-counted as an elective.
One course from each of the following four areas:
- Physical Geography: 310–399 numbered courses in Geography
- Human Geography: 400 level courses in Geography
- Human-Environment Interaction in a Regional Context:
- GEOG 550 Geography of the United States and Canada (3 units)
- GEOG 552 Geography of California (3 units) (UD-D, AERM, ES, SJ)
- GEOG 575 Emerging China (3 units) (UD-D, ES, GP, SJ)
- GEOG 646 The Geography of Marine Resources (4 units)
- GEOG 647 Geography of Water Resources (4 units)
- GEOG 648 Management of National Parks and Protected Areas (4 units)
- GEOG 651/USP 651 San Francisco Bay Area Environmental Issues (4 units) (UD-B, ES)
- Techniques or Applied Geography -- courses from either Geographic Techniques – GEOG 601-639 or Applied Geography – GEOG 640–668. Note: while some of these courses also apply to the 'Human-Environment Interaction in a Regional Context' area, they cannot double count towards the major.
- 8
Major Electives (12 units)
Units of upper-division geography electives consisting of a minimum of three courses chosen on advisement. These courses will be organized around coherent areas of study within geography. Students are encouraged to meet with a B.A. Geography major adviser to develop their theme to best prepare for suitable careers. Some areas of study are listed at http://geog.sfsu.edu/ba. On advisement, appropriate upper-division courses from other departments and programs may be included.
- ±
Given catalog rights, fall 2023 transfer students do not need to complete an Area F course.