Georgia College to offer geography degree

Students with a passion to study the earth and its land, features, inhabitants and phenomena now can earn a degree in geography at Georgia College.

A Bachelor of Arts degree in geography is long overdue, according to Dr. Bob Wilson, interim chair of the History, Geography and Philosophy Department.

“Geographers, by the very nature of the discipline, unite science and the humanities in ways that few scholars do,” Wilson said. “The concerns that geographers address--the environment and climate change; river systems and the diminishing water resources; human ethnography and demography--all these studies impact policy decisions in critical ways. With the university’s emphasis on an internationally focused curriculum, geography becomes a disciplinary bedrock.”

The University System of Georgia Board of Regents in January approved geography as a major at Georgia College.
 
The degree should be available to students by the end of 2010 Spring semester. The university will recruit majors through the summer to begin 2010 Fall semester with a full cohort of geography majors, according to Dr. Doug Oetter, associate professor of geography.

The geography degree will focus primarily on global connections and local commitments and serve the mission of Georgia College by promoting global awareness and international connections, Oetter said.

“We will encourage our students to travel to other countries and continents, and then bring back with them ideas on how to improve living conditions in the rural South,” Oetter said. “There are countless opportunities for geographers in Middle Georgia, from mapping services and site assessment to rural development and international trade. Georgia College will help grow and build our regional economy through geography graduates.”

The degree will open up many avenues for cooperative research projects between Georgia College and local economic and environmental organizations.  

 “We strongly encourage internships for our students to prepare them for post-graduate opportunities,” Oetter said, “and to help improve our local community.”