The College of Natural Resources conducts extensive research and development in the geographic information sciences. It works extensively with the Environmental Systems Research Institute software company to assure that graduates of the geography program gain proficiency in the latest tools for analyses of geographic information and mapping of the earth's surface.
Students must choose an emphasis.

In addition to completing the 14-credit geography core, all students must complete 48 credits in one of the following emphasis areas.

• Human-Environment Geography: This emphasis provides a broad overview of the relationships between humans and their environments across different cultures, economies, and geographic locations around the globe. It requires an understanding of the dynamics of geology, meteorology, hydrology, biogeography, ecology, and geomorphology, as well as the ways in which human societies conceptualize the environment.

• Geographical Analysis and Bioregional Planning: This emphasis assists students in gaining a solid foundation of geographic information analysis and the skills needed for regional planners. Areas of study include geography, natural resources, landscape architecture, and city and regional planning.

• Physical Geography: This emphasis focuses on physical processes on a landscape scale. Students gain proficiency in geographic information sciences and are exposed to processes of landscape geomorphology and hydrology. Students completing this emphasis will have strong quantitative skills, will be versed in spatial analysis, and will gain an understanding of the interactions of the physics, chemistry, and biology inherent in earth ecosystems.