Geography Minor

Much more than simply “memorizing maps,” geography focuses on places and spatial relationships in a holistic approach to the study of the world.  Students majoring in areas like history, education, urban planning, tourism, sociology, etc… often feel that geography naturally supplements their other coursework by grounding what they learn in the contemporary world. In a sense, geography gives context to why their major courses of study are important.  Students will discover that geography helps them to ask better informed questions and to understand the global challenges that their own majors are training them to tackle.

Minors in geography acquire knowledge and skills needed to understand the spatial characteristics and interactions of important physical, demographic, cultural, political, and economic systems. The program offers a rigorous curriculum that well prepares our minors to continue their education in graduate school or enter the workforce equipped with key writing and analytical tools. Among the skills students come away with is a basic working knowledge of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a system that creates, manages, analyzes, and maps all types of data.  GIS skills are in demand across a range of industries and making maps is fun!

As an integrative discipline, geography allows for an incredible breadth of topics to discover. The minor program in geography is designed to introduce students to the core of the discipline and to give them an opportunity to sample more specialized courses that pique their interest. As a Geography Minor at Clemson, you will have the opportunity to explore the geographies of culture, economics, food and historical preservation, regional studies that focus on a single part of the world, such as the American South, North or Latin America, plus occasional special topics and Creative Inquiry courses.