The Geographical and Sustainability Sciences major at Iowa explores the dynamic interplay between natural and social systems.
Are you curious about how humans impact the environment, and the environment affects societies? Interested in human mobility, environmental health, biodiversity, and how climate change connects to these and other societal challenges? The Geographical and Sustainability Sciences major teaches students how to make a positive impact in the world through an interdisciplinary approach that integrates geospatial data science with social and natural sciences. Students delve into the human impact in the environment and vice versa, developing technical skills along the way. This unique program fosters a holistic understanding of environmental challenges and empowers students to pursue careers in sustainability and make a positive impact on the world.
Iowa is one of only a few institutions that has students approach environmental challenges from an interdisciplinary systems perspective that focuses on both natural and social systems and the integration between them. This perspective allows students to assess how social and biophysical forces interact to affect the functioning of Earth’s systems and the well-being of people, affording them unique, more holistic insight into the causes and consequences of environmental challenges and solutions to them.
The program additionally equips students with the analytical skills required to assess problems and devise solutions to them, through a wealth of experiential learning opportunities on and off campus. Students will have access to the Geographic Information Systems Instructional Lab (GISIL), a state-of-the art computer lab used to teach GIS, cartography, and remote sensing. The GISIL also supports field-based educational activities using mobile GIS software, UAVs, and GPS to collect and analyze data. This unique training experience builds future researchers and practitioners with the perspective and strong analytical skillset needed to address today most pressing challenges head-on.
In addition to your Geographical and Sustainability Sciences major, you may choose to pursue K-12 teaching licensure through the combined B.A. + M.A.T. in Education.
Students interested in this major need to meet the requirements for admission to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
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Iowa graduates have a 95 percent job/grad school placement rate within six months of graduation. Our Pomerantz Career Center offers multiple resources to help students find internships and jobs.
Students with a Geographical and Sustainability Sciences degree from Iowa go on to careers in a range of fields cartographer, GIS or sustainability analyst, sustainable policy advisor, public health analyst, or geospatial software development. They find work in a range of places, including state geological surveys and regulatory agencies, federal surveys and agencies, and public and private sector companies.
In addition to more than 500 student organizations, Iowa students choose from more than 100 study abroad programs and multiple undergraduate research opportunities.
Student organizations of special interest to Geographical and Sustainability Sciences students include the Iowa Community Integrated Geography Organization (ICIGO) and the Undergraduate Geography Association.
The University of Iowa provides a variety of scholarships to eligible undergraduate students through the Iowa Scholarship Portal. Scholarships are available to first-year, transfer, and currently enrolled students. For additional details on scholarships for your program of study, check directly with the department or college.
The Office of Admissions and the Office of Student Financial Aid are great resources for students seeking scholarships.
Students entering the School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability all take a set of four core courses that introduce them to natural and social science environmental topics, tools and methods, and research and career opportunities.
Students majoring in Geographical and Sustainability Sciences can earn a BA or a BS degree.
The BA program is designed for students interested in approaching environmental challenges from an explicitly human perspective, on the basis that knowledge of human attitudes on wealth, health and justice are necessary to tackle questions of environmental sustainability.
The BS program is designed for students interested in quantitative approaches to addressing and understanding environmental challenges. BS students choose one of two tracks: Sustainability Sciences for understanding how interactions between people and Earth’s physical and biological systems both contribute to–and are impacted by–environmental challenges, and the Geographic Information Science track to learn about using quantitative skills (GIS, remote sensing, spatial analysis) to understand and solve complex challenges at the intersection of nature and society.
Geographical and Sustainability Sciences majors also must complete the requirements of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences GE CLAS Core.
While earning a BA or a BS, students are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research project with a faculty mentor. Most Geographical and Sustainability Sciences students participate in undergraduate research, and many formally publish their findings in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
View Geographical and Sustainability Sciences in the UI General Catalog to learn more about the course requirements for the major or minor and graduating with honors.