The Geography B.A. degrees at both the Fairbanks and Juneau campuses are built upon a group of required courses that provide students with a firm grounding in the fundamental components of the discipline, including global geographic perspectives, geography of the earth’s natural systems, geography of human systems, geospatial sciences (GIS, remote sensing, geovisualization), and the synthesis of these core perspectives through an integrating capstone experience.

Provides broad cultural training and background in the liberal arts with an emphasis on geographic understanding of the Circumpolar North and Pacific Rim. The B.A. prepares students for careers in management, policy, teaching, field-based research, regional planning, and private sector careers. The B.A. also provides an excellent foundation for advanced studies in a wide range of academic disciplines.

B.A. students are encouraged to coordinate minors, electives, and internships to develop further expertise within a chosen region or topic (see #5, below), to take advantage of the considerable topical and regional expertise found throughout the UAF community, and also to underscore the important role other disciplines play within the field of Geography.

www.uas.alaska.edu/arts_sciences/naturalsciences/geography/programs/index.html

Provides an interdiciplinary understanding of the complex relationships between people and environments, and to help students to develop the skills, concepts, and values needed to uncover and improve these relationships. Students are exposed to the key methods and tools they will need to engage as professionals and citizens to promote the long-term health and vitality of ecological, social, economic, and cultural systems and to make informed decisions about environmental issues. Geographic research methods are qualitative and quantitative, including critical thinking, historical examination, landscape analysis, observation, and measurement. Students can take courses in the natural sciences, but UAS programs offer a unique opportunity for students to approach environmental and geographical concerns through interdisciplinary and humanistic forms of inquiry.

The B.A. allows students to integrate a variety of research methods to examine the unique biogeography, landscape, history, ecology, and cultures of Southeast Alaska, as well as understand these dimensions of the region within a global context. The geographic perspective that the B.A. provides prepares students for careers in the non-profit sector, government agencies, environmental planning, sustainability advising, green business, environmental education, environmental journalism, environmental law, management, policy, and teaching. The B.A. develops a strong foundation for advanced studies in a wide range of academic disciplines.