Geographers study physical and biological environments, human societies and their spatial interactions, and utilize both environmental science and social science perspectives.
Geographers seek to analyze the processes, spatial patterns and consequences of human-environment interaction, and address issues of sustainability, using maps, fieldwork and geospatial technologies such as GIS to solve real-world problems. The undergraduate major core courses introduce foundational concepts in physical and human geography, as well as field methods and geographic information science. An upper division distribution requirement gives students more focused work in physical geography, human geography, regional geography and applied geography or methods. Each student also develops a 12-unit set of electives related to a coherent theme based on their career goals.