Are you passionate about environmental sustainability? Are you curious about what a socially just world might look like? Do you find physical landscapes inspiring? Are you interested in the analysis and visualization of data? Are you intrigued by the diversity of people and places around the world? Do you find the social life of cities fascinating? Are you kept up at night wondering why some places are rich while others are poor? Geography could be a great fit for you. Geography is especially ideal for individuals who have a wide range of interests spanning the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and data sciences.
Geography is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to understand patterns and interrelationships on Earth. These range from humans’ relationships with the environment and the interactions of earth systems to the social worlds and built environments that different societies build to mapping and spatial analysis of big data. It is a rich and vibrant discipline that is essential to understanding the world and many of its problems. Geography thus offers a unique lens through which to illuminate the intertwined places, societies, and ecologies that comprise our diverse world.
How to Get in
| Requirements | Details |
|---|---|
| How to get in | No application required. All students who meet the requirements listed below are eligible to declare. For information on how to declare, visit Advising & Careers. |
| Courses required to get in | None |
| GPA requirements to get in | None |
| Credits required to get in | None |
| Other | None |
University Requirements
All undergraduate students must complete both the following Core General Education (Core GenEd) and University Degree and Quality of Work requirements. The requirements below apply to students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution is Summer 2026 or later.
Students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution occurred before Summer 2026 should refer to the archived Guide for the requirements that apply to them.
Core General Education (Core GenEd) Requirements
| Civics & Perspectives | 3 credits of Civics & Perspectives coursework. |
| Communication & Literacy | 6 credits of Communication & Literacy coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. For more information see this tiny url: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingenglishplacement |
| Humanities & Arts | 6 credits of Humanities & Arts coursework. |
| Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning | 6 credits of Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. For more information see this tiny url: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingmathplacement |
| Natural Science & Wellness | Complete both:
|
| Social & Behavioral Science | 3 credits of Social & Behavioral Science coursework. |
| Total Credits | 30 credits. |
For more information see the policy.
University Degree and Quality of Work Requirements
All undergraduate degree recipients must complete the following minimum requirements. Requirements for some programs will exceed these requirements; see program requirements for additional information.
| Total Degree | 120 degree credits. |
| Residency | Complete 30 credits in residence. A course is considered “in residence” if it is taken when in undergraduate degree-seeking status and:
|
| Quality of Work | Achieve at least the minimum grade point average specified by the school, college, and/or academic program. |
| Math | Demonstrate minimal mathematics competence by: |
| English Language | If required to take the UW-Madison English as a Second Language Assessment Test (MSN-ESLAT), demonstrate minimal English language competence by:
|
| Language | Complete one:
|
| Major Declaration | Declare and complete the requirements for at least one major. |
College of Letters & Science Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Letters & Science must complete all of the requirements below. Some courses satisfy more than one L&S degree requirement (visit College of Letters & Science: Requirements for details).
This major can be paired with either the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree requirements.
Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements
| Communication | Complete both:
|
| Quantitative Reasoning | Complete both:
|
| Ethnic Studies | one 3+ credit course with the Ethnic Studies designation |
| Language | Complete either:
|
| L&S Breadth: Humanities | Complete 12 credits with the Humanities or Literature designation, which must include at least 6 credits with the Literature designation. |
| L&S Breadth: Social Sciences | Complete 12 credits with the Social Science designation. |
| L&S Breadth: Natural Sciences | Complete 12 credits with the Natural Science, Biological Science, or Physical Science designations, which must include both:
|
| Liberal Arts and Science (LAS) Coursework | at least 108 credits |
| Depth of Intermediate/Advanced work | at least 60 credits at the Intermediate or Advanced level |
| Major | Declare and complete at least one major. |
| Total Credits | at least 120 credits |
| UW-Madison Experience |
|
| Quality of Work |
|
Non–L&S students pursuing an L&S major
Non–L&S students who have permission from their School/College to pursue an additional major within L&S only need to fulfill the major requirements. They do not need to complete the L&S Degree Requirements above.
Requirements for the Major
Students must declare one of the major options below, complete Core Requirements common to each option, and also the specific requirements for their declared option.
Core Requirements
30 credits the major, to include these core requirements:
Breadth
3 courses, 1 each from these areas:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Human Geography (1 course) | 3 | |
| Human Geography: Space, Place, Society, and Politics | ||
| Introduction to Human Geography | ||
| Making the American Landscape | ||
| Weird Geographies | ||
| Revolutions and Social Change | ||
| Economic Geography: Locational Behavior | ||
| Introduction to the City | ||
| International Migration, Health, and Human Rights | ||
| Latinx Feminisms: Women's Lives, Work, and Activism | ||
| The Global Game: Soccer, Politics, and Identity | ||
| Universal Basic Income: The Politics Behind a Global Movement | ||
| Introduction to Geopolitics | ||
| World Regions in Global Context | ||
| Geography of Wisconsin | ||
| Africa, South of the Sahara | ||
| Human Geography of Southeast Asia | ||
| Critical Indigenous Ecological Knowledges | ||
| Space and Place: A Geography of Experience | ||
| Researching the City: Qualitative Strategies | ||
| Feminist Geography: Theoretical Approaches | ||
| Urban Spatial Patterns and Theories | ||
| Waste Geographies: Politics, People, and Infrastructures | ||
| Economic Geography | ||
| Critical Social Theory | ||
| Queer Geographies | ||
| Feminist Geography: Methodological Approaches | ||
| Trans Autotheories | ||
| Power, Place, Identity | ||
| People–Environment (1 course) | 3 | |
| Global Environmental Issues | ||
| Climate Change, Climate Action: The Social Dimensions of Climate Change | ||
| Making the American Landscape | ||
| People, Land and Food: Comparative Study of Agriculture Systems | ||
| Global Warming: Science and Impacts | ||
| Green Urbanism | ||
| International Environmental Governance | ||
| Nature, Power and Society | ||
| Environmental Biogeography | ||
| Conservation and Climate Change - Local to International Strategies | ||
| World Regions in Global Context | ||
| Changing Landscapes of the American West | ||
| Caring for Nature in Native North America | ||
| Australia: Environment and Society | ||
| Critical Indigenous Ecological Knowledges | ||
| Planning for Resilience to Natural Hazards | ||
| People, Wildlife and Landscapes | ||
| US Environmental Policy and Regulation | ||
| American Environmental History | ||
| Human Transformations of Earth Surface Processes | ||
| Environmental Governance: Markets, States and Nature | ||
| Culture and Environment | ||
| The Humid Tropics: Ecology, Subsistence, and Development | ||
| Development and Environment in Southeast Asia | ||
| Physical Geography (1 course) | 3 | |
| Introduction to the Earth System | ||
| Physical Systems of the Environment | ||
| Geomorphology | ||
| Polar Regions and Their Importance in the Global Environment | ||
| Global Warming: Science and Impacts | ||
| Climatic Environments of the Past | ||
| Environmental Biogeography | ||
| Geography of Wisconsin | ||
| Changing Landscapes of the American West | ||
| Glacial and Pleistocene Geology | ||
| Advanced Paleoecology: Species Responses to Past Environmental Change | ||
| Soil Geomorphology | ||
| Human Transformations of Earth Surface Processes | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Capstone
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one of: | 3-6 | |
| Colloquium for Undergraduate Majors | ||
| Senior Honors Thesis and Senior Honors Thesis | ||
| Senior Thesis and Senior Thesis | ||
| Total Credits | 3-6 | |
Major Options
Declare one of these major options:
Residence and Quality of Work
- 2.000 GPA in GEOG and major courses
- 2.000 GPA on 15 upper-level credits, taken in residence1
- 15 credits in GEOG, taken on the UW–Madison campus
- 1
GEOG courses designated Intermediate/Advanced are upper level in this major.
Honors in the Major
Students may declare Honors in the Geography Major in consultation with the Geography undergraduate advisor.
Honors in the Major Requirements
To earn a BA or BS with Honors in the Major in Geography students must satisfy both the requirements for the major (above) and the following additional requirements:
Learning Outcomes
- Explain patterns and relationships that result from human societal dynamics, Earth systems processes, and the interaction of these dynamics and processes at a range of spatial and temporal scales.
- Analyze the interdependencies within and among human societal dynamics, people and environment relations, and Earth systems.
- Employ appropriate theories, methodologies, technologies, and ethical frameworks to design and conduct research, and analyze and assess research findings.
- Critically interpret theoretical texts and empirical materials from a wide range of sources using appropriate ethical practices, theories, methods, and GIS tools from the humanities, social sciences, and Earth systems sciences.
- Apply geographic concepts, information, approaches, and technologies to inform community-engaged discussions, policy debates, and public and private sector planning efforts about the Earth, people and environment relations, and human geographies.
- Present complex geographic concepts and information using written, oral, and visual forms of communication effective for disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and general public audiences.
Four-Year Plan
This Four-Year Plan is only one way a student may complete an L&S degree with this major. Many factors can affect student degree planning, including placement scores, credit for transferred courses, credits earned by examination, and individual scholarly interests. In addition, many students have commitments (e.g., athletics, honors, research, student organizations, study abroad, work and volunteer experiences) that necessitate they adjust their plans accordingly. Informed students engage in their own unique Wisconsin Experience by consulting their academic advisors, Guide, DARS, and Course Search & Enroll for assistance making and adjusting their plan.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Communication A | 3 | Ethnic Studies (e.g., GEOG 305) | 3 |
| Quantitative Reasoning A | 3 | Quantitative Reasoning B | 3 |
| Language | 4 | Introductory GEOG | 3 |
| Biological Science Breadth | 3 | Language | 4 |
| Introductory GEOG | 3-4 | Literature Breadth | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Communication B (e.g., GEOG 101) | 4 | Humanities Breadth | 3 |
| Humanities Breadth | 3 | Social Science Breadth | 3 |
| Major course: Human Geography | 3-4 | Major course: Physical Geography | 3 |
| INTER-LS 210 | 1 | Major course: People-Environment | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Social Science Breadth | 3 | Literature Breadth | 3 |
| Natural Science Breadth | 3 | Major course: Mapping | 3-4 |
| Humanities Breadth | 3 | GEOG 365 | 3 |
| Intermediate-Level Geography in Subarea | 3-4 | Electives | 6 |
| STAT 301 | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| GEOG 565 | 3 | Advanced-Level Geography Elective in Subarea | 3-4 |
| Intermediate-Level Geography Elective in Subarea | 3-4 | Electives | 10 |
| Electives | 8 | ||
| 15 | 14 | ||
| Total Credits 120 | |||
Advising and Careers
Declare or Cancel This Major
Please follow the process described on the Geography website.
Students with questions about the major, courses, and careers should contact the Geography undergraduate advisor.
Careers
Given its interdisciplinary nature, Geography prepares students for employment in a wide variety of fields spanning the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, both domestically and abroad. Fields where geographers commonly find employment include, but are not limited to: ecological restoration; urban planning; economic development; human rights; corporate sustainability; immigration advocacy and refugee resettlement; environmental consulting; social movements and community organization; national security; data analysis and visualization; risk assessment; public health; journalism; diplomacy; transportation; sustainable agrifood systems. Moreover, geographers trained in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and cartography are in high demand from governments, businesses, and nonprofits for their spatial data analysis and visualization skills.
Study Abroad
Learning in Letters & Science emphasizes discovery, growth, understanding different perspectives, and challenging yourself, which makes studying abroad an excellent fit for many L&S students: studyabroad.wisc.edu
As a university with global influence, we have more than 300 study abroad programs in over 80 countries. These vary in length, academic focus, teaching format, language requirements, cost, and level of independence. There are many programs to complement every major and any year of college (including the final semester)—and all meet UW–Madison’s high academic standards. Students admitted into Letters & Science can even choose a short program in the summer before they start college or their whole first year: studyabroad.wisc.edu/launch. Talk with your academic advisor about how studying abroad might fit with your academic plan.
SuccessWorks
SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps you turn the academic skills learned in your classes into a fulfilling life, guiding you every step of the way to securing jobs, internships, or admission to graduate school.
Through one-on-one career advising, events, and resources, you can explore career options, build valuable internship and research experience, and connect with supportive alumni and employers who open doors of opportunity.
- What you can do with your major (Major Skills & Outcomes Sheets)
- Make a career advising appointment
- Learn about internships and internship funding
- Try “Jobs, Internships, & How to Get Them,” an interactive guide in Canvas for enrolled UW–Madison students