2025-2026 Academic Catalog
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Geography offers a unique perspective on many of today's most important issues--from globalization, international development, and culture change to environmental problems, population growth, and climate change. Its theories and methods provide analytical techniques applicable to a wide range of questions significant to a broad spectrum of occupations. The geography major provides a balance between an education focusing on contemporary social, political, economic, and environmental issues and training in advanced computer-based techniques.
Human geography is concerned with the spatial dimensions of human existence, the economy, politics, and culture as well as the relationshsips between humans and their environments.
Physical geographers study patterns of climate, landforms, vegetation, soils, water, and natural hazards and particularly the processes that produce those patterns, including human-environment interactions.
Geospatial science involves Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), web services, and remote sensing. These technologies have led to significant advances in the ways in which geographic information is collected, mapped, analyzed, and integrated in database and decision-making systems. All students are exposed to these technologies as they are integral to working in the field today regardless of specialization and topic of interest.
Training in geography provides valuable, marketable skills that are in high demand in business, government, and education. Geography majors obtain employment in such diverse fields as geographic information systems, satellite imagery analysis, planning, transportation, market analysis, health care analysis, cartography (map making), land and water management, recreation, and environmental conservation. Our students and graduates have worked with county, state, and federal agencies, privte firms, non-profit organizations, and international organizations. Employment opportunities are especially strong for students obtaining advanced training in geospatial computer techniques, which are used by both human and physical geographers.
The department offers courses in human geography, physical geography, and geospatial information science. In addition to fulfilling the requirements of the Pathways to General Education curriculum, geography majors must also complete 45 hours in geography and related disciplines. All must take GEOG 1004 Introduction to Human Geography, GEOG 1014 World Regions, GEOG 1084 Digital Planet, GEOG 1104 Introduction to Environmental Geography, GEOG 2084 Principles of Geographic Information Systems, GEOG 2314 Maps and Mapping, GEOG 3314 Cartography and either STAT 3604 Statistics for Social Science or STAT 3615 Biological Statistics. Majors must also complete a field experience of at least 3 credit hours from GEOG 2964 Field Study, GEOG 2994 Undergraduate Research, GEOG 3954 Study Abroad, GEOG 4964 Field Study, or GEOG 4994 Undergraduate Research. Additionally, students must complete 18 credits of geography major courses and 3 credits from a cognate elective area. Students are directed to see the department's academic advisor and consult checksheets to confirm requirement for their graduation year. The Geography major leads to the B.A. in Geography degree.
The graduation requirements in effect during the academic year of admission to Virginia Tech apply. Students must satisfactorily complete all requirements and university obligations for degree completion. The university reserves the right to modify requirements in a degree program.
Meteorology is a science that analyzes conditions in the atmosphere and the impacts of weather and climate on the surface of the Earth. Importantly, meteorologists use specialized training to predict and forecast weather conditions and the potential ways humans may be affected by weather and climate, and then communicate that information to decision-makers and the general public.
Our meteorology program integrates geospatial science and climate science into the meteorology core coursework, which allows our graduates to work in the exciting nexus between the atmosphere and the ground beneath it. Today's meteorologists access a wide range of careers in society ranging from forecasting and reporting for multi-media, aiding industry in assessing severe weather impacts on business infrastructure and supply chains, blogging and software development, research, and forecasting for military or federal careers. Our students and graduates have worked with the National Weather Service (Blacksburg office and others), National Severe Storms Laboratory, the Weather Channel, as on-air television meteorologists, as officers with military appointments, and with government and private agencies.eorology degree and provides full credentials to work for the federal government as certified meteorologist.
As part of fulfilling the requirements of the Pathways to General Education, meteorology majors must MATH 1225 Calculus of a Single Variable and MATH 1226 Calculus of a Single Variable in addition to PHYS 2205 General Physics/PHYS 2215 General Physics Laboratory and PHYS 2206 General Physics/PHYS 2216 General Physics Laboratory or PHYS 2305 Foundations of Physics and PHYS 2306 Foundations of Physics. Meteorology majors must also complete 76 hours in geography/meteorology and related disciplines. All must take GEOG 1004 Introduction to Human Geography, GEOG 1014 World Regions, GEOG 1084 Digital Planet, GEOG 1104 Introduction to Environmental Geography, GEOG 1504 Survey of Meteorology, GEOG 1514 Introduction to Meteorology, GEOG 2084 Principles of Geographic Information Systems, GEOG 2314 Maps and Mapping, GEOG 2505 Weather Analysis I, GEOG 2506 Weather Analysis II, GEOG 3314 Cartography, GEOG 3504 Severe Weather, GEOG 4084 Modeling with Geographic Information Systems, GEOG 4354 Introduction to Remote Sensing, and GEOG 4554 Remote Sensing of Atmosphere. All students must also -complete MATH 1114 or MATH 2114 Introduction to Linear Algebra, MATH 2214 Introduction to Differential Equations and STAT 3604 Statistics for Social Science or STAT 3615 Biological Statistics. Furthermore, all students are required to complete a field experience of at least 3 credit hours from MTRG 2964 Field Study, MTRG 3524 Meteorology Field Methods, MTRG 3954 Study Abroad, MTRG 4584 Topics in Applied Meteorology, or MTRG 4994 Undergraduate Research. Students must take three courses of restricted electives. Students are directed to see the department's academic advisor and consult checksheets to confirm requirements for their graduation year. The Meteorology major leads to the B.S. in Meteorology degree and provides full credentials to work for the federal government as a certified meteorologist.
The following minors are offered:
Checksheets with program requirements can be found on the Office of the University Registrar's website at https://www.registrar.vt.edu/graduation-multi-brief/checksheets.html
Head: T.W. Crawford
Professors: A.W. Ellis, L.W. Carstensen, K.N. Kolivras, and L.M. Resler
Associate Professors: T.D. Baird, L. Juran, L. M. Kennedy, R.D. Oliver, T. Pingel, and Y. Shao
Assistant Professors: A. Bukvic, Y., E. Galappaththi, J. Kim, C. Ramseyer, S. Zick
Collegiate Assistant Professor: S. Rijal
Instructors: J. D. Boyer, D. F. Carroll, S. Scales, and K. Stiles
Undergraduate Academic Advisor: J. Burger
Professor Emeritus: J.B. Campbell
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