Geography BA/MA

Undergraduate Course Requirements

Graduate Course Requirements

Notes

Upon completion of undergraduate program requirements and all MA requirements, the combined degree is conferred at the end of the fifth year.

Total Credits Required for Undergraduate Major: 50-57

Additional Degree Requirements Include:

• Additional coursework to fulfill UB Curriculum requirements
• Elective courses as needed to complete the 140 credit hour total

Total Undergraduate Credits Required: 90-93

Total Graduate Credits Required for Degree: 30-31

Total Credits Required for Graduation: 124

Total Credit Hours Required represents the minimum credits needed to complete this program, and may vary based on a number of circumstances. This should not be used for financial aid purposes.

Academic Requirements

Minimum GPA of 2.900. Two letters of recommendation from Geography instructors. 

Acceptance to the MA portion of this program requires submission of GRE scores. We recommend this be done between the third and fourth year.

Most of these courses are only offered once each year; therefore, students need to plan ahead to be certain that they enroll in the required courses during the appropriate semesters. Students must apply to the department for full-time graduate status by Spring of their fourth year.

Program Honors and Program Distinction

Students must complete an honors project under the supervision of a Geography faculty member. Each project is to be read and evaluated by a second faculty member in the department who has expertise in the area of the student’s project. Students who wish to complete an honors project must make arrangements with the appropriate faculty member by the end of the semester preceding the semester (or summer session) when the student expects to register for the honors course. Students must receive a grade of B or higher in the honors course. Students must also meet the remaining Program Honors criteria outlined in the Academic Honors policy. 

Majors who do not pursue a thesis but have exceptional grades are eligible for Program Distinction upon degree conferral if the criteria are met.  These criteria are also found in the Academic Honors policy.

Curricular Plan

A Curricular Plan provides a roadmap for completing this academic program and the UB Curriculum on time. Your actual plan may vary depending on point of entry to the university, course placement and/or waivers based on standardized test scores, earned alternative credit and/or college transfer credit.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Geography BA/MA program, students will understand the basics of trade theory and global production network. Students will recognize and define the rapidly changing dynamics of the international business environment and its impact on corporate strategies and patterns of international trade and investment. Students will understand how these patterns shape, and are shaped by, historic and contemporary geographies of global inequality. Students will have well-developed skills in qualitative and quantitative methods of inquiry, as employed in research, industry, and government agencies.

(HEGIS: 22.06 GEOGRAPHY, CIP: 45.0701 Geography)