Minor in Geography

Our students become talented critical thinkers who are skilled in GIS, Indigenous mapping, fire ecology, and social landscapes of war and recovery, and who apply these skills in a range of careers.

Geographers strive to understand how people are shaped by, and in turn help shape, our world. Our top-ranked geography program allows students to combine fields of inquiry—from Indigenous mapping and fire ecology to GIS and social landscapes of war and recovery. The minor program in geography is meant for students who would like to acquire basic knowledge of geography in addition to their major area of study. 

  • Explore concepts that can hold the key to many global issues
  • Learn practical skills for working in the field, such as GIS and GPS, conducting surveys, and taking water samples
  • Complement your undergraduate studies with a minor

One of the top 15 universities in the world in geography

(Academic Ranking of World Universities, 2020)

No other geography department in the country receives as much external research funding as CU Boulder

Learn from experienced faculty with fieldwork sites that range from the Greenland ice sheet and the temperate forests of Patagonia to the savannas of East Africa and the plateau of Tibet

Be successful.

A minor in geography allows you to enter the workforce with an understanding of environmental change, global development and resource use in an increasingly complex and interdependent world.

 

Broaden your employment possibilities with additional knowledge and skills gained from a minor

 

GIS analyst, environmental consultant, conservation officer and research assistant are common opportunities to apply this minor

 

Work for the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Forest Service, or international relief and development organizations

Academic Plan & Requirements

To earn a minor in geography, students must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours.

Although no specific concentration is required, students may focus on one area of geography: 

  • Physical geography
  • Human geography
  • Environment-society relations
  • Geographic information science (GIS)

Community & Involvement

We strive to create a warm and friendly environment by providing opportunities for students in the geography department to get acquainted outside the classroom.

Be inspired.

The Department of Geography has an extensive alumni network working in a variety of industries across the globe.

Some alumni of the program include:

Waleed Abdalati

(PhD'96)
Director of CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences). He previously served as chief scientist for NASA and head of cryospheric sciences at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

James Balog

(MA'77)
President and founder of the Extreme Ice Survey and Earth Vision Institute. He is an acclaimed photographer and was featured in the Academy Award-nominated documentary Chasing Ice.

Michael Brown

(BA'90)
Has summited Mount Everest five times and made dozens of films on location from the highest peaks in the world, from South America to Antarctica. He’s also a teacher and founder of the Outside Adventure Film School in Boulder. Outside magazine, which sponsors the school, has called him a “swashbuckling librarian.”

Joshua Cousins

(BA'07)
An assistant professor at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Adam Serafin

(BA'02)
Lead knowledge analyst in geoanalytics at The Boston Consulting Group.

Jeff Kerridge

(BA'84)
Senior vice president at Digital Globe.

News & Stories

College of Arts & Sciences magazine cover