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The Biophysical Environment

This concentration is designed for students interested in focusing on the natural environment, including weather and climate change, landform processes, and biographical issues and ecosystems.

These classes prepare students for entry level positions in areas such as wildlife management, environmental consulting, and natural science background for a science teaching certificate. Career areas include park services, natural hazards consulting, agricultural monitoring, geoarchaeology, environmental protection, and many others. Visit the Jobs in Geography page for more ideas.

Students who follow this concentration will:

1. Describe and explain the basic processes of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere

2. Understand the interconnected, dynamic relationships among the systems of the four environmental spheres

3. Demonstrate a grounding in the science of environmental change

4. Understand how global climate change impacts all aspects of the natural and human environment

5. Describe and explain a big picture, holistic view of the global environmental system in terms of human interaction with the environment

6. Critically appraise the scientific evidence upon which policy issues regarding the environment are based

The Curriculum

I. CORE COURSES (take all, 8 units)

• GEOG 203: Cultural Geography (3 units)
• GEOG 204: Global Environmental Systems (4 units)
• GEOG 205: Map Reading and Interpretation (1 unit)

II. UPPER DIVISION BREADTH COURSES (19-20 units)

• Human Geography (4 units)
• GEOG 320: Geopolitics (4)
• GEOG 322: Geog Perspectives on Intrntl Econ. Dvlpmnt (4)
• GEOG 335: Global Agricultural Systems and Issues (4)
• GEOG 340: Conservation of Natural Resources (4)
• GEOG 345: Resource Wars (4)
• GEOG 350: Urban Geography (4)
• Geospatial Techniques (3-4 units)
• GEOG 380: Remote Sensing and Image Processing (4)
• GEOG 385: Cartographic Visualization (3)
• GEOG 387: Introduction to GIS (4)
• Regional Synthesis (4 units)
• GEOG 392: Latin America: Culture and Environment (4)
• GEOG 393: South Asia (4)
• GEOG 394: Africa, South of the Sahara (4)
• GEOG 396: Special Topics in Area Studies (4)
• Field Courses and Internship (4-5 units)
• GEOG 314AB: Field Experience, Northern California (1-2)
• GEOG 314C: Field Experience Beyond Northern California (2)
• GEOG 314D: Field Experience Abroad (2-3)
• GEOG 499AB: Internship (2-4 units)
• Geographic Research and Synthesis (4 units)
• GEOG 490: Senior Seminar (4)

III. CONCENTRATION COURSES (14 units)

• GEOG 315: Field Methods in Geography (2)
• GEOG 360: Geomorphology (4)
• GEOG 365: Biogeography & Landscape Ecology (4)
• GEOG 370: Weather and Climate (4)
• GEOG 372: Global Climate Change: Past, Present, Future (4)
• GEOG 375: Natural Hazards (4)

IV. SUPPORTING COURSES (8 units)

Suggested courses, with substitutions possible in consultation with an advisor

• ENSP 309: Soil Science (3-4)
• ENSP 322: Conservation Biology (3-4)
• ENSP 427: Conservation Design (3-4)
• BIOL 300: Ecology (4)
• BIOL 330: Plant Taxonomy (has prerequs) (4)
• BIOL 465: Biometry (4)
• GEOL 303: Adv. Principals of Geology (3)
• GEOL 304: Geological Map and Report Writing (1)
• GEOL 323: Hydrology (3)
• MATH 165: Elementary Statistics (4)