Physical/Environmental Concentration
McCausland College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Geography
Bulletin Year: 2026-2027

Print this page

Semester One (15-17 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 101	Critical Reading and Composition (CC-CMW)	3	C
	MATH 122 or MATH 141	Calculus for Bus. Admin. & Soc. Sci. or Calculus I3 (CC-ARP)	3-4			C or better in MATH 111/111I/115 (MATH 122); C or better in MATH 112/115/116 (MATH 141); or through placement  exam
		Foreign Language4 or other Carolina Core Req.5 (CC-GFL)	3-4
		Carolina Core Requirement5 (CC)	3
		UNIV 101 The Student in the University or Carolina Core Requirement5 (PR/CC)	3

Semester Two (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 102	Rhetoric and Composition (CC-CMW, CC-INF)	3	C		C or better in ENGL 101
	MATH 142 or MATH 170 or MATH 172	Calculus II or Finite Mathematics or Math. Modeling for the Life Sci. (CC-ARP)	3-4			C or better in MATH 141 (MATH 142); C or better in MATH 111/111I/122 or through placement  exam (MATH 170); C or better in MATH 122 or 141 (MATH 172)
	STAT 201	Elementary Statistics (CR)	3			C or better in MATH 111 or higher or in STAT 110 or 112; or through placement exam
		Foreign Language4 or other Carolina Core Req.5 (CC-GFL)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement5 (CC)	3

Semester Three (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	Choose 1 of the following: GEOG 103 or GEOG 105 or GEOG 121 or GEOG 201 or GEOG 202 or GEOG 210	Foundations of Geography (CC-GSS) or Geog. of Global Change (CC-GSS) or Landform Geog. (CC-SCI) or Weather and Climate (CC-SCI) or People, Places & Envr (CC-GSS)	3-4	C
	CSCE 102	Web Design & Development using AI Tools (CR)	3
		Foreign language4 or Carolina Core Requirement5 (CR/CC)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement5 (CC)	3
		History6 (CR)	3

Semester Four (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	GEOG 341 or GEOG 345 or GEOG 263 or GEOG 551	Cartography or Introduction to Remote Sensing or Geographic Information Systems or Remote Sensing of the Envr. (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course7 (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3
		Social Science (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement5 or Elective8 (CC/PR)	3-4

Semester Five (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		GEOG Elective9 (MR)	3	C		See Bulletin listing
		GEOG Elective9 (MR)	3	C		See Bulletin listing
		Cognate or Minor Course7 (minor) (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Cognate or Minor Course7 (minor) (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Carolina Core Requirement5 or Elective8 (CC/PR)	3-4

Semester Six (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		GEOG Elective9 (500-level or above) (MR)	3	C		See Bulletin listing
		GEOG Elective9 (MR)	3	C		See Bulletin listing
		Cognate or Minor Course7 (minor) (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Elective8(PR)	3
		Elective8(PR)	3

Semester Seven (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	GEOG 495	Seminar in Geography (MR, CC-INT)	3	C		At least 15 hrs. GEOG credit
		Minor Course7 or Elective8  (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Elective8(PR)	3
		Elective8(PR)	3
		Elective8(PR)	3

Semester Eight (13 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		GEOG Elective9 (500-level or above) (MR)	3	C		See Bulletin listing
		GEOG Elective9 (MR)	3	C		See Bulletin listing
		Minor Course7 or Elective8  (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Elective8(PR)	3
		Elective8(PR)	1

Graduation Requirements Summary

Minimum Total Hours	Minimum Major Requirements Hours	College & Program Requirements Hours	Carolina Core Hours	Minimum Institutional GPA
120	24	52-64	32-44	2.000

1. Regardless of individual course grades, students must maintain a minimum 2.000 cumulative GPA.
2. Some colleges require a minimum GPA for major courses. Courses indicated in this column are included in the major GPA for this program of study.
3. Students who do not place into MATH 122 or 141 will be required to take the required prerequisite before proceeding with MATH 122 or 141.
4. Students in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 122 course through course credit or the corresponding foreign language placement score.
5. The Carolina Core provides the common core of knowledge, skill and academic experience for all Carolina undergraduate students.
6. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences requires one U.S. History and one non-U.S. History course, both of which must be chosen from the approved Carolina Core GHS courses. Whichever is not fulfilled through the Carolina Core GHS requirement must be fulfilled through this college requirement.
7. The cognate is intended to support the course work in the major. The cognate must consist of twelve hours of courses at the advanced level, outside of, but related to the major. In place of a cognate, a student may choose a minor consisting of at least 18 credit hours of courses concentrated in one area that follow a structured sequence. All minor courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. For B.S. degrees, grades of D are acceptable for completion of the cognate requirement. A second major eliminates the minor/cognate requirement.
8. No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences.
9. Geography Electives (18 credit hours): at least 2 courses from the major must be from the 500-level. GEOG 595 can be used to fulfill up to 3 hours of geography elective credit, but not the 500-level requirement. Select 6 courses from GEOG 330, 343, 346, 347, 348, 360, 365, 370, 371, 516, 530, 535, 545, 546, 547, 549, 566, 567, 568, 569, 570, 571, 573, 590. GEOG 201 or 202 may be used if not used to satisfy Carolina Core or college requirements.

Program Notes

• Courses identified as “critical” must be completed in the student’s first 60 semester hours of work in order for these courses to be credited toward graduation.
• All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade that covers the founding documents. Courses that meet this requirement are listed in the academic bulletin. 
• Any exceptions or additional options in the Geography major may be made with the consultation and approval of the departmental advisor.
• BS with Distinction in Geography (36 hours): available to students majoring in Geography who wish to participate in significant research activities in their major field under the supervision of a faculty mentor. A minimum GPA of 3.50 in the major and 3.30 cumulative is required to apply. Requirements:
  • Students must submit a written application for the BS with Distinction in Geography at least eight months before completion of the degree.
  • Written sponsorship agreement from a Geography faculty mentor on file in the department. o An established thesis committee consisting of a tenure-track faculty member in Geography & at least one other tenure-track or research faculty member at the University of South Carolina.
  • A written thesis demonstrating significant original work and approved by the thesis committee.
  • A public presentation of the Senior Thesis research.
  • General major requirements, plus 12 additional credit hours including: a minimum of 9 credit hours in GEOG 498, or any GEOG 500-level courses, and GEOG 499-Senior Thesis (3). 
• The last 30 credit hours toward your degree must be earned in residence at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.

Code Definitions

University Requirements: Bachelor’s degree-seeking students must meet Carolina Core (general education) requirements.

Code	Definition
CC	Carolina Core
CC-AIU	Carolina Core – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding
CC-ARP	Carolina Core – Analytical Reasoning and Problem-Solving
CC-CMS	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component
CC-CMW	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written Component
CC-GFL	Carolina Core – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language
CC-GHS	Carolina Core – Historical Thinking
CC-GSS	Carolina Core – Social Sciences
CC-INF	Carolina Core – Information Literacy
CC-INT	Carolina Core – Integrative Course
CC-SCI	Carolina Core – Scientific Literacy
CC-VSR	Carolina Core – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
CR	College Requirement
MR	Major Requirement
PR	Program Requirement