COURSE CURRICULUM

The Bachelor of Arts in Geography with a concentration in Metropolitan Area Planning requires students to complete a combination of lower division, upper division, concentration-specific, and general education courses totaling 46 units for the major and 43 units for general education. The lower division core includes introductory courses in physical and cultural geography, maps and geographic technologies, and a physical geography laboratory, providing a foundational understanding of geographic principles. Upper division core courses cover advanced geographic ideas, geographic information systems, earth systems, a senior research seminar, and a regional geography elective that can be selected from a variety of global and U.S. regions. The Metropolitan Area Planning concentration includes required courses in urban and regional planning and qualitative methods in geography. Students must also complete three human geography electives, which cover topics such as economic activity, feminist geography, environmental hazards, urban transformation, population, urban geography, transportation, and environmental impact analysis. One techniques elective focuses on geospatial and analytical methods, including cartography, remote sensing, programming for GIS, spatial analysis, GIS data management, applied GIS, quantitative methods, and field geography. A physical geography elective emphasizes understanding of meteorology, climate, biogeography, global climate change, landforms, or California’s water resources. Additional recommended courses provide students with knowledge in state and local government finance, urban economics, California geography and water resources, U.S. urban history, California architecture, and recreation management, enhancing their planning perspective. The program ensures students also complete general education requirements across English communication, mathematical reasoning, arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, physical and biological sciences, ethnic studies, and upper division courses. This curriculum equips students with the skills to analyze urban and regional issues, design sustainable and functional metropolitan areas, and apply geospatial techniques to planning challenges.