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Geography
is a diverse subject which provides students with a strong,
practical liberal arts education and offers a wide variety
of employment opportunities. The diversity of the discipline
stems from its fundamental concern with how humans as individuals
and in groups interact with the physical environment.
The
Department's two major objectives are:
1. To
provide students with knowledge of the physical environment
and human use of that environment;
2. To equip students with marketable skills for employment
positions related to the discipline or to prepare them for
graduate programs leading toward advanced degrees.
While
graduate training usually enlarges a student's opportunities,
employment may be found upon graduation with a baccalaureate
degree and a geography major. The following are some of the
fields of employment for geography majors: cartography, demography,
climatology, industrial location planning, land use planning,
soil conservation, transportation planning, teaching of geography.
Geography
Major. A minimum of 30 credit hours in geography, chosen
by the student in consultation with the Chair of the Department,
constitutes a major. Two 100-level, two 200-level, and four
300-level or higher courses must be included.
Sample
Four-Year Curriculum
Within
the geography major, students may focus their studies further
by selecting one of the following concentrations:
The
Department maintains detailed information sheets on these
concentrations including course listings, internship recommendations,
and career options. Contact Prof. Jon
T. Kilpinen for details.
Geography
Minor. A minimum of 16 credit hours in geography, chosen
by the student in consultation with the Chair of the Department,
constitutes a minor. One 100-level, one 200-level, and two
300-level or higher courses must be included.
Because
geography offers undergraduate students excellent opportunities
to develop their professional skills through course work,
field study, and internships, the Department maintains information
pages on geography as a second major or minor tailored specifically
to the following disciplines:
VU
geography students are also encouraged to participate in one
of VU's off-campus study semesters, whether abroad in Cambridge,
Reutlingen, or Puebla, for instance, or here in the United
States in Chicago.
American
Indian Studies Minor. The minor must include one 100-level
course, at least six credit hours from the following courses:
GEO 200, 274 and 490, and six additional credit hours selected
from GEO 385, 474, and 486.
The
American Indian Studies Minor affords students with an interest
in Indian issues and culture the opportunity to study the
historical geography, anthropology, and contemporary problems
of a wide range of tribal groups. Of special concern within
the minor are the changing perceptions of Indians in our society
and the current socio-economic challenges these groups face.
Perhaps the most appealing aspects of the minor are the field
components: field study opportunities to Mississippi Mound
sites, Plains battlesites, and Southwest historic sites and
internship placements on any of several Indian reservations
in Wisconsin. For more information, contact Prof.
Ronald Janke or check the American
Indian Studies Minor section of this website.
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The
Weather
Additions
and corrections for this page may be directed to Michael
Longan 