Geography Teacher Education (Minor)

Program Summary

Geography is traditionally divided into three areas, and all three are offered in the SUU geography curriculum. These include (1) physical geography, an examination of earth’s physical systems; (2) human or cultural geography, which explores spatial relationships in human activities; and (3) technical or applied geography, including the technologies of geographic research, which encompasses cartography, GIS, GPS, and related technologies.

The mission of the SUU geography program is:

1. To continue and expand the relationship between the departments of Physical Science and History and Sociology and to support the programs and degrees offered by these departments.
2. To discover, describe, explain, and interpret the character of the Earth as home to humans by focusing on interrelationships within and among natural and cultural subsystems and regions.
3. To contribute to the liberal education offered by the University, to provide excellence in teaching, and to offer students the best in geography education that can be obtained at any institution of higher learning.
4. To offer specialized training in applied geography, including GIS and cartography.

Geography Minors

SUU offers two geography minors. The academic geography minor can be used either to fulfill graduation requirements or to prepare the student for graduate school. The geography education minor will qualify the student for certification to teach geography in Utah’s secondary schools.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Understand basic Geographic concepts, including the relationships between people, places, and environments in a spatial (geographic) context.
• Demonstrate skills and competencies in Geospatial technologies, including cartography, photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information science (GIS), and mathematics, including basic statistics.
• Understand the nature of Science (natural or social) and the scientific method.
• Demonstrate laboratory, field, and archival research skills.
• Demonstrate skills in dissemination, including scientific writing and oral presentation.

Program Information

• All courses must be passed with a “C” (2.0) or better to be counted in the minor.
• All prerequisite courses must be passed with “C” (2.0) or better.
• Credits greater than 10 years old will not be accepted for this minor.
• Some courses are taught every other year. Consult your advisor for scheduling help.