A Guide for Community College
Students
A 2 + 2 Plan Leading
to
a Bachelor of Arts or
Bachelor
of Science
Degree
in Geography
All degree requirements are
subject to the provisions and notices in the Undergraduate Catalog.
B.A. or B.S. Degree in Geography
The Department of Geography at Northern
Illinois University
invites students from Illinois
community colleges to consider a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in
geography at NIU. Geography provides a challenging academic experience that
rounds out a liberal arts education, provides an educational foundation for
graduate school, and prepares for an interesting array of professional
employment opportunities.
Approximately 50 percent of our majors transfer to NIU from community
colleges. This brochure suggests a two-year program that will prepare
community college students with the appropriate set of background courses
to complete our baccalaureate degree. All degree programs in the Department
of Geography are structured so that community college transfer students may
complete their degree in two years, provided (1) enrollment begins in the
fall semester, and (2) selected math and science courses, identified below,
are completed prior to enrollment.
The baccalaureate degree programs in geography allow students to focus
their interests on area studies, geographic information systems (GIS),
natural environmental systems, or urban/economic systems. You may
also elect not to focus but rather take a general degree. Students
who complete degrees in geography may enter careers in governmental
service, private business, or pursue graduate studies. By the proper
selection of electives, the student can meet federal civil service
qualification standards as a soil scientist or hydrologist; students may
also obtain a background for a career in natural resource planning,
interpretation, or management. A certificate of undergraduate study
in geographic information systems is available for students with
appropriate qualifications.
Students who elect the B.A. degree will be required to fulfill the
all-university requirement in foreign language; in addition, students who
elect this degree option will need to complete MATH 210, MATH 211, or MATH
229 and STAT 301. Students who elect the B.S. degree will be required
to fulfill the college requirement in mathematics and natural sciences;
students should consult an adviser for information regarding the
appropriate college sequence for their course of study. Students who
are interested in environmental studies are urged to complete at least two
one-year sequences of courses in laboratory science.
Geography Requirements
|
GEOG 101
|
GEOG 204
|
MATH 210
|
|
GEOG 102
|
GEOG 256
|
or MATH 211
|
|
GEOG 105
|
GEOG 300
|
or MATH 229
|
|
GEOG 106
|
GEOG 359
|
STAT 301
|
|
GEOG 202
|
GEOG 361
|
|
+ 12 hrs. from one of the following groups:
General Geography
Any combination of courses from 300-400 level courses in the department.
Area Studies
GEOG 303
GEOG 330
GEOG 332
GEOG 335X
GEOG 336
GEOG 338
GEOG 408
GEOG 430
GEOG 435X
GEOG 451
GEOG 461
GEOG 491
GEOG 498D or E
Natural Environmental Systems
GEOG 302
GEOG 303
GEOG 322
GEOG 370
GEOG 402
GEOG 403
GEOG 406
GEOG 408
GEOG 413
GEOG 422
GEOG 442X
GEOG 453
GEOG 455
GEOG 461
GEOG 465
GEOG 492
GEOG 498A or B
Geographic Information Systems
GEOG 455
GEOG 459
GEOG 460
GEOG 465
GEOG 467
GEOG 468
GEOG 493
GEOG 498J or K
Urban/Economic Systems
GEOG 304
GEOG 362
GEOG 403
GEOG 430
GEOG 453
GEOG 455
GEOG 461
GEOG 463
GEOG 464
GEOG 491
GEOG 498G
Suggested Semester Plan
|
Fall
|
|
|
Spring
|
|
|
ENGL 103
|
3
|
|
ENGL 104
|
3
|
|
For Lang/MATH1
|
3-4
|
|
For Lang/MATH
|
3-4
|
|
Humanities Gen Ed
|
3
|
|
COMS 100
|
3
|
|
Social Science Gen Ed
|
3
|
|
Science Gen Ed2
|
3-4
|
|
GEOG 101/102
|
4
|
|
GEOG 105/106
|
4
|
|
|
16-17
|
|
|
16-18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GEOG 202
|
3
|
|
GEOG 2563
|
3
|
|
GEOG 204
|
3
|
|
For Lang/MATH
|
3-4
|
|
For Lang/MATH
|
3-4
|
|
Humanities Gen Ed
|
3
|
|
Humanities Gen Ed
|
3
|
|
IDSP Gen Ed
|
3
|
|
Social Science Gen Ed
|
3-4
|
|
Science Gen Ed
|
3-4
|
|
|
15-17
|
|
|
15-17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GEOG 300
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
GEOG 359
|
3
|
|
GEOG 361
|
3
|
|
GEOG 300/400 level4
|
3
|
|
GEOG 300/400 level
|
3
|
|
STAT 301
|
4
|
|
Elective 300/400 level
|
3
|
|
Electives
|
3-6
|
|
Electives
|
6
|
|
|
14-17
|
|
|
15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GEOG 300/400 level
|
3
|
|
GEOG 300/400 level
|
3
|
|
GEOG 300/400 level
|
3
|
|
GEOG 300/400 level
|
3
|
|
Electives 300/400 level
|
3
|
|
Elective 300/400 level
|
3
|
|
Electives (any level)
|
6
|
|
Electives (any level)
|
6
|
|
|
15
|
|
|
15
|
Minimum 120 total; 40 at the 300-400 level
1Foreign language is required for the B.A. degree.
Previous foreign language background may reduce or fulfill this
requirement; please consult the NIU catalog for more information.
B.A. students must also fulfill the core competency requirement in mathematics;
MATH 210, MATH 211, or MATH 229 is required for the B.A. in
geography. A combination of math, statistics, and laboratory science
courses are required for the B.S. degree; please consult the NIU
catalog. Appropriate choices in the B.S. sequence may also fulfill
science general education requirements.
2This requirement may be addressed in part if the B.A.
student completes MATH 229 as a core competency course in mathematics.
3For some students, GEOG 256, GEOG 202, or GEOG 204 may have
to be deferred until their junior year to allow the student to complete an
additional general education course.
4For appropriate choices among 300-400 level courses, please
consult a departmental adviser to discuss your academic and career options.
Northern Illinois
University
Northern Illinois
University (NIU) is a major
comprehensive university with over 25,000 students. It offers approximately
54 undergraduate and 75 graduate programs in the Colleges of Business,
Education, Engineering and Engineering Technology, Health and Human
Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts.
The 786-acre main campus of Northern
Illinois University
is located in the city of DeKalb,
a community of about 42,500 located 65 miles west of Chicago's
Loop, on the East-West Tollway (I-88).
The campus, which features two lagoons and a wooded area, has grown from
a single building in 1895 to a modern, 63-building campus. The first
building, Altgeld Hall, originally known as Athe
Castle on the Hill,@
still stands and houses administrative offices.
Visit Our Website
Everything you ever wanted to know about the geography department,
programs offered, and faculty and staff is right at your fingertips.
If you have access to the Internet, you can find our website at www.geog.niu.edu,
and from there you can get in touch with the Northern
Illinois University
home page. This is very helpful for students interested in the university
and also gives information about the community, people, places, classes,
events, etc.
For a current NIU Undergraduate Catalog and application
materials, contact:
Office of Admissions
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, Illinois
60115 -2857
(800) 892-3050 (toll-free in Illinois)
or (815) 753-0446
www.niu.edu/admissions
Northern Illinois
University is an equal
opportunity/affirmative action institution and does not discriminate on the
basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, status based on the Victims' Economic
Security and Safety Act (VESSA), or status as a disabled or Vietnam-era
veteran. Further, the Constitution and Bylaws of Northern Illinois
University provides for equal treatment regardless of political views or
affiliation, and sexual orientation.
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