Rutgers Geography

Geography is the study of the Earth, its peoples and its many environments. Rutgers Geography provides a broad, place-centered perspective on the transformation of environments by society and nature at a variety of scales, from the local to the global.

Geography majors receive a liberal arts education that is a base for further specialized training in academic disciplines which address environmental and international issues, or in related professional fields such as planning and public policy, law, and environmental management. Students are also offered courses in which they learn specific technical skills directly applicable to the workplace. These include courses in computerized information retrieval, spatial data analysis, cartographic representation, remote sensing and geographic information systems.

The information on this page will answer most of commonly asked questions about the Undergraduate Program in Geography at Rutgers . This information is intended to both duplicate and supplement that provide in the official Rutgers catalog of courses and programs. The Rutgers catalog is the primary authority regarding courses and academic requirements.

A listing of scheduled courses is available upon request and is also on-line. You are invited to contact individual instructors for specific course information, syllabi and possible course prerequisites.

The faculty have diverse research interests in addition to their teaching responsibilities. These interests largely focus on natural and human-forced changes in atmospheric, hydrological and ecological systems, as well as related topics in hazards, urban, economic and gender geography, especially those connected with the theme of globalization.

Additional instructional support for undergraduate classes comes from teaching assistants that have responsibility for selected courses. Teaching assistants are graduate students who have masters degrees, are active in geographic research and have demonstrated expertise in specific subject areas.

Prior to 2007, Rutgers University , New Brunswick , consisted of several schools and colleges, including Douglass College , Livingston College , Rutgers College , University College and Cook College . The colleges had varying academic requirements. Beginning with the entering class of 2007, a single School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) replaced the previous multi-college system and Cook College became the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS). As part of this transition, a single undergraduate curriculum was introduced with standardized menus of distribution requirements that all new students must fulfill.

The following is a complete list of Rutgers Geography courses and the SAS distribution requirements that each fulfills as of September, 2007.

Geography Courses that fulfill a Natural Science Requirement:
450:101                   Earth Systems
450:102                   Transforming Global Environment
450:140                   The Greenhouse Effect
450:370                   Global and Regional Climate Change
450:403, 404           Advanced Physical Geography
450:413                   Climate System and Global Climate Change
450:417                   Coastal Geomorphology

450:100                   Geographic Perspectives
450:103                   Space, Place, Location
450:205                   World Cultural Regions
450:222                   Cultural Geography
450:262                   Geographic Background to Current World Affairs
450:361                   Gender Geographies
450:363                   Geography of Development
450:470                   History and Theory of Geography

Geography Courses that fulfill a Global Awareness Requirement:
450:100                   Geographic Perspectives
450:101                   Earth Systems
450:103                   Space, Place, Location
450:205                   World Cultural Regions
450:222                   Cultural geography
450:240                   Cities
450:262                   Geographic Background to Current World Affairs
450:309                   Economic Geography
450:311                   Natural Hazards
450:332                   Newly Independent States of Eastern Europe
450:334                   Europe
450:335                   Caribbean Borderlands
450:336                   Latin America
450:338                   Africa
450:341                   South Asia and the Middle East
450:342                   East Asia
450:363                   Geography of Development
450:370                   Global and Regional Climate Change
450:380                   Medical Geography
450:405                   Political Geography
450:406                   Advanced Topics in Economic Geography

450:330                   Geographic Research Methods
450:405                   Political Geography
450:406                   Advanced Topics in Economic Geography
450:413                   Climate System and Global Climate Change
450:419                   Advanced Conservation of Natural Resources
450:470                   History and Theory of Geography
450:491, 492           Geographic Problems

Geography Courses that fulfill a Quantitative Reasoning Requirement:

450:319                   Quantitative Methods
450:320                   Spatial Data Analysis
450:330                   Geographic Research Methods

Any geography (450) course, except those listed above as fulfilling a natural science requirement and any course less than 3 credits.

Rutgers has many majors to choose from and selecting the one that is right for you is a big decision. This brief description will give you an idea what we do and what we can offer you in the Department of Geography. We would welcome an in-person visit from you at any time so you can learn more.

Geography is about understanding Planet Earth and the relationships humans have with the environment. Understanding, imaging and mapping the world of today requires specialized skills. The geography curriculum at Rutgers provides the technical training and theoretical grounding to meet today’s environmental challenges while encouraging students to envision the world of the future in which they will be important decision-makers. With around 60 to 80 majors, the program is big enough to equip students with a full range of essential techniques, but small enough to accommodate individual needs. Teaching formats vary from large lectures to seminar-type meetings.

The curricular for the major in and for the certificate programs (in cartography and international geographic perspectives) reflect the key areas in which geographers are now in demand, from map design to environmental planning, and help prepare students for opportunities in growth areas such as geospatial techniques where jobs are projected to expand rapidly in both the public and private sector in the years ahead. The instructional lab offers full support for work in geographic information science (GISci), spatial data management and cartographic design and production. For more information on career prospects for geographers, see the Association of American Geographers (AAG) website or contact the Undergraduate Director.

As a supplement to class and lab, our well-established internship program provides valuable real-world experience for students while they earn up to six credits towards the degree. The department also has a good record of success for majors going on to graduate work at the masters and doctoral levels.

Requirements for the Major
Beginning May, 2008 there is a revised curriculum for the geography major with some changes in requirements. Click here for new requirements.

Almost all courses in Geography (450) are worth 3 credits, and a minimum of 39 credits are required for the major, divided among:

Methods courses (9 credits):450:330 and any two (2) selected from 450:320, 321, 322, 355, 356, 357, and 421.

Specialized courses (18 credits) Six (6) courses, including one regional geography course (selected from 450:332, 334, 335, 336, 338, 341, 342). At least three of the specialized courses must be at the 300 or 400 level. Majors can also select up to two graduate-level courses to fulfill requirements in the specialized group. Overall, students are encouraged to selected most of the specialized courses from one of three areas of emphasis: (1) environmental systems and global change, (2) environment and society, (3) urban and international restructuring.

Capstone course (3 credits): 450:470. This course is usually taken in the senior year. (Note that the Rutgers Catalog lists 450:470 as a general course.)

Where appropriate, majors are encouraged to substitute independent research projects under faculty supervision: 450:491, 492 or 450:495, 496 or graduate courses for up to two (2) of the courses in the specialized group.

Majors are also encouraged to sign-up in their junior/senior years for internships (up to 6 credits of internship may be counted towards the major) or work on undergraduate research projects with selected faculty. These additional skills and new professional experiences can help in launch exciting career paths.

Majors with a high GPA have an opportunity to do Honors in Geography (in their senior year) and to be acknowledged for their accomplishments through the Andrew Hill Clark award or induction into the Geographical Honors Society.

Those wishing to discuss the transfer of credits from other institutions, particularly New Jersey community colleges, should arrange to meet with the Undergraduate Director. A course description should be brought along to the meeting to enable comparisons to be made between Rutgers courses and those taken elsewhere. A course equivalency form, to be signed by the Undergraduate Director, should also be brought along to the meeting.

Revised Requirements for the Major (36 Credits)
Beginning May, 2008 there is a revised curriculum for the geography major with some changes in requirements. Declared geography majors may follow these new requirements or continue to follow the requirements that applied when they entered the program. The new curriculum is as follows:

A minimum of 36 credits are required for the major. There are seven required courses (21 credits). Of these, three are survey courses (450:101, 102 and 103), one is a methods course (450:330) and one is a theory course (450:470). In addition, one techniques course is required (450:319, 320, 321, 322, 355 or 357), and one international regional course is required (450:332, 334, 335, 336, 338, 341 or 342).

The remaining 15 credits must include 12 credits from one of three tracks and 3 credits from one of the remaining tracks. The tracks are:

(1) Global Culture, Economics and Society (450:205, 240, 262, 309, 330, 331, 332, 334, 335, 336, 337, 338, 341, 342, 361, 363, 380, 402, 405, 406, 411, 470).

(2) Environment (450:140, 211, 306, 311, 330, 331, 337, 360, 370, 402, 403, 404, 413, 417, 419).

(3) Geographical Techniques (450:208, 319, 320, 321, 322, 330, 355, 356, 357, 402, 421, 487, 488).

The following courses may be applied to any track: 450: 270, 271, 272, 485, 486, 491, 492 and 495, 496; the particular track to which a course will be assigned to be determined in consultation with the undergraduate director. Twelve of these 15 track credits must be at the 300 or 400 levels.

We have a substantial number of students minoring in geography and discovering that courses on environmental issues or geographic methods make an excellent combination with majors in history, business, political science and many other fields.

Requirements for the Minor
Six (6) courses (18 credits) are required for the minor in Geography: 450:101, 102, 103, and at least three (3) additional Geography courses, two of which must be 300-level or above.

Revised Requirements for the Minor
Beginning May, 2008 there is a revised curriculum for the geography minor with some changes in requirements. Declared geography minors (as of May 2008) may follow these new requirements or continue to follow the requirements that applied when they entered the program. The new curriculum is as follows:

Six courses (18 credits) are required for the minor in Geography. Of these six courses, two must be selected from 450:101, 102 and 103. Of the four remaining courses, at least three must be selected from one track and one from a remaining track. The tracks are:

(1) Global Culture, Economics and Society (450:205, 240, 262, 309, 330, 331, 332, 334, 335, 336, 337, 338, 341, 342, 361, 363, 380, 402, 405, 406, 411, 470).

(2) Environment (450:140, 211, 306, 311, 330, 331, 337, 360, 370, 402, 403, 404, 413, 417, 419).

(3) Geographical Techniques (450:208, 319, 320, 321, 322, 330, 355, 356, 357, 402, 421, 487, 488).
The following courses may be applied to any track: 450: 270, 271, 272, 485, 486, 491, 492 and 495, 496; the particular track to which a course will be assigned to be determined in consultation with the undergraduate director. Nine of these 12 track credits must be at the 300 or 400 levels.

No more than one course with the grade of D can be applied toward the minor.

The Department of Geography offers two certificate programs, one in cartography and one in international geographic perspectives. All students, regardless of major, are eligible to participate in a certificate program but certificates are awarded only with, or subsequent to, the awarding of a baccalaureate degree in an approved major. Details of the two geography certificate programs are noted below.

It is the responsibility of the student to inform the department in writing if they intend to graduate with a certificate in addition to their baccalaureate degree. This notification must be sent by letter or email to either the Department Secretary, Betty Ann Abbatemarco, or the Undergraduate Director, Roger Balm no later than the beginning of the senior year.

Students must complete 450:320, 321, 322, 355, 356, and one of the following: 357, or 421 or 488 with a B or better for each course.

A minimum of 24 credits is required for the Certificate in International Geographic Perspectives.

Core courses totaling 15 credits are required: 450:102, 103, 205, 262, and 405. A regional core is also required, with a choice of one (1) selected from: 450:332, 334, 335, 336, 338, 341, or 342. The final six (6) credits may be taken as electives selected from: 450:211, 222, 240, 309, 311, 361, 363, 491 and 492.

The Internship Program is directed by Dr. R.H. Hordon. All students wishing to register for an internship must obtain a special permission number in person from the Department Secretary: Betty Ann Abbatemarco, Lucy Stone Hall, Livingston Campus, Room B254.

Students may register for 1, 2 or 3 credits per internship. A 3-credit internship involves approximately 112 hours of work, based on 8 hours/week for a 14-week semester. The organization offering the internship can be either public or private. In either case, students who receive academic credit for their internship cannot be paid.

All interns must submit a 2-3 page report on their duties and activities during the semester to the Internship Director. Additionally, intern supervisors submit a confidential evaluation of the work of their intern(s) with a recommended letter grade.

Departmental honors are awarded to students who achieve (1) a GPA of 3.50 or higher within the major following the penultimate semester prior to graduation, or (2) a GPA lower than 3.50 within the major following the penultimate semester prior to graduation, but with an approved and completed honors thesis.

Highest honors are awarded to students who achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher within the major following the penultimate semester, and an approved honors thesis.

The honors thesis is produced under the supervision of a department faculty member. Choice of faculty supervisor will be made by the student. One additional faculty reader of the thesis is required. Thesis research and writing fulfills the requirements of honors courses 450:495 and 496 (one 3-credit honors course per semester).The student will be invited to give a presentation of their work and be prepared to respond to questions and requests for revisions from the faculty supervisor and reader.

The most outstanding graduating senior is eligible to receive the Andrew Hill Clark Prize in Geography.

Rutgers Undergraduate Geography Society (R.U.G.S.)
R.U.G.S. is a student-run organization formed to promote geographic awareness among undergraduates throughout the University. R.U.G.S. sponsors activities that encourage an enjoyable learning atmosphere. Students explore the relationship between the unique characteristics of people, societies, and the physical environment to better understand the new directions our world is taking.

Scheduled meetings offer information concerning careers, internships, graduate schools, regional and national conferences, as well as presentations by guest speakers.

Additional information and exact dates for meetings and activities are available at: http://geography.rutgers.edu/organizations/rugs_web/

Please contact the Department Chair, David Robinson, the Undergraduate Director, Roger Balm, or the Department Secretary, Betty Ann Abbatemarco if you have further questions. We welcome a visit from you!