Geography, B.A. - COLA, UNH

Undergraduate

Geography

Research pressing challenges like climate change, social justice and sustainable development while mastering essential skills in spatial analysis and digital mapping.
2026
Degree
Bachelor of Arts
Location
Durham, NH
Courses
10*
Credit
128 hrs.*
Full-time
4 yrs.
Part-time
Varies
closeup of a student in class

Geography

The Geography degree at UNH offers an integrative understanding of how environments and people shape our world, from local communities to global systems. Here you'll research pressing challenges like climate change, social justice and sustainable development while mastering essential skills in spatial analysis and digital mapping. 

With opportunities for hands-on experience through internships at organizations ranging from forestry agencies to international relief groups, plus study abroad options across multiple continents, you'll develop the analytical and practical skills needed to make meaningful change in many careers — from urban planning and environmental management to public health and international development.

*Number of courses and course credit hours may vary, please reach out to your academic advisor for exact requirements.

Department of Geography

Contact Cards

Associate Professor
Huddleston Hall, Room 301, Durham, NH 03824
(603) 862-1719

What is geography?

Are you curious about the world? Do you want to make a difference? The geography major links local to global perspectives and environmental and social sciences. We study relationships between environments and people, exploring the form, function and perceptions of places and spaces and how they interact and change. Geographic insights are fundamental to solving major challenges of our time, including climate change, environmental hazards, social justice, political conflict, public health, globalization, sustainability, and urban and rural development.Wherever you want to go, from your own backyard to the most distant reaches of the planet, Geography can take you there!

Why study geography at UNH?

Geography is rich in possibilities. Because our students gain strong skills across social and natural sciences, integration of diverse knowledges and experience, and analysis of spatial data through digital mapping, they excel in a wide variety of careers that span private, public and nonprofit sectors. With small class sizes, personalized advising, and opportunities for independent study, you can enjoy a high degree of individual attention. Our students pursue jobs and internships with organizations as varied as forestry agencies, international relief organizations, and regional planning commissions as well as study abroad in countries such as China, Ghana, Italy, Denmark, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Spain and Vietnam. 

Potential career Areas

  • City, town or rural planning
  • Community development
  • Emergency management
  • Environmental and social justice
  • Environmental or social sciences teacher
  • Geospatial data analysis
  • Intelligence and security
  • International development
  • Market research
  • Natural resource management
  • Public health
  • Transportation and logistics

Curriculum & Requirements

01
Program Description
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The geography major provides undergraduates with a solid foundation in geography by uniting social and biophysical sciences, humanities and technology to examine the factors that make a place or environment unique. Connecting academic inquiry to real-world problem solving, you will develop critical thinking skills and be prepared to transfer classroom and field experience into a wide range of careers. 

With interests ranging from globalization to climate change and sustainability, urbanization to community development at home and abroad, UNH geography graduates have gone on to careers in urban, regional and transportation planning, community development, environmental conservation and natural resources management, sustainability science, geographic information science, market research, locational analysis, population studies, foreign aid, international diplomacy and education. 

Students intending to major in geography should consult with the department chairperson.

02
Degree Plan
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Sample Degree Plan

This sample degree plan serves as a general guide; students collaborate with their academic advisor to develop a personalized degree plan to meet their academic goals and program requirements.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
FallCredits
ENGL 401 First-Year Writing 4
GEOG 401
or GEOG 402
World Regions: Europe and the Americas
or World Regions: Asia and Africa
4
Discovery Course 4
Language Course 4
First Year Seminar 1
 Credits17
Spring
GEOG 400-level Course 4
Language Course 4
Discovery Course 4
Discovery Course 4
 Credits16
Second Year
Fall
GEOG 580 Human Geography: People and Places 4
GEOG 572 Geography of the Natural Environment 4
Discovery Course 4
Discovery Course 4
 Credits16
Spring
GEOG 591 Making Maps: GIS Fundamentals 4
Discovery Course 4
Course selected in consultation with advisor 1 4
Course selected in consultation with advisor 1 4
 Credits16
Third Year
Fall
GEOG 500-level Course 4
GEOG 600-level Course 4
Discovery Course 4
Course selected in consultation with advisor 1 4
 Credits16
Spring
GEOG 600-level Course 4
Discovery Course 4
Course selected in consultation with advisor 1 4
Course selected in consultation with advisor 1 4
 Credits16
Fourth Year
Fall
GEOG 600-level Course 4
Course selected in consultation with advisor 1 4
Course selected in consultation with advisor 1 4
Course selected in consultation with advisor 1 4
 Credits16
Spring
GEOG 600-level Course 4
Course selected in consultation with advisor 1 4
Course selected in consultation with advisor 1 4
Course selected in consultation with advisor 1 4
 Credits16
 Total Credits129
1

Students can explore a second major, minor, or general electives.

03
Requirements for the Program
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Degree Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirement: 128 credits
Minimum Residency Requirement: 32 credits must be taken at UNH
Minimum GPA: 2.0 required for conferral*
Core Curriculum Required: Discovery & Writing Program Requirements
Foreign Language Requirement: Yes

All Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.
*Major GPA requirements as indicated.

Major Requirements

Students must complete 10 Geography courses (40 credits) with a minimum grade of C-minus.

Students complete foundation courses intended to provide a basic understanding of human, physical, and world regional geography. It is recommended the courses be taken as early as possible in a student's program. Students also complete required skills courses, which provide the basic analytical and technical skills used in geography, electives, and a capstone course.

Foundation Courses
GEOG 401World Regions: Europe and the Americas4
or GEOG 402 World Regions: Asia and Africa
GEOG 572Geography of the Natural Environment4
GEOG 580Human Geography: People and Places4
Skills Courses
GEOG 591Making Maps: GIS Fundamentals4
Elective Courses
Select five courses from the following: 120
GEOG 405
There Is No Planet B
GEOG 473
Elements of Weather
GEOG 530
China: People, Politics and Economy
GEOG 550
Sub-Saharan Africa: Environmental Politics and Development
GEOG 560
Natural Hazards and Human Disasters
GEOG 572
Geography of the Natural Environment
GEOG 574
Global Landscapes and Environmental Processes
GEOG 581
Society, Environment and Justice
GEOG 582
Global Trade and Local Development
GEOG 584
Political Geography
GEOG 591
Making Maps: GIS Fundamentals
GEOG 670
Climate and Society
GEOG 673
Political Ecology
Capstone
Select one 600-level Writing Intensive course from the following:4
GEOG 670
Climate and Society
GEOG 673
Political Ecology
Total Credits40

Geotechniques

Students interested in geographic information systems, remote sensing, locational analysis, and other geographic techniques may specialize in Geotechniques by completing three 700-level methods courses in Geography (GEOG 750-769).

1

Any GEOG course, excluding GEOG 401 and GEOG 402.

Independent study courses including GEOG 695 Internship and GEOG 795 Special Project may be applied to the major elective requirement once if taken for a total of four (4) credits.

04
Student Learning Outcomes
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Program Learning Outcomes

  • Integrate biophysical and socio-cultural disciplinary traditions to explain the complex interrelationships between and among human-natural systems spanning local to global scales.
  • Communicate geographic concepts, research, and methods of analysis professionally and effectively through written products, oral presentations, and visualizations appropriate for the intended audience.
Internships
Interning with FIFA World Cup in Boston
Learn more about how Alison Sullivan '26, a geography major with minors in community planning and anthropology, landed the internship she never imagined she could and what she learned through the opportunity.
01/14/2026
College of Liberal Arts (COLA)
Nico Mayo-Pushee '23
Nico Mayo-Pushee ‘23 calls geography “the best medium to understand the world” because, he says, “it can look at the junction between people, place and time to paint a picture of basically any event that occurs in the world.”
04/07/2023