Curriculum

The coursework in Oregon State’s online geography and geospatial science program will provide you with an in-demand skill set to help you address business, land use, natural resource, planning, transportation, natural hazards, national defense and public safety challenges worldwide. 

Geography is a scientific discipline that explores people’s relationship with their physical environment and natural, cultural and built resources. The curriculum in this program focuses on relevant topics including water, climate and society; hazards and resources; and human-environment relations with an international perspective aimed at enhancing global awareness.

Degree requirements

A minimum of 180 quarter credits are required to graduate with your degree in geography and geospatial science, including:

• OSU's Baccalaureate Core (general education)
• Major requirements: Geography and geospatial science

Honors degree online

As an undergraduate degree-seeking student, you can apply to earn an honors degree online in your academic major. Earning this prestigious degree gives you the opportunity to collaborate with faculty on research, complete a comprehensive thesis experience and engage in co-curricular activities.

Sample course topics

• Physical geography
• Human-environment geography
• Climate justice
• Geographic information systems and theory
• Remote sensing
• Geovisualization and cartography
• Geographic field research
• Foundations of geospatial science
• Web mapping
• Geospatial analysis
• Geovisual analytics

Additional program features

Experiential learning

All geography and geospatial sciences major students are required to complete 9 credits of experiential learning. More information is available within the program curriculum on OSU's academic catalog.

Computer software requirements

Three required major courses utilize ArcGIS Pro software that is not Mac-compatible. Your PC must meet these requirements: 

• Operating system: A 64-bit version of Windows 8.1 or Windows 10
• Processor: A quad-core Intel Core i5 2.4GHz processor or better
• Memory: 8 GB of RAM or more
• Storage: 32 GB or more on a solid-state drive (SSD)
• Monitor/Video card: SVGA or better resolution display (1024 x 768, 24-bit graphics)
• Video/Graphics adapter

See Open GL or DirectX adapter and additional system requirements at the ArcGIS Pro website.

Transfer credits

Some degree requirements may be transferred from other institutions. Please note that a minimum of 45 credits of the last 75 credits in this degree program must be completed at Oregon State (online or on campus) to meet the academic residency requirement.

Previously earned credits will need to be reviewed upon admittance to OSU for appropriate articulation. Additional information about transferring credits is available through OSU’s Transfer Credit Central.

Add a minor

As an Oregon State Ecampus student, you can add a minor to your degree program. OSU boasts a diverse offering of minors online, giving you a great way to enhance your studies and gain a competitive advantage in the job market.