About US
Undergraduate Program.
Undergraduate studies in Geography are constituted in three tracks:Environmental
Studies, Geographic Information Science, and Geography and Social Change.
Each track has requirements of introductory and upper division geography
courses together with clusters of coursework drawn from external departments.
The Environmental Studies track is the most long-standing (28+ years) of
the three and has over 70% of current majors; now in its third year, Geographic
Information Science has significant potential for future development and
enhancement; the Geography and Social Change track has strong connections
to UI programs such as the newly created International Studies major, Anthropology,
and Political Science.
Graduate Program. The mission
of the graduate program of the Department of Geography is to empower our
graduates with the ability to conduct significant research. Our aim is to
gain an international reputation as a leading department that will attract
the very best students in a small number of related areas with a particular
focus on the intersection of human-environment interaction and GIScience.
This focus forms a core area where we believe we can offer excellent programs
in environmental policy, land-use, geography of health, and spatial environmental
modeling.
Research Activities. Ongoing research by faculty and students includes projects on environmental health (identify specific), land use/land cover (cross-border issues of Yellowstone NP, deforestation in Ecuador, agricultural lands in the Iowa, Illinois, and Thailand, mountain responses to climate change), spatial modeling (cellular automata and agent-based approaches), geographic information science (wireless geography), environmental policy (environmental justice).
Departmental Facilities. Include a GIS laboratory and a spatial analysis and research laboratory equipped with the latest in GIS and programming software. This includes handheld navigation devices, tablet PCs for field computing, and various other equipment. Additional facilities include a lab with tree-ring bench, oven, furnace, balances, microscopes, and a portable water quality spectrometer for biogeographical studies; field meteorological stations, datalogger and micrometeorological instruments for environmental health monitoring; and a variety of other field equipment.
Related Departments. The Department of Geography works closely and is affiliated with various centers, departments, and researchers across campus including The Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER), the college of Public Health, International Programs, the Department of Biology, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Iowa Geological Survey, and many others.
The University of Iowa. The UI is a Carnegie Doctoral/Research-Extensive university. Graduate programs are offered in 102 fields, and the university research programs bring in over $250 million annually in grants and contracts. This strong foundation supports intellectual activity in geography by providing a research oriented atmosphere and a number of programs with whom geographers work across disciplinary lines; these include the Center for Global & Regional Environmental Research, the Environmental Modeling and Assessment Facility, the Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination, the College of Public Health, and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Iowa City. The UI is situated within the city of Iowa City. Typical of many midwest university towns, Iowa City combines the convenience of Midwest living with international culture and science and easy access to outdoor activities Situated in the rolling hills of Eastern Iowa, the region is defined by its waterways with the Iowa and Cedar Rivers converging with the Mississippi River often providing spectacular views and wonderful areas to explore.
