168 courses with the subject GEOG, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
which emphasizes the distinctly human responses of people to various geographic situations throughout the world. The nature and development of cultural regions is studied. May not be taken for credit and for a grade if credit has been received for GEOG 1501.
or GEOG 1501 - Global Social Science: Global Geography (3) *
or GEOG 1105 - Introduction to Human Geography (3)
This Local Theme course uses the methods and insights of the social sciences to explore the central question of what it means to be a member of a “local” community. Through the study of the experiences of different peoples, cultures, and communities in our city, our region, or our nation, students will be able to better understand the complexity and diversity of the society in which we live. This course introduces students to urban planning, surveying broad planning movements, theories, and processes with a focus on the development of planning as a field and its role in past and future inequities. Students will learn how cities and regions plan for social, environmental, and economic change; mitigate negative impacts; and seek to address inequities. Additionally, students will focus on important issues in planning, and strategies for mitigating negative impacts. Students engage with such topics in the context of national and regional examples, but particularly in Charlotte, NC. May not be taken for credit and for a grade if credit has been received for GEOG 1110. 2026-2027 UNC CHARLOTTE UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG
Restricted Elective Courses (11 credit hours) Select 11 elective credit hours from ESCI courses, of which at least 4 credit hours are at the 3000 level or above. Related Courses (20 credit hours)
regions, history of exploration, the physical environment and political significance.
100 | College of Arts + Architecture
or URBS 2200 – Introduction to Urban Studies (3)
regional issues in geography. May be repeated for credit with change of topic. GEOG 3100. Geography of Cities. (3) Prerequisite(s): GEOG 1511 or GEOG 2200, or permission of instructor. Integrative study of cities with emphasis on human-environment interactions, influences of place and space, and urban systems, such as land use patterns, transportation, residential patterns, and commercial activities. GEOG 3102. Plant Geography. (3) Prerequisite(s): ESCI 1101 or ESCI 1501, or permission of instructor. Explores the spatial and temporal distribution and variety of plant life on earth. Distribution patterns may reflect former geologic or climatic conditions, as well as modern interactions between organisms and their environment. Fossils provide valuable information on the past ranges of plants including paleoecological information that may help explain changing vegetation patterns. Because very few biological communities escape the effects of human activities, the role humans have played in the ecology and distribution of terrestrial plants is a focus of the course. Current issues of conservation and biological diversity are also explored.
e GEOG 3106 - Sustainable Cities (3)
or GEOG 3200 - Land Use Planning (3)
Unrestricted Elective Courses, Double Major and/or Minor to Complete Requirements for Graduation Students must earn a minimum of 120 credit hours to graduate. This requirement can be fulfilled through a combination of elective courses, a minor, or a double major. The 120-credit minimum must be satisfied regardless of the specific academic path chosen (e.g., a minor combined with electives). Degree Total = 120 Credit Hours College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences | 439
3162. The shifting political, economic and cultural geographies of Europe. Addresses how current transformations in Europe influence global processes and how broader global trends translate into European societies. Topics include: the expansion and consolidation of the European Union; a ‘borderless’ Europe versus ‘Fortress Europe’; post- socialism and post-fascism in Central and Southern Europe; economic globalization; and post-colonial immigration.
Strategic Thinking & Systems Thinking ( 3 credit hours) At least 3 credit hours must come from Strategic Thinking & Systems Thinking.
2026-2027 UNC CHARLOTTE UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG Minor Total = 15 Credit Hours
3) GEOG 4108 - Sport, Place, and Development (3)
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. This experiential learning course explores the economic, equity, and environmental issues associated with sustainable development in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. Students travel to Peru over Spring Break and engage with local communities to discuss the context of how they measure and evaluate locally innovative sustainability practices. Students will examine and analyze the interconnections among the United Nations’ sustainable development goals and make comparisons about how the goals are achieved in various physical and cultural landscapes across the globe. Registration for this course is only permitted by successful application process in the Education Abroad Office.
the contemporary Middle East and the key socio-economic, cultural, 2026-2027 UNC CHARLOTTE UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG
Enrollment in this course is required for the department's geography cooperative education students during each semester that they are working. Participating students pay a course registration fee for transcript notation. Assignments must be arranged and approved in advance. The Cooperative Education Program is only open to undergraduate students; graduate level students are encouraged to contact their academic departments to inquire about academic or industrial internship options for credit. For more information, contact the University Career Center. Course may be repeated. Graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis.
instructor. An intensive study of topics in geography from such areas as urban, manufacturing, planning, retailing activity, transportation, political geography, and environmental geography. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
Directed Electives – Social Science/Health Focus (3 credit hours) Choose 3 credit hours from the list of courses below from psychosocial and health sciences:
Applications (3)
Planning (4)
Prerequisite(s): GEOG 3120 or permission of instructor. The fundamentals of database management systems and their relevance in GIS. Emphasis placed on the effective creation, maintenance, and retrieval or data from a spatially enabled database. Topics include: relational database theory and design, entity-relationship diagrams, Structured Query Language (SQL), spatial queries, geodatabase design.
Geographical and human factors that affect the movement of goods and people from place to place. Emphasis on transportation routes and networks, commodity flow patterns, and the locational implications of freight rates. GEOG 4180. Web GIS. (3) Cross-listed Course(s): GEOG 5180. Prerequisite(s): GEOG 3120. Introduction to the basic knowledge of, and advances in, Internet/Web GIS. Emphasis on the principles, methods, and applications of Web- or Internet-based GIS coupled with hands-on laboratory exercises for conducting GIS data operations, query, mapping, and spatial analysis/modeling via the Internet.
h, GEOG 4215 - Urban Ecology (3)
Prerequisite(s): GEOG 1511 and GEOG 2111 or permission of instructor. Explores small town population dynamics, rural-urban fringe land use dynamics, and changes in small towns’ community identity and sense of place. Emphasis on the issues and techniques that typify small town planning environments. Students investigate these issues via field work and data collection at municipal scales within the Charlotte region. GEOG 4210. Urban Planning Methods. (3) Prerequisite(s): GEOG 3205 or permission of instructor. Scope and methods of urban planning. Emphasis on analytical techniques, projections, and data sources used in developing comprehensive planning tasks and strategies. GEOG 4215. Urban Ecology. (3) Prerequisite(s): ESCI 2222 or permission of instructor. An introduction to the emerging field of urban ecology. Explores the biological, physical, and social components of the urban ecosystem at local, regional, and global scales. Emphasis on the interplay among components and the sustainability of cities during lectures, field trips, and group discussions.
Human/Environment Interaction (3 credit hours) Choose one course from the following:
GIS and T (6-8 credit hours) Choose two courses from the following:
Examination of the factors that influence the location of economic activities in the information age. Discussions and lectures explore the geographic aspects of the transition away from manufacturing to information processing as the primary mode of production. The transition is examined in terms of technology development, urban and regional development, information flows, and the location of quaternary industry.
Unrestricted Elective Courses, Double Major and/or Minor to Complete Requirements for Graduation Students must earn a minimum of 120 credit hours to graduate. This requirement can be fulfilled through a combination of elective courses, a minor, or a double major. The 120-credit minimum must be satisfied 2026-2027 UNC CHARLOTTE UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG
with the elements that structure urban form as well as the actors, principles, institutions, and other forces that shape the processes of urbanization. We will approach city building as an iterative process that unfolds at a range of scales, analyzing the ways in which urban form has been
Urban, Social, and Economic (6 credit hours) Choose two courses from the following:
Permission of department. Research and/or work experience designed n to be a logical extension of a student's academic program. The student must apply to department for an internship by submitting a proposal which specifies the type of work/research experience preferred and how the internship will complement his or her academic program. The student can receive three to six hours credit depending on the nature and extent 2026-2027 UNC CHARLOTTE UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG
Urban Studies and Planning (12 credit hours) Choose up to 12 credits from the following:
(3) Prerequisite(s): GEOG 1103 or GEOG 1105. Cross-listed Course(s): AFRS 4050, HONR 3700. Black Geographies is a discipline within the critical geographies cannon that studies the social, political, cultural, economic, and ecological aspects of race in/and geography. The course encourages critical reflection on the issues, processes, intrinsic qualities, and interconnections that shape Black lives and geographies on local, national, continental, and international scales. This course introduces students to the rich body of literature and activism highlighting the characteristics, politics, and practices that shape and are shaped by Black communities, and their connections to place, self and the environment.
Permission of department must be obtained and credit hours established in advance; and, when taken for honors credit, approval of a proposal through the Honors College Application to Candidacy process the semester prior to taking the course. Tutorial study or special research problems. May be repeated for credit.
Geography. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
Applications (3)
Prerequisite(s): GEOG 1105. Examines sport and its impact on the landscape of cities and communities. Implications of sport are examined in terms of urban use, urban social structure, markets, franchise movement and expansion, urban politics, its role in defining sense of place, and its impact on the development of communities and regions.
Majors (3)
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Theories and practices of modeling the environment with GIS. Topics include: types of spatial modeling frameworks; GIS data sources and measurement technologies for environmental duate Catalog 2026-2027
Applications (3)
and GIS (3)
(3) Geographical and human factors that affect the movement of goods and people from place to place. Emphasis on transportation routes and networks, commodity flow patterns and the locational implications of freight rates.
Majors (3)
(3) Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing in Geography. Cross- listed course(s): GEOG 4200. Introduces students to the history of the environmental justice movement, exploring the environmental issues, policies, and government and community responses to addressing environmental injustice. Students will learn about environmental justice through empirical studies on the spatial distribution of environmental quality and health, enforcement of regulations, access to resources to respond to urban and industrial problems, and environmental decision-making
population dynamics, rural-urban fringe land use dynamics, and changes in small towns' community identity and sense of place. Emphasis placed on the issues and techniques that typify small town planning environments. Students investigate these issues via field work and data collection at municipal scales within the Charlotte region.
emerging field of urban ecology. Explores the biological, physical, and social components of the urban ecosystem at local, regional, and global scales. Emphasis on the interplay among components and the sustainability of cities during lectures, field trips, and group discussions.
(3) Examination of the factors that influence the location of economic activities in the information age. Discussions and lectures explore the geographic aspects of the transition away from manufacturing to information processing as the primary mode of production. The transition is examined in terms of technology development, urban and regional development, information flows, and the location of quaternary industry.
Course(s): GEOG 4250. As people move in the world, food plays a central role in shaping identity, reproducing myth and ritual, and connecting diasporic communities. This mobility establishes dynamic foodways and gives rise to new food landscapes through which we can understand temporally connected sites of intense interaction. This course unpacks these processes through investigating the dynamics of food production and consumption in a transnational world. Recognizing the centrality of culinary culture in migrant identities, this course focuses on the role of food habits, rituals, and practices in producing and sustaining shared identities and places. Students gain an understanding of these relations through engagement with case studies and literature addressing the complex spaces we inhabit in a aduate Catalog 2026-2027
data sources; measuring population change; elementary projection and estimation techniques; spatial sampling; migration; survey design; applications in the public and private sectors.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of department; statistics recommended. Procedures for analyzing the operation and performance of transportation systems; includes network planning models, minimum path algorithms and assignments; energy, air pollution, and activity analysis models; and research approaches, data sources, time and activity budgets, infrastructure condition and needs assessment.
Geographies. (3) Black Geographies is a discipline within the critical geographies cannon that studies the social, political, cultural, economic, and ecological aspects of race in/and geography. The course encourages critical reflection on the issues, processes, intrinsic qualities, and interconnections that shape Black lives and geographies on local, national, continental, and international scales. This course introduces students to the rich body of literature and activism highlighting the characteristics, politics, and practices that shape and are shaped by Black communities, and their connections to place, self and the environment.
Prerequisite(s): six hours of urban-related undergraduate courses or permission of instructor. Intensive field study of cities of the Carolinas, with specific emphasis on the Charlotte metropolitan area.
GEOG 1105 and at least one of GEOG 2200, GEOG 2165, GEOG 3100, or GEOG 3205, or permission of instructor. Examines the reflexive relationship between society and urban space. Explores the intersection between urban geography and social theory, the evolution of city, community and personal spaces, and the relations and constructions of class, race, gender, and sexuality that shape and are shaped by the urban spaces in which we live and work.
Geography Graduate Standing. Cross-listed course(s):
enrolled as a graduate student in an MA or MS program. Cross-listed Course(s): GEOG 4340. Urban analytics is an emerging field that helps improve the understanding, management, and planning of cities by harnessing urban big data from a wide array of sources, including mobile devices, remote sensing, social media, and government records. This course is designed to introduce students to the basics of data analytics and its application in dealing with various urban challenges, such as urban sprawl, crime, air pollution, socioeconomic inequity, sustainable transportation, and public health. Hands-on practices will help students to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to collect, manage, and analyze data in urban environments to extract meaningful insights and make informed decisions that support urban planning and policymaking.
Cross-listed Course(s): GEOG 8000. Examination of major theories, methods, and issues in the area of urban and regional analysis. Instructional method(s) vary according to topic, course objectives, and instructor. May be repeated for credit with change of topic. s
(3) Cross-listed Course(s): GEOG 8005. Emerging methods and research frontiers in Earth and Environmental Systems. Course format includes lectures, student-led group discussions of readings, and/or hands-on data collection and analysis in the field or using available datasets. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
Cross-listed Course(s): GEOG 8010. Examination of major theories, methods, and issues in the area of Geographic Information Science. Instructional method(s) vary according to topic, course objectives, and instructor. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
listed Course(s): GEOG 8030. Cartographic, remote sensing, quantitative techniques or field techniques. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
Course(s): MBAD 6159, MSRE 6159. An introduction to the real estate development process. Identification and evaluation of the critical assumptions and issues related to market and site feasibility, financial feasibility, planning, ate Catalog 2026-2027
or GEOG 8120 - Spatial Statistics (3)
Prerequisite(s): GEOG 5131, GEOG 5132, or permission of instructor. This seminar focuses on the theories of spatial modeling and simulation. Topics include, but are not limited to, spatial systems, models for spatial analysis, models for spatial simulation, modeling life-cycle, model verification, validation, and accreditation.
experience relevant to the nature of urban regions. Examination of the nature of urban regions. The basic factors that shape urban regions as they grow. Impact of: ate Catalog 2026-2027
Practice (3) Two methods or research design courses from the list below (or another with approval):
Technology (4)
Cross-listed Course(s): ESCI 6130; GEOG 8130; INES 8130. Interactive, discussion-based course exploring effective pedagogy in the geosciences, applicable to many geoscience-related disciplines including atmospheric, ecological, oceanic, geologic, and geographic sciences. Students will explore what makes learning in the geosciences unique, teaching methods that enhance student learning, and how to create effective learning environments. Other topics include putting together lesson plans, assessing student work, and conducting pedagogical research.
or GEOG 8205 - Geovisualization (3)
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Focuses on the spatial thinking, spatial analytic methods and their GIS applications suited for urban and regional analyses. Modeling approaches include spatial interaction models, spatial optimization methods, spatial diffusion, space-time modeling of individual behavior and integrated transportation land-use models. duate Catalog 2026-2027
Course(s): GEOG 8210 and PPOL 8615. Critical assessment of the causes and consequences of contemporary urban restructuring. Evaluation of theoretical, planning and policy challenges facing urban society associated with global- local change.
Course(s): GEOG 8211. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Examination of changing patterns and dynamics of immigrant settlement and adjustment in U.S. and Canadian urban areas. Topics include: assimilation and integration, identity formation, trans-nationalism, enclave development, labor market involvement, gateway versus new destinations, immigrant suburbanization, and socio- spatial isolation.
Ecological Systems. (3) Examines critically the art and science of resilience thinking within the context of urban and regional socio‐ecological systems (i.e., urban resilience) and explores resilience building as both an instrument for, and practice of, urban sustainable development.
Inequality, and Identity in Contemporary Cities. (3) Contemporary cities are idealized as cosmopolitan places inhabited by residents of different genders, ethnicities, sexualities, classes, and other identities. Yet each of these intersecting axes of difference contribute to varied experiences, struggles, and uses of urban space. This course examines the production and maintenance of relations of power, inequality, and identity in contemporary cities. Critical frameworks in feminist, critical race, sexuality, post-colonial, and intersectional theory are used to consider the ways that intersecting power relations are spatialized and embodied, shape perceptions and understanding of space and place, and contribute to struggles for the right to the city. Such frameworks are applied to urban processes and problems relating to
listed Course(s): GEOG 8216. Engages students in reading, discussion, and guided research on the dilemmas of urban sustainability and planning approaches to address these dilemmas. Examines the concept of sustainability critically, comparing its diverse applications and meanings as a guide for decisions in the built environment. Explores the social and physical structures that make radical change difficult, as well as innovations in city planning like ecological footprinting, climate action planning, smart growth, bus rapid transit, energy-efficient technologies, the sharing economy, and grassroots movements for alternative communities like ecovillages. Although the course engages scholarship from all over the world, and explores innovations in Latin American and some European cities, most of the discussion focuses on problems and solutions specific to the United States.
listed Course(s): GEOG 8220. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Investigates the inter-relationships between humans and their natural or physical environments. Topics include: human subsistence strategies, natural resource use, and human impact upon vegetation, soil, water, landforms, and climate.
course which surveys the history and prehistory of human ecological dynamics, drawing on geology, geography, and ecology to understand the interrelationships between global environmental systems and their inhabitants. Topics include: climatic change and its impacts on biological systems, peopling of new landscapes, anthropogenic vegetation change, extinctions, desertification, invasive species interactions, and changes in human subsistence.
Cross-listed Course(s): ESCI 6222, GEOG 8222, and INES 8222. A multi-disciplinary course which surveys methods used to reconstruct past climates, past environments and past landscapes during the Quaternary period. Changes in past environmental conditions are discussed in light of present and future landscape predictions emphasizing both natural and human causes. Focuses on biotic and abiotic material from terrestrial and marine sediment cores, ice cores, and other proxies for past environments and past climates.
of instructor. Introduction to the field of biogeography, the study of the distribution of organisms across space and time. Foundational theories and principles in biogeography, as well as emerging research frontiers, are covered in ate Catalog 2026-2027
ESCI 6226, GEOG 8226, and INES 8226. An introduction to landscape ecology, the study of the interplay between spatial pattern and ecological process. Lectures and in- depth group discussions focus on the fundamental and applied aspects of topics such as habitat fragmentation, animal movement in human-dominated landscapes, landscape legacies, road ecology, and landscape planning.
Course(s): ESCI 6227, GEOG 8227, and INES 8227. Ecosystem restoration has long been used as a method to return the natural structure and function to degraded ecosystems. This course examines the theory and methods used in restoration with a focus on both terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Focuses on the science and policy of ecosystem restoration with examples from ecosystems around the world.
Applications. (3) Cross-listed Course(s): ESCI 6229, GEOG 8229, and INES 8229. Examines environmental tracers in surface and subsurface hydrology (streams, lakes, and groundwater) using an applied approach. Tracer techniques include geochemical element fingerprinting, stable isotopes, and residence time estimation.
or GEOG 8282 - CyberGIS and Big Data (3)
listed Course(s): GEOG 8302 and PPOL 8642. Neo- classical and contemporary theories of trade, economic geography and urban and regional development. Topics include: theories of urban and regional growth, location theories including industry, central places, and growth centers; human capital, labor force, and entrepreneurial contributions to growth; policy dimensions of urban growth and development are addressed from theoretical and empirical perspectives.
Course(s): MBAD 6258 and MSRE 6258. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Examination of factors affecting the feasibility of land parcels for commercial and residential development with emphasis on the physical evaluation of a given site, the market support for its intended use, and the financial support for the proposed development.
GRAD 6101 or permission of instructor. Market area analysis and site evaluation methods, including the application of multivariate statistical models, spatial interaction-gravity models, and location-allocation techniques to the retail location analysis task.
Cross-listed Course(s): GEOG 8500 and PPOL 8616. Critical assessment of alternative planning theories and their application to planning practices. Examination of economic, political, social, cultural and geographical factors affecting the operations of cities and resource distribution.
listed Course(s): ARCH 6050 and MUDD 5601. Problem- solving, client-based course designed to give students duate Catalog 2026-2027
Course(s): GEOG 8600 and PPOL 8613. Examination of surface transportation from a public policy perspective. Institutional components and role of government at all levels influencing investment; changes in technology, environment, security, safety, equity, cost-effectiveness, public health and welfare are covered.
Cross-listed Course(s): GEOG 8800. Individual research into geographic topics. May be repeated for credit one time with change of topic.
research report based on directed study of a topic of geographic significance. Graded on a Pass/Unsatisfactory basis. May be repeated for credit (required minimum total of 6 credits).
Cross-listed Course(s): GEOG 6000. Examination of major theories, methods, and issues in the area of urban and regional analysis. Instructional method(s) vary according to topic, course objectives, and instructor. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
(3 to 4) Cross-listed Course(s): GEOG 6005. Emerging methods and research frontiers in Earth and Environmental Systems. Course format includes lectures, student-led group discussions of readings, and/or hands-on data collection and analysis in the field or using available datasets. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
Cross-listed Course(s): GEOG 6010. Examination of major theories, methods and issues in the area of Geographic Information Science. Instructional method(s) vary according to topic, course objectives and instructor. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
listed Course(s): GEOG 6030. Cartographic, remote sensing, quantitative techniques or field techniques. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
listed Course(s): GEOG 6115. An overview of qualitative research methods commonly used in the geosciences. In addition to reviewing the evolution and theoretical underpinnings of qualitative approaches in the field of Geography generally, the course explores the application and evaluation of various methodologies such as, but not limited to, interviews, focus groups, discourse analysis and participatory research. Issues of research design, rigor, ethics, and communication of qualitative methods are also addressed.
GEOG 6120, GRAD 6104, GRAD 8104, and INES 8090. Prerequisite(s): GRAD 8101 or equivalent. Introduction to modern spatial statistics methods and their applications for the analysis of spatial data. Fundamental characteristics of spatial data, including spatial dependence, stationarity, and isostropy are covered. Three main categories of spatial statistics are given focus: spatial point pattern analysis, spatial prediction and geostatistics, and spatial regression. Hands-on practices are given to facilitate the understanding of theories and methods of spatial statistics.
(3) Cross-listed Course(s): GEOG 6124. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Critical examination of trends in the history and philosophy of geographic thought and their application across the human, physical, and methodological domains of the discipline.
Technology (4)
Cross-listed Course(s): ESCI 6130, GEOG 6130, INES 8130. Interactive, discussion-based course exploring effective pedagogy in the geosciences, applicable to many geoscience-related disciplines including atmospheric, ecological, oceanic, geologic, and geographic sciences. Students will explore what makes learning in the geosciences unique, teaching methods that enhance uate Catalog 2026-2027
GEOG 6205. Prerequisite(s): GEOG 8125. Cartographic design, representation versus communication, cognitive and perceptual issues, visual variables and color, proportional symbology, choropleth and flow mapping. Exploratory space-time data analysis. Representation of change (space-time) and movement. Interactive, dynamic and animated visualization. 3D geovisualization. Series of exercises in a GIS environment.
Course(s): GEOG 6209. Prerequisite(s): GRAD 6101 or equivalent. Pre- or Corequisite(s): GRAD 6101. Focuses on the use of social network analysis to understand the expanding connectivity and complexity of the socioeconomic world at all scales, and to systemically study semantic relationships and emerging social structures, whether they are social organizations, companies, virtual or place-based communities, markets or politically-defined entities. It discusses how social network concepts, theories and methods frame a wide range of phenomena within the context of relevant social science theories. Emphasis is placed on applied methods and on developing skills useful in empirical social science research.
Course(s): GEOG 6210 and PPOL 8615. Critical assessment of the causes and consequences of contemporary urban restructuring. Evaluation of theoretical, planning and policy challenges facing urban society associated with global- local change.
Course(s): GEOG 6211. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Examination of changing patterns and dynamics of immigrant settlement and adjustment in U.S. and Canadian urban areas. Topical areas include assimilation and integration, identity formation, trans-nationalism, enclave development, labor market involvement, gateway versus new destinations, immigrant suburbanization and socio-spatial isolation.
listed Course(s): GEOG 6216. Engages students in reading, discussion, and guided research on the dilemmas of urban sustainability and planning approaches to address these dilemmas. Examines the concept of sustainability critically, comparing its diverse applications and meanings as a guide for decisions in the built environment. Explores the social and physical structures that make radical change difficult, as well as innovations in city planning like ecological footprinting, climate action planning, smart growth, bus rapid transit, energy-efficient technologies, the sharing economy, and grassroots movements for alternative communities like ecovillages. Although the course engages scholarship from all over the world, and explores innovations in Latin American and some European cities, most of the discussion focuses on problems and solutions specific to the United States.
Cross-listed Course(s): ESCI 6222, GEOG 6222, and INES 8222. A multi-disciplinary course which surveys methods used to reconstruct past climates, past environments and past landscapes during the Quaternary period. Changes in past environmental conditions are discussed in light of present and future landscape predictions emphasizing both natural and human causes. Focuses on biotic and abiotic material from terrestrial and marine sediment cores, ice cores, and other proxies for past environments and past climates.
Course(s): ESCI 6202. Examines the Earth’s water and major elemental cycles including those of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus and the major crustal elements. Uncertainties in the current state of understanding of global elemental cycles are also uate Catalog 2026-2027
ESCI 6226, GEOG 6226, and INES 8226. An introduction to landscape ecology, the study of the interplay between spatial pattern and ecological process. Lectures and in- depth group discussions focus on the fundamental and applied aspects of topics such as habitat fragmentation, animal movement in human-dominated landscapes, landscape legacies, road ecology, and landscape planning.
Course(s): ESCI 6227, GEOG 6227, and INES 8227. Ecosystem restoration has long been used as a method to return the natural structure and function to degraded ecosystems. This course examines the theory and methods used in restoration with a focus on both terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Focuses on the science and policy of ecosystem restoration and uses examples from ecosystems around the world.
Applications. (3) Cross-listed Course(s): ESCI 6229, GEOG 6229, and INES 8229. Examines environmental tracers in surface and subsurface hydrology (streams, lakes, and groundwater) using an applied approach. Tracer techniques include geochemical element fingerprinting, stable isotopes, and residence time estimation.
Course(s): GEOG 6282. Prerequisite(s): GEOG 8125. CyberGIS and Big Data represent two emerging themes in the study of geographic information science. As geospatial technologies advance, big spatial data are increasingly available. However, the processing and analytics of these big spatial data represent a challenge. Cyberinfrastructure- enabled GIS (i.e., CyberGIS) provides solid support for resolving this challenge. The significance of CyberGIS in handling big spatial data analytics has been well recognized. This course focuses on the key capabilities of CyberGIS: high-performance and parallel spatial computing, spatial cloud computing, and big data analytics. It also exposes students to cutting-edge cyberinfrastructure theories, methods, and geospatial applications. Students benefit from this course by learning how to leverage state-of-the-art cyberinfrastructure- enabled GIS technologies for the resolution of complex spatiotemporal problems. With training from cyber- enabled GIS and big data, students are very productive in their specific domains and competitive in their future career.
Course(s): GEOG 6300. Prerequisite(s): Basic computer skills including spreadsheets. Introduction to methods and techniques used in regional analysis. Topical areas include
listed Course(s): GEOG 6302 and PPOL 8642. Neo- classical and contemporary theories of trade, economic geography and urban and regional development. Topics include: theories of urban and regional growth, location theories including industry, central places and growth centers; human capital, labor force and entrepreneurial contributions to growth; policy dimensions of urban growth and development are addressed from theoretical and empirical perspectives.
Cross-listed Course(s): GEOG 6500 and PPOL 8616. Critical assessment of alternative planning theories and their application to planning practices. Examination of economic, political, social, cultural and geographical factors affecting the operations of cities and resource distribution.
Course(s): GEOG 6600 and PPOL 8613. Examination of surface transportation from a public policy perspective. Institutional components and role of government at all levels influencing investment; changes in technology, environment, security, safety, equity, cost-effectiveness, public health and welfare are covered.
(taken twice for a total of 2 credit hours; once in the first year during the Fall semester and once in the third year during the Fall semester)
Cross-listed Course(s): GEOG 6800. Individual research into geographic topics. May be repeated once for credit with change of topic.
Elective Courses (15 credit hours) In consultation with their Faculty Advisor, students select and successfully complete a minimum of 15 credit hours of 6000 or 8000-level elective courses from the department or another department that build towards expertise in the student’s chosen field of specialization and the methods central to conducting rigorous geographic research. At least 6 credit hours need to come from inside the department (GEOG or ESCI). Students may take GEOG 8800 - Directed Problems in Geography as an elective. This course may be repeated for no more than a total of 6 credit hours. Degree Total (51): All required courses (18), graduate level electives courses (15), and dissertation research credits (18). Dissertation Research (18 credit hours)
completion of qualifying examinations. Under the direction of a dissertation advisor and committee, students design and execute an original research study. This study should address a significant issue or problem related to geography. Graded on a Satisfactory Progress/Unsatisfactory Progress basis each term. May be repeated for credit (required minimum total of 18 credit hours).
Source: University of North Carolina at Charlotte's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 61
