Bachelor of Arts Geography (BA)

Jennifer L Whytlaw, Geography Program Director

Requirements

Lower-Division General Education

Written Communication: Grade of C or better required in both courses and in ENGL 110C before declaring major.

Mathematics: BS students must earn C- or better in STAT 130M.

Language and Culture: BS students' competence must be at the 102 level. BA students must have competence through the 202 level. Competence is not met by the associate degree for BA students.

Information Literacy and Research requirement satisfied in the major with GEOG 308.

The Nature of Science: OEAS 106N, OEAS 108N, OEAS 111N, or OEAS 112N is recommended for one of the two nature of science courses. 

Impact of Technology requirement can be met with GEOG 306T.

Human Behavior: GEOG 100S and GEOG 101S cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.

Upper-Division General Education

• Option A. Approved Minor, 12-24 hours; also second degree or second major.
• Option B. Interdisciplinary Minor, 12 hours specified by the department, 3 of which may be in the major area of study.
• Option C. An approved certification program such as teaching licensure.
• Option D. Two Upper-Division Courses from outside the College of Arts and Letters or from the Arts and Humanities Component within the College of Arts and Letters that are not required by the major (6 hours).

Requirements for Graduation

Requirements for graduation include the following:

• Minimum of 120 credit hours.
• Minimum of 30 credit hours overall and 12 credit hours of upper-level courses in the major program from Old Dominion University.
• Minimum overall cumulative grade point average of C (2.00) in all courses taken.
• Minimum overall cumulative grade point average of C (2.00) in all courses taken toward the major.
• Minimum overall cumulative grade point average of C (2.00) in all courses taken toward a minor.
• Completion of ENGL 110C, ENGL 211C or ENGL 231C, and the writing intensive (W) course in the major with a grade of C or better. The W course must be taken at Old Dominion University.
• Completion of Senior Assessment.

Geography Major

*

C- or better. Meets information literacy and research requirement.

**

 C or better required.

***

At least nine credit hours must be taken at the 400 level. Those wishing to pursue coursework in physical geography may substitute the following ocean, earth and atmospheric science courses for up to 12 hours of Geography credit: OEAS 306, OEAS 310, OEAS 344W, OEAS 412.

Three hours of internship count toward the 36 hours of geography courses. All majors must complete a capstone paper in the junior or senior year.

Options

As an option to the general geography curriculum, students may select one of the following majors to substitute for 12 credit hours of geography credit: urban planning and emergency/hazards management or environment and resources.

Electives

Elective courses may be taken for the remainder of the minimum 120 credits required for the degree.

Honors Program in Geography

The requirements are as follows:

1. Attain an overall grade point average of 3.25.
2. Attain a grade point average in the major of 3.50.
3. Earn honors in nine hours of courses in the major at the 300/400 level, excluding internship and independent study courses, with no more than six hours taken from the same instructor.

Degree Program Guide

The Degree Program Guide is a suggested curriculum to complete this degree program in four years.  It is just one of several plans that will work and is presented only as broad guidance to students. Each student is strongly encouraged to develop a customized plan in consultation with their academic advisor.  Additional information can also be found in Degree Works. 

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Grade of C or better required

Dual Dominion BA/BS in Geography and MA in Humanities

The Dual Dominion BA/BS program in geography and the MA in humanities makes it possible for exceptional students to count up to 12 hours of graduate courses toward both an undergraduate and graduate degree. Students must earn a minimum of 150 credit hours (120 discrete credit hours for the undergraduate degree and 30 discrete credit hours for the graduate degree).  Please refer to the Humanities section of this Catalog for additional information on the Dual Dominion program.

BA or BS to MBA (Master of Business Administration) Dual Dominion Program

The Dual Dominion BA/MBA or BS/MBA program is an early entry to the MBA program of study.  The early-entry program is designed for well qualified non-business undergraduate ODU students to start their MBA program prior to completing their undergraduate degree.  Well qualified non-business undergraduate students may take MBA-level courses as early as three semesters prior to graduation and count up to 12 graduate credits toward their undergraduate degree.  Students participating in the early-entry program must earn a minimum of 150 credit hours (120 discrete credit hours for the undergraduate degree and 30 discrete credit hours for the graduate degree).  Early-entry program students should carefully consider their undergraduate degree program requirements when planning their course of study.  Students in the early-entry program work in close consultation with the MBA Program Office and should refer to information in the Strome College of Business section in the graduate catalog to develop an individualized plan of study based on the required coursework.

BA or BS to MPA (Master of Public Administration) Dual Dominion Program

The Dual Dominion BA/MPA or BS/MPA program provides qualified Old Dominion University undergraduate students with the opportunity to earn a master's degree in public administration while taking credits in the MPA program as an undergraduate student.  The program is designed for highly motivated students with the desire to immediately continue their education after the bachelor's degree.  The program is especially relevant to individuals seeking to work (or currently working) in the public or non-profit sectors, but is suitable for students from any undergraduate major.  Graduate courses may be taken during the fall and spring semester of the student's senior undergraduate year.  Up to 12 graduate credits can count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degree and can meet upper-level General Education requirements. After receiving the undergraduate degree, a student will continue with the MPA program, taking MPA courses until completing the required 39 credit hours. Students in the Dual Dominion program must earn a minimum of 150 credit hours (120 discrete credit hours for the undergraduate degree and 30 discrete credit hours for the graduate degree).

Requirements for admission to the graduate program can be found in the School of Public Service section of the Graduate Catalog.  For additional information, please contact the School of Public Service in the Strome College of Business.