The Department of Geography & Urban Planning offers majors in two separate, though closely related, areas: geography and urban studies. These fields are more important than ever before. They provide a window upon a world made smaller by advances in telecommunications and transportation technology, by the integrated operations of multinational corporations like Intel and Toyota, by the threat of international terrorism and by environmental hazards like global warming. Geography and urban studies enable us to better understand the interaction between these global forces and local places. The skills and knowledge that students in these fields acquire are practical and valued both at the global scale and at the local scale. Our graduates can provide insight into the complexity of the Middle East, but they can also help a grocery retailer decide where to put its next store. They can help design models of global climate change, but they can also help design a plan to minimize the negative impact of a new highway upon nearby wetlands.

 

Department of Geography and Urban Planning

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Geography and Urban Planning is to provide students with an understanding of the elements that influence the social and physical environment at the local and global scale. We see our role as that of equipping students with the knowledge to deal with the challenges of a rapidly changing world by teaching them critical thinking and problem solving skills. We seek to advance knowledge through research, and to share this knowledge with our students, our colleagues, and the broader community.