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Majors, Minors and Beyond

From majors and graduate degrees to minors and certificates, we have a range of options to help you get where you want to go.

Majors

faculty and students on river kayaking

B.A. in Geography and Sustainable Development

The world’s biggest challenges require a big-picture perspective. Geography and Sustainable Development majors integrate social and environmental sciences to help promote a more sustainable world. Geography is a big-data science, equipping students with geospatial skills in mapping and analysis, but also prepares students with research, thinking, and communication skills critical for solving complex policy problems like climate change, community development, and sustainability. Graduates find purposeful careers in natural resource management, community and global development, environmental consulting, and geospatial technology.
city buildings

B.A. in Urban and Regional Planning

Urban and Regional Planning majors share a passion for making better places. Planners are trained to systematically define urban problems, analyze them using geospatial and other methods, and apply relevant concepts and techniques to shape development. Miami’s interdisciplinary URP major combines the breadth of the liberal arts with practical analytical and policy skills, applied through field experiences and real-world community projects. Our graduates are highly competitive in growing fields like public planning, consulting, and real-estate development.

GISci Certificate

The Department of Geography offers both Undergraduate (on campus courses) and Graduate (fully online courses) Certificates in GIScience, which give students the necessary technical skills and theory-based background to compete in the rapidly growing field of Geospatial Technology.

Our program is award-winning for both course design and its deliverables! 

Read more about our GISci certificates
student working on mapping on desktop computer

Minors

Geography

Students explore interactions between people, places, and environments, integrating social and natural sciences to understand global issues and address them locally. Geography minors learn diverse methods, like geospatial analysis, for studying and managing human and environmental change.

The Geography minor is also embedded in the Social Justice Studies Major, Track 4: Global Peace and Social Justice.

Urban and Regional Analysis

Students systematically analyze urban problems and design appropriate solutions. Planning minors gain basic skills for defining urban problems, use geospatial and other analytical methods, and apply relevant planning concepts and techniques to facilitate decision-making.

M.A. in Geography and Sustainable Development

The MA in Geography and Sustainable Development develops advanced geographical thinking and methods for understanding and solving linked human-environmental challenges. Our flexible curriculum and faculty mentors enable students to design their own education and research experience, whether an original thesis or internship report. With advanced knowledge and geospatial techniques, students are better prepared for important roles in environment and sustainable development, urban planning and development, and geospatial science. 

Highly qualified Miami undergraduates can combine any BA/BS with a Master of Arts in Geography in four to five years. The department offers scholarships and summer travel funding to all eligible students.

 

M.A. in Geography and Sustainable Development Combined M.A./B.A.
graduates of 2024

Recent Projects

2023-2024

  • Virtual Map of Miami Natural Areas and Trails (Spring and Fall 2023)
    • GIS Students
      • R. Abbitt, Advisor
  • Updated Map of Miami Natural Areas and Trails (Spring and Fall 2023)
    • GIS Students
      • R. Abbitt, Advisor

Explore Our Faculty and Graduate Student Publications

2023-2024

W.K. Dodds, Z. Ratajczak, R. Keen, J. Nippert, B. Grudzinski, A. Veach, J. Taylor, A. Kuhl. 2023. Trajectories and State Changes of a Tallgrass Prairie Stream and Riparian Zone After a Decade of Woody Plant Removal. Ecological Applications.

D. Scott. 2023. The City Aroused: Queer Places and Urban Redevelopment in Postwar San Francisco.

J. Hudson, S. Hudson. 2023. Mapping Bark Bacteria: Initial Insights of Stemflow-Induced Changes in Bark Surface Phyla. Microbiology Spectrum.

N. Teale. 2023. Communicating Climate Risk: Lessons Learned while Conducting Assessments for the Private Sector.

R. Spahr, J. Lazar, B. Grudzinski, T. Fisher. 2024. Land Cover, Stream Discharge, and Wastewater Effluent Impacts on Baseflow Sediment and Nutrient Concentrations in SW Ohio streams. River Research and Applications.

S. Laszewski., S. Jia, et al. 2024. Yearly Population Data at Census Tract Level Revealed That More People are now Living in Highly Fire-Prone Zones in California, USA. Environmental Research Communications.

T. Farthering, E. Rintsch, O. Larson, B. Grudzinski, T. Fisher, J. McCarty. 2024. Effects of a Forested State Park on Stream Nutrient Concentrations in an Agriculturally Ydominated Watershed in the U.S. Midwest. Journal of American Water Resources Association.

Advising Contacts

Department of Geography

118B Shideler Hall
250 S. Patterson Ave.
Oxford, OH 45056
513-529-5010 513-529-1948(fax)
Find Us Geospatial Analysis Center Undergraduate Admission Emeritus Faculty