Geography and Environmental Sciences

Chair: Deborah S.K. Thomas
Program Assistant: Sue Eddleman
Office: North Classroom, 3014
Telephone: 303-315-7525
Fax: 303-315-7526
Website: clas.ucdenver.edu/ges/

Faculty

Professors:

Anne Chin, PhD, Arizona State University
Pamela Jansma, PhD, Northwestern University (CLAS Dean)
Deborah S.K. Thomas, PhD, University of South Carolina

Professors Emeritus:

Wesley E. LeMasurier, PhD, Stanford University
Martin Lockley, PhD, University of Birmingham, England

Associate Professors:

Peter Anthamatten, PhD, University of Minnesota
Frederick B. Chambers, PhD, Arizona State University
Rafael Moreno-Sanchez, PhD, Colorado State University
Brian Page, PhD, University of California, Berkeley
Gregory Simon, PhD, University of Washington
Bryan S. Wee, PhD, Purdue University
John W. Wyckoff, PhD, University of Utah

Associate Professors- Clinical Teaching Track:

Rudi Hartmann, PhD, Technical University of Munich

Assistant Professors:

Christy Briles, PhD, University of Oregon

Senior Instructors:

Amanda Weaver, PhD, University of Denver
Daniel Liptzin, PhD, University of Colorado Boulder

Instructors:

Matthew Cross, MA, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Lecturers:

Richard DeGrandchamp

Geography is a science that focuses on the spatial analysis of human/physical patterns and processes. Geographers attempt to identify the factors affecting the distribution of people and their activities on the surface of the earth and to provide meaningful solutions to problems faced by societies. This discipline is an ideal major for the liberal arts student, providing exposure to the concepts and techniques utilized in investigating the physical sciences, environmental and sustainability issues, socioeconomic problems and planning policies. In the United States and around the world, balancing the preservation of the natural environment with the imperatives of economic development along with concerns for social well-being has led to a growing demand for broadly trained individuals who can identify and understand pressing social and environmental issues, collect and analyze relevant data, and develop and implement innovative solutions.

Environmental Sciences is a multidisciplinary study of the environment, housed in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences. Academic fields involved in environmental sciences include chemistry, biology and ecology, physics, geology, geography, anthropology, engineering, political science, law, economics and the health sciences. Students planning to pursue the MS in environmental sciences must either have earned a bachelor’s degree or have taken significant coursework in the natural/physical sciences or engineering and completed several other prerequisites (see the following graduate information). Graduate-level certificates in environmental sciences are also offered. The certificates may be earned stand-alone or as options in the MS in environmental sciences.

Environmental careers encompass a broad range of professions, from those with a strong foundation in the natural/physical sciences or engineering to those based in the social sciences and/or humanities. Students interested in environmental issues and careers should investigate the whole field before deciding which course to follow. At CU Denver, the MS in environmental sciences emphasizes the natural/physical sciences and engineering with the addition of the social sciences and humanities.

Graduate Program

Click here to learn about the Master of Science in Environmental Sciences.

Click here to learn about the Master of Arts in Applied Geography & Geospatial Science.

Certificates

Click here to learn about the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Graduate Certificate.

Click here to learn about the Geographic Information Science Graduate Certificate.

Click here to learn about the Environmental Science Education Graduate Certificate.