BS in Geography with concentration in Physical Geography

Below is a sample 4-year plan for students pursuing the BS in Geography with a concentration in Physical Geography. To view the list of courses approved to fulfill KU Core Goals, please visit the KU Core website.

Freshman
FallHoursSpringHours
ENGL 101 (Goal 2.1 Written Communication/BS Writing I)3ENGL 102 (Goal 2.1 Written Communication/BS Writing II)3
Humanities (Goal 3 Humanities, BS Code H Course 1 of 2)3MATH 126 (Major Pre-requisite)4
MATH 125 (Goal 1.2 Quantitative Literacy, Major Pre-requisite)4COMS 130 (Goal 2.2 Communication, BS Communication)3
CHEM 130 (Goal 3 Natural Science, Major Pre-requisite)5CHEM 135 (Major Pre-requisite)5
 15 15
Sophomore
FallHoursSpringHours
Sophomore Reading & Writing Course (Goal 1.1 Critical Thinking, BS Writing 3)13Humanities (Goal 4.1 US Diversity, BS Code H Course 2 of 2)3
History or Philosophy of Science (BS General Education)23Social Science Course (Goal 3 Social Science, BS Code S Course 1 of 2)3
PHSX 211
PHSX 216 (Goal 1.1 Critical Thinking, Major Pre-requisite)
5PHSX 212
PHSX 236 (Major Pre-requisite)
4
GEOG 104
GEOG 105 (Major Requirement)
5BIOL 150 (Major Pre-requisite)3
 BIOL 1542
 16 15
Junior
FallHoursSpringHours
Social Science Course (Goal 4.2 Global Awareness, BS Code S Course 2 of 2)3GEOG 332 (Major Requirement)33
BIOL 152 (Major Pre-requisite )3GEOG 336 or CE 4553
EECS 138 (Major Pre-requisite)3GEOG 358 (Major Requirement)34
GEOG 316 (Major Requirement FALL ONLY)34Human or Regional Geography (Major Requirement)43
GEOG 321 (Major Requirement)33Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours63
 16 16
Senior
FallHoursSpringHours
Goal 5 Social Responsibility & Ethics3GEOG 500 (Goal 6 Integration & Creativity, Major Requirement)33
GEOG 335 or 535 (Major Requirement)34GEOG Elective Course 300+ (Major Requirement)43
BIOL 414 (Major Requirement)3GEOG Elective Course 300+ (Major Requirement)43
GIS Studies Course 500+ (Major Requirement)53Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours62
Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours63 
 16 11
Total Hours 120
1

Geography BS majors are required to complete a third English, and a list of possible courses can be found under the Degree Requirements tab.

2

A list of possible courses for History or Philosophy of Science can be found under the Degree Requirements tab.

3

All major required Geography courses and most Geography elective courses numbered 300 and above are offered once a year, either in the fall, spring or summer term.

4

Geography BS with a concentration in Physical Geography requires 9.0 hours of elective course work chosen from courses in the following categories: Ecohydrology, Climate, Geomorphology, Soil Geography, and other advanced courses in Physical Geography. A list of possible courses can found on the Degree Requirements tab. 

5

 GEOG 526 is recommended.

6

Hour requirements (incl. 45 jr/sr hrs) are typically met through KU core, degree, major, second area of study and/or elective hours.  Students completing the BGS with a major must choose a secondary area of study.  Individual degree mapping is done in partnership with your advisor. 

Please note:

All students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are required to complete 120 total hours of which 45 hours must be at the Jr/Sr (300+) level.

The same course cannot be used to fulfill more than one KU Core Goal. However, overlap of a KU Core course with a major or degree-specific requirement is allowed. Overlapping is recommended to allow more opportunities to explore other majors and/or minors.