"Geography is the science of place.  Its vision is grand, its view panoramic. It sweeps the surface of the Earth, charting the physical, organic and cultural terrains, their areal differentiation, and their ecological dynamics with humankind.  Its foremost tool is the map."
--Leonard Kristalka

"'Do you realize,' one teacher is said to have put to her class, 'that we Americans rank 19th worldwide in our knowledge of geography?'  'That's okay,' one of her students responded.  'As long as we're still in the top ten.'"
--quoted by George Demko

"Geography has no subject matter that is special unto itself.  Geographers focus on anything and everything but relate their investigations to place and space."
--B. L. Turner II

At its most basic, geography involves a curiosity about our home, the surface of the earth. Anyone who loves to travel or who has an affinity for maps is at heart a geographer. Although in the popular understanding geography is usually identified with simply facts about places ("Where is Madagascar?" "What's the capital of Iowa?"), the serious study of geography involves much more. Answers to questions in geography usually involve the dynamic interrelationship between and among historical, environmental, social, economic and political components. Thus, the geography student of today must have some familiarity with many disciplines, be able to read and write with clarity and insight, should be comfortable with statistical data and the use of maps, and increasingly, have the ability to use computers to address geographic problems.

Central to geography at the college level are questions of explanation: Why is something where it is? Why are places what they are? How do we interact with our environment? Geography at NKU reflects these fundamental geographic issues. Thus, our curriculum includes regional courses (e.g., World Regional Geography & Geography of Latin America), topical courses (e.g., Urban Geography & Cultural Geography) and environmental courses (e.g., Climatology & Environmental Resource Management). Additionally, we offer a series of mapping courses, including cartography and a new course in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Geography Students and Dr. Metz work to clean up the roadside.

The requirements for the Major in Geography are:

30 semester hours in Geography, including at least 15 hours at the 300 level or above, Geography 100 (Elements of Geography), and Geography 108 (Physical Geography).

The Geography Minor

The minor in Geography consists of 21 semester hours, including:
1. GEO 100 (Elements of Geography).
2. At least 12 semester hours in geography at the 200 level or above.
3. At least 9 semester hours in systematic (topical) geography courses. Systematic courses are those other than GEO 100 and regional courses (GEO 101, 102, 103, 402, 406, 409, 502).

Contact Information

(859) 572 – 5461 or (859) 572 - 5628
Landrum 415 or Landrum 445

FAX (859) 572 - 6088

Geography Program
445 Landrum
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY 41099

Geography Program Faculty

Dr. Macel Wheeler, Program Coordinator

Course Offerings

The descriptions of these three hour courses can be found in the current Undergraduate Catalog.

*GEO 100 Elements of Geography
*GEO 101 World Regional Geography
GEO 102 Geography of the “Developed” Regions
*GEO 103 Geography of the Third World
*GEO 107 Diversity Mapped
GEO 108 Introduction to Physical Geography
GEO 301 Urban Geography
GEO 302 Cultural Geography
GEO 303 Economic Geography
GEO 306 Environmental Resource Management
GEO 307 Perception of the Environment
GEO 308 Climatology
GEO 309 Historical Geography of the United States
GEO 310 Geography of Population
GEO 314 Maps and Map Interpretation
GEO 315 Cartography
GEO 316 Computer Cartography
GEO 318 Geographic Information Systems
GEO 330 Geography of Religion
GEO 360 Historical Urban Geography
GEO 394 Topics: Advanced Map Studies
GEO 402 Geography of Europe
GEO 403 Geography of Africa
GEO 406 Geography of Latin America
GEO 407 Local Community: A Geographic Analysis
GEO 409 Geography of North America
GEO 410 Geography of Asia
GEO 492 Directed Research: Geography
GEO 496 Internship: Geography
GEO 499 Directed Readings: Geography
GEO 502 Geography of Kentucky
GEO 507 The Local Community: A Geographic Analysis
GEO 520 Environmental Resources for Teachers
GEO 594 Topics: Geography
GEO 594 Seminar: Geography

*General Studies Courses

Geography Program Facilities

The Geography Information System computer lab is located in Landrum 408.
The map lab and student study area is located next door in Landrum 410.
Most of the introductory classes are held in Landrum 401 where we maintain a wall map
collection.
The faculty is housed on the fourth floor of Landrum.

Award Opportunity: Outstanding Graduating Senior

RECIPIENTS
The program has had some very strong candidates for this annual award.
These students have excelled in their studies and have been active participants in campus activities such as the Geography student group, GUNK. Students such as the ones listed here along with their outstanding competition for this award make the Geography Program experience rich, entertaining, and a vibrant life-long memory. Faculty members applaud the achievements of our stellar students.

2003 Thomas Eric Bates
2002 Michael Jeggle
2001 Susan Fruitticher
2000 Julia Clair
1996 Janette Lovely
1995 Roberta Zeter
1994 Barbara Lischer
1993 Diane Dickman
1992 Katharine Wiedmann
1991 Mace L. Bentley
1990 James Lee Breth
1989 Bryan Goesling
1988 Robert Evans
1987 Judie Pendleton
1986 Eileen Moore
1985 Martha Arnold
1984 Mark Hahn
1983 Beverly Williams

Mike, Jeff, Eric, Erin and Tonya (Geography students) visit St. Louis on a Geography Union of Northern Kentucky field trip.

Career Planning

All geography faculty are available to discuss what a graduate can do with a degree or several classes in Geography. It is a solid liberal arts foundation for people wanting to go into a variety of occupation-specific training programs. We have had graduates get positions with various government agencies—planning, GIS, and research, retail establishments, and in the banking industry. It is a desired discipline for certification for social studies secondary education majors. Students sometimes choose to continue their studies in graduate programs in geography and other fields. We have had graduates go into advanced studies in park management, meteorology, medicine, and urban planning.

You will find additional career planning information at:

Association of American Geographers
Environmental Systems Resources, Inc. (GIS)
National Council for Geographic Education

A Message to All Graduates of the Geography Program

The faculty of the Geography Program would be happy to hear from the graduates of the program. Where are you located and what activities are you involved in now? Have you gotten to visit some of the distant or local places we talked about in our classes? Some of you have kept in touch and that has been nice. Maybe you could give us an update. You can call (859/572-5628), email (Wheeler@nku.edu or any of the faculty), or FAX (859 572 6088) a note.