Geography bridges the social sciences and physical sciences in the pursuit of how humans affect, and are affected by, the surrounding environment. Geographers examine many social/physical issues at every scale, such as housing development and urbanization, habitat loss, insurance premiums and storm damage, commercial fishing and marine sustainability, transport flow and air pollution, energy needs and mineral exploitation, and intensive farming and deforestation. Geography is the study of place and space, in the same sense that history is the study of time. Geographers ask: Where are things located? Why are they located where they are? And how do we map them? Geographers are concerned with mapping how changes to the landscape, vegetation, animals, and climate impact where humans live, socialize, work, trade, and form cultural and nationalist identities. They examine agricultural practices, industry, boundary disputes, urban decay, political ideologies, religious principles, and how these relate to perceptions of the environment, concern for global warming, and recycling/sustainability practices. All of these can be mapped using computer-based GIS, GPS, and satellite surveillance techniques with ever-improving geographic accuracy and precision.
The program requires 33 credit hours with a grade of “C–” or better in each course.
Major Requirements: Admits Before Spring 2026
REQUIRED (19 credit hours)
GEA1000 World Regional Geography (Social Science/Exploring the Human Experience)*
GEO1400 Human Geography (Social Science/Exploring the Human Experience)*
GEO2200C Physical Geography
GEO4162C Spatial Data Analysis
GIS3015 Cartography*
GIS4043 & GIS4043L Geographic Information Systems & Lab (4 credits)(Digital Literacy)*
*included in CoreFSU
Human Geography Electives (3 credit hours)
GEO3502 Economic Geography
GEO4357 Environmental Conflict & Economic Development
GEO4404 Black Geographies
GEO4412 Environment and Gender
GEO4421 Cultural Geography (Exploring the Human Experience/Upper-Division Writing)*
GEO4450 Medical Geography
GEO4471 Political Geography
GEO4503 Globalization
GEO4505 Fossil Fuels and Environmental Conflict
GEO4602 Urban Geography
GEO4700 Transport Geography
GEO4804 Geography of Wine
IDH3404 Environmental Justice (Honors)
IDS2180 Dead Cities (State-Mandated Writing/Scholarship in Practice)*
IDS2492 Sport: Place, Competition & Fairness (State-Mandated Writing/Ethics)*
IDS3336 “Great” Britain: Geography, Imperialism, Industry & Culture (State-Mandated Writing/Scholarship in Practice)*
*included in CoreFSU
Physical Geography Electives (3 or 4 credit hours)
GEO4210 Landforms & Landscapes
GEO4251 Climate Change & Storms
GEO4280 Geography of Water Resources
GEO4300 Biogeography
GEO4376 Landscape Ecology
GEO4392 Geography of Marine Resources
GEO4114 Environmental Field Methods
GIS4035 & GIS4035L Remote Sensing & Lab (4 credits)
IDS2471 Glaciers, Geysers & Glades: Exploring US National Parks
IDS2473 Putting Science into Action: Field Methods for Plant Ecology (State-Mandated Writing)*
*included in CoreFSU
General Geography (8 or 9 credit hours)
Geography (GEA/GEO/GIS courses) at the 3000/4000 level
GEO4930 Special Topics (maximum of 9 credits)
GEO4905 Directed Independent Study OR GEO4941 Internship (maximum of 3 credits)
Minors are not listed on diplomas. More information on minors and their requirements can be found at: https://www.academic-guide.fsu.edu/minors
Geography Minor
A minor in Environment & Society consists of a minimum of 15 credit hours, including one intro geography course, GIS 2040 Essentials of GIS, and 9 hours of Geography (GEA/GEO/GIS courses) at the 3000/4000 level. All courses must be completed with grades of C– or better.
If a Geography Minor is combined with a Geography Environment & Society Major, GEO 1330 is applied to both the major and the minor.
Major Requirements: Summer 2026 – Present
Introductory Courses (6 credit hours)
Take two courses from this list:
GEA 1000 World Geography (GenEd)
GEO 1400 Human Geography (GenEd)
GEO 1330 Environmental Science (GenEd)
GEO 2200C Our Planet Earth
Methods Courses (6 credit hours)
GEO 2XXX Geographic Research Methods
GIS 2040 Essentials of GIS
Geography Tracks (9 credit hours)
Human and Nature-Society Geographies Track
IDS 2180 Future Cities (GenEd)
IDS 2492 Sports: Place, Competition & Fairness
IDS 3336 “Great” Britain: Geography, Imperialism, Industry & Culture
IDH 3404 Environmental Justice (Honors Only)
GEA 2210 United States & Canada
GEA 3563 The Mediterranean
GEA 4405 Latin America
GEA 4500 Europe
GEA 4520 Britain and Ireland
GEA 4554 Russia and Southern Eurasia
GEA 4635 Geography of the Middle East
GEO 2477 Political Ecology
GEO 3502 Economic Geography
GEO 3613 Geography of the US South
GEO 4xxx Disaster, Risk, Vulnerability, & Resilience
GEO 4340 Living in a Hazardous Environment
GEO 4344 Environmental Disasters & Apocalypse
GEO 4357 Environmental Conflict & Economic Development
GEO 4355 Geography of Food & Environment
GEO 4403 Global Change, Local Places
GEO 4404 Black Geographies
GEO 4412 Environment and Gender
GEO 4421 Cultural Geography
GEO 4450 Medical Geography
GEO 4471 Political Geography
GEO 4503 Globalization
GEO 4505 Fossil Fuels and Environmental Conflict
GEO 4602 Urban Geography
GEO 4700 Transport Geography
GEO 4703 Communications Geography
GEO 4804 Geography of Wine
GEO 4930 Special Topics in Geography*
GEO 4xxx Qualitative Methods
Physical Geography Track
IDS 2471w Glaciers, Geysers, and Glades: Exploring U.S. National Parks (GenEd)
GEO 2200C Our Planet Earth (if not taken before)
GEO 4283 & GEO 4283L Hydrology & Environment & Lab
GEO 4210 Landforms and Landscapes
GEO 4251 Geography of Climate Change & Storms
GEO 4280 Geography of Water Resources
GEO 4300 Biogeography
GEO 4376 Landscape Ecology
GEO 4930 Special Topics in Geography*
Geographic Information Systems & Technology Track
GIS 3015 Cartography
GIS 4006 Computer Cartography
GIS 4035 & GIS4035L Intro to Remote Sensing & Lab
GIS 4043 & GIS4043L Geographic Information Systems & Lab
GIS 4330 Florida GIS Applications
GIS 4421 GIS & Health
GEO 4162C Spatial Data Analysis
GEO 4930 Special Topics in Geography*
*May count as any of the tracks, at Undergraduate Director discretion
Geography Capstone
Each student majoring in Geography must take GEO 4xxx Geography Capstone. In this course, students will develop a Capstone Portfolio. In this portfolio they will synthesize knowledge gained across the subfields of geography and learn to articulate what they learned and offer to future employers and graduate schools.
General Geography
Geography (GEA/GEO/GIS courses) at the 3000/4000 level
GEO4930 Special Topics (maximum of 9 credits)
GEO4905 Directed Independent Study OR GEO4941 Internship (maximum of 3 credits)
Careers in Geography
Find out more about careers in Geography: https://www.aag.org/jobs-careers/.