Bachelor of Arts in Geoscience

at Kaplan Group - University of Connecticut - Storrs Campus USA

Taking as its central mission the study of peoples of African descent on the continent and in the diaspora, the Africana Studies major seeks a nuanced and interdisciplinary understanding of the human experience. The Africana Studies major does so through the humanities, arts, and social sciences, with particular emphasis on continuities and discontinuities across geography and time. Its broad educational objectives are to engender among all students an intellectual appreciation of black lives and their saliency for all human experience; to deepen students’ critical analytic skills; and to value social equality, democracy, and humanitarianism. The Africana Studies major strives to provide students with substantive knowledge of the black world and its linkages to national as well as pre-, sub-, supra-, and transnational processes. Students play an active role in the Africana Studies Institute’s mission to facilitate respect and positive intersocial relationships within the university community. Completion of the B.A. in Africana Studies prepares the student for work in government, community agencies, international organizations, business, journalism and communications, or for graduate studies that lead to careers in research and teaching.

Political Science serves students whose primary interest is in some phase of public affairs (law, politics, government service) or international relations (foreign service), in gaining a better understanding of the entire field of governmental organization and functions.

Anthropology studies human beings of all times and places. It examines human biological, cultural and social similarities and differences, and tries to explain them. Because of its broad perspective — which stresses writing, critical thinking, and social analysis — anthropology provides an excellent preparation for a variety of professional and business careers. Anthropology can also be an integral part of the training for life that is the goal of the University’s liberal arts program.

Geography is a multidimensional discipline that analyzes the interactions between people and their environments. Our geographers teach courses and engage in research on a wide range of relevant and timely topics such as urban sprawl, the nature and impact of migration, globalization of the economy and international trade, the spatial prevalence of disease, regional development, global climatic change, environmental degradation and restoration, watershed and landscape change, and the analysis and display of spatial data using geographic information systems (GIS) technology.

Coursework in geography enables graduates to find employment in the private and public sectors while providing both the regional and global perspective required of informed citizens. B.A. students have gone on to work as urban and regional planners, marketing specialists, environmental program managers, location analysts, and transportation planners.

The B.S. degree prepares students to pursue a technologically oriented career as geographic information systems specialists. Students with an undergraduate degree in geography are also prepared to move on to graduate school to pursue M.A. and Ph.D. degrees that enable them to teach at the college level or to secure higher ranking positions in the public and private sectors.

The Environmental Studies major is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and perspectives needed to understand the interactions between human society and the environment. Understanding the ethical and cultural dimensions of our relationship with the environment, as well as the challenges of protecting it, requires insights from multiple perspectives, including the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. Core courses in the major ensure familiarity with basic principles from these three areas. With this shared core of knowledge, majors will focus their studies on an area of special interest, taking electives and related courses that allow greater specialization. Among the many possibilities are environmental sustainability, issues concerning public policy and environmental justice, and the literary and philosophical legacy of human encounters with the non-human world. A capstone course will allow each student to research a distinct perspective on a contemporary environmental issue. A major in Environmental Studies might lead to a career in a variety of fields, including public policy, environmental education, eco-tourism, marketing or consulting, journalism, or advocacy.

The major leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) or the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR). The student’s choice of colleges should be made in consultation with faculty and advisors based upon the student’s interests and career goals.

The BSE-MSE Curriculum requires a minimum of 129 credits to satisfy graduation requirements. Thirty-one (31) credits in mathematics and basic sciences, fifty-five (55) credits in engineering, and nineteen to twenty-two (19-22) credits in general education courses are specified. The student will elect a minimum of twelve (12) credits from a list of recommended professional electives (Note A) and a minimum of nine (9) credits from a list of recommended technical electives (Note B). At least three credits of technical elective courses must be in mathematics or basic sciences.

The requirements for the B.S. in Mathematics-Statistics degree are 40 credits at the 2000-level or above in Mathematics and Statistics, with at least 12 credits in each department.

The required courses for the Mathematics-Statistics major are MATH 2110Q (or 2130Q or 2143Q); MATH 2210Q or 3210 or (2143Q and 2144Q); 2410Q or (2420Q or 2144Q); and STAT 3375Q and 3445.

To satisfy the Writing in the Major and Information Literacy competencies, all students must pass one of the following courses: MATH 2705W, 2710W, 2720W, 2794W, 3710W, 3670W, 3796W, or STAT 3494W.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program in Art & Design is designed to provide an enriched educational environment that develops and nurtures the full range of capabilities necessary for a career in the visual arts. Skills addressed include: a mastery of requisite technical skills, the use of technology across the curriculum, experience in critical and creative problem solving, visual literacy, knowledge of historical modes of expression in the visual arts, and mastery of written modes of expression.

After Foundations courses, students declare a concentration in which to focus their advanced studies. Once a concentration is declared students follow that concentration's prescribed Plan of Study. Students are able and encouraged to take advanced courses across all the studio concentrations. Specific concentration requirements can be found on each concentration's page.

Geographic Information Science (GIScience) is the scientific discipline that conducts spatial analysis to examine economic, environmental, physical, and social phenomena. The study of spatial data structures and computational techniques to capture, represent, process, and analyze geographic information are essential to GIScience. GIScience overlaps with and draws from many research fields such as computer science, statistics, mathematics, and psychology, and contributes to progress in those fields. GIScience also supports research in many academic disciplines such as natural resource management, environmental science and engineering, geosciences, agriculture, marine sciences, sociology, history, public health, business, and anthropology.

Courses in GIScience enable students to develop capability in spatial thinking and gather in-depth knowledge in geospatial technology. Geospatial technology is a term used to describe the range of modern tools contributing to the geographic mapping and analysis of the Earth and human societies, e.g. geographic information systems (GISystems), remote sensing, the global positioning system (GPS), spatial statistics, web mapping and navigation technologies.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, graduates with skills in geospatial technology are in extremely high demand and are one of the highest growth areas in the federal government. Students have employment opportunities in many corporate and government entities. Students with an undergraduate degree in GIScience are also prepared to move on to graduate school to pursue M.A, M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in many fields that enable them to pursue academic jobs or to secure higher ranking positions in the public and private sectors.

Geographic Information Science (GIScience) is the scientific discipline that conducts spatial analysis to examine economic, environmental, physical, and social phenomena. The study of spatial data structures and computational techniques to capture, represent, process, and analyze geographic information are essential to GIScience. GIScience overlaps with and draws from many research fields such as computer science, statistics, mathematics, and psychology, and contributes to progress in those fields. GIScience also supports research in many academic disciplines such as natural resource management, environmental science and engineering, geosciences, agriculture, marine sciences, sociology, history, public health, business, and anthropology.

Courses in GIScience enable students to develop capability in spatial thinking and gather in-depth knowledge in geospatial technology. Geospatial technology is a term used to describe the range of modern tools contributing to the geographic mapping and analysis of the Earth and human societies, e.g. geographic information systems (GISystems), remote sensing, the global positioning system (GPS), spatial statistics, web mapping and navigation technologies.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, graduates with skills in geospatial technology are in extremely high demand and are one of the highest growth areas in the federal government. Students have employment opportunities in many corporate and government entities. Students with an undergraduate degree in GIScience are also prepared to move on to graduate school to pursue M.A, M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in many fields that enable them to pursue academic jobs or to secure higher ranking positions in the public and private sectors.