Departmental Areas of Focus
Geography has always been about thinking across boundaries. As we seek to understand and better address societal and environmental challenges, Geography’s inherent interdisciplinarity is its greatest asset as a field of study. Our vision for the UNCG Department of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability reflects its historical strengths at the intersection of environment, human geography, and geographic technologies, and it reflects a desire to have our teaching and research strive for a better world.
Human Geography
Human geographers investigate how place and location affect and are affected by such things as urban and economic development, globalization, transportation systems, tourism, population, environmental change, and political boundaries. The department has strengths in urban (including planning), transportation, economic, and political geography.
Physical and Environmental Geography
Physical and environmental geographers investigate questions about the physical world around us: the atmosphere, waters, landforms, and living things that make up the human environment. Our department has strengths in climatology, biogeography, geomorphology, and hydrology.
Geographic Information Science
Geographic Information Science uses geospatial technologies to understand human and physical phenomena. Our department has strengths in cartography, remote sensing, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Environment & Sustainability Program
This interdisciplinary program fosters understanding of the relationships between human societies and the natural contexts for life on Earth. The Program offers three different B.A. concentrations: Environmental Studies, which emphasizes the natural sciences; Sustainability Studies, which emphasizes the social sciences and humanities; and Environmental & Sustainability Studies, which is a self-designed major open to juniors with a 3.30+ GPA.
- Areas of Focus
- Human Geography
- Physical Geography
- GIScience
- Sustainability
Why Geography, Environment, and Sustainability?
Featured News
Dr. Rick Bunch and the “Index of Southerness”
In collaboration with the Halsey Institute at the College of Charleston, Dr. Rick Bunch mapped the landscape of the South. […]
Firoozeh Karimi published in Computer, Environment, and Urban Systems
Firoozeh Karimi–a PhD candidate recently published a paper in Computer, Environment, and Urban Systems, which developed an urban growth modeling […]
Shannon Brewer, CFM, PMP – (B.A. 2000) promotion
Shannon Brewer, CFM, PMP, works for Dewberry firm and has been promoted to associate vice president and serves as a department […]
Arwa Altaber and Joyce Clapp co-authors – published in Geographical Review
Former PhD student, Arwa Altaher and current PhD student, Joyce Clapp jointly published a peer-reviewed journal article paper in Geographical […]
Alumni Stories
My perspective of higher education has always been to imagine a tool belt. One on which you can carry your […]
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