Welcome to Geography, Environment, & Sustainability.
The Department of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability prepares students to explore and understand cultural, bio‐physical, and geospatial environments, and their interactions and transformations, thereby empowering our students to shape a just and sustainable world. Students find geography’s interdisciplinary nature combines well with other programs and fields of study such as global studies, environmental studies, biology and economics. Geography professors offer exciting, experiential courses on a range of important issues like global climate change, industrialization, resource management, agricultural change, urbanization, land use, deforestation, and hydrology. Students will learn to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related geospatial technologies to prepare them for exciting employment and research opportunities in many different fields.
Experiential Learning Requirement
All geography majors must fulfill an experiential learning component to supplement their classroom instruction at the University of Richmond. This requirement can be fulfilled through a semester of study abroad, an internship or volunteer position equaling approximately 100 hours of service, summer research, a summer field course (e.g., master naturalist), or another educational and hands-on initiative agreed upon by the student and faculty supervisor. Ideally, this experiential learning involves significant outdoor or cross-cultural experience and is not strictly a laboratory, classroom, or office-based activity.
GIS Day
International GIS Day is held each year in the third week of November, on the Wednesday during Geography Awareness Week, a geographic literacy initiative sponsored by the National Geographic Society. The department typically celebrates GIS Day with an open lab, software demonstrations, and speakers.
