Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Geographic Science - Environmental Conservation, Sustainability and Development Concentration

The mission of the faculty of the Geographic Science Program at JMU is to help students realize their abilities as geographers by focusing on the role of human beings in their relationship with the earth and with one another. Our goal is to provide students with the intellectual and technical skills to synthesize information, become critical thinkers, and develop into more informed citizens, so they can have successful and rewarding careers. Through scholarship, teaching and service, the faculty in the Geographic Sciences Program are dedicated to bettering our community, nation and world. Goals: Through the study of geography, students will: Understand and properly use the terminology and concepts that are central to the discipline of geography, and explain how these concepts evolved over time. Use effective, appropriate geospatial technologies to address questions about human interactions within the built or natural environments. Be productive participants in research efforts aimed at measuring, describing, analyzing and explaining the underlying processes giving rise to geographic phenomena. Work effectively in multidisciplinary teams. Evaluate human-environment interactions from a holistic point of view that addresses geographic, as well as political, social, economic and ethical, factors affecting those interactions. Demonstrate civic responsibility and appreciation for culture and physical diversity from local to global scales. Career Opportunities: The geography major is divided into two concentration areas. Each of these offers a unique set of career opportunities. Environmental Conservation, Sustainability and Development Concentration: Geographic Science graduates trained in resource analysis, environmental conservation and sustainable development find jobs with local, state and federal governments, non-profit organizations, and for-profit agencies. Organizations hire geographers to work in environmental and land use planning, resource management (including hydrology, forestry, wildlife and soil conservation, and recreation management), area or regional specialties, international business, community development, and development of human and natural resources in foreign countries. Many geographic science graduates move on to graduate degrees (M.A., M.S. and Ph.D.) and become educators in higher education (community colleges and universities) or obtain higher level positions in both the private and public sector. Private environmental organizations and consulting firms, as well as government agencies, hire students completing the environmental studies concentration at JMU. Principal employers include the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and non-profit organizations including the Nature Conservancy and Peace Corps. Particularly marketable for JMU Geographic Science graduates is the combination of experiences in the ECSD and AGIS concentrations.