Department of Environmental and Geosciences

Chair: John "Pat" Harris, Ph.D.

Contact Information: (936) 294-1451

Website: Department of Environmental and Geosciences

Mission

The primary mission of the Department of Environmental and Geosciences is to provide students of the complementary programs a comprehensive understanding of the range and depth of these scientific disciplines which encompass, respectively, environmental science and sustainability, the human and physical domains of geography, and the physical and historical domains of geology. This understanding is intended to enable our students to achieve their full potential as skilled professionals and well-qualified technical employees in a diverse range of companies and governmental organizations, and to become effective teachers and community leaders. Our programs enable students to become informed users of a range of technologies and prudent stewards of our natural resources. This understanding of the world will promote successful careers, active life-long learning, and an ability and desire to contribute positively to society.

Highlights

Located on the third floor of the Lee Drain Building, the department maintains both a Geographic Information System (GIS) lab and a combination GIS and remote sensing lab. These labs contain state-of-the-art computers, software, and scanners. We also have a van for fieldtrips, a pickup truck and trailer used for field research, a coring device capable of taking up to 6m core samples, high-quality GPS receivers, a large-scale flume to demonstrate sedimentation processes, and a Ground Penetrating Radar System. In order to enhance learning, all of our rooms are outfitted with video-projection systems, and our lecture rooms have sound systems and dedicated computers with Internet access that are used by the instructors for teaching purposes. Many of our students obtain internships and work with faculty members on research projects.

Academic Programs

Geography Program

Coordinator: John Strait   (936) 294-4077

Website: Department of Environmental and Geosciences

Geography is an interdisciplinary field of study that provides students the skills and technical knowledge needed to address issues, challenges, and opportunities associated with how humans interact with their local and global environments. As an academic subject, it focuses on both the physical and cultural environments and incorporates the use and application of a host of geospatial technologies as a means to study and analyze these subject matters, such as geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, digital image processing, and global positioning systems. Geographers can study an exceptionally eclectic range of phenomena, including demographics, landforms, soil fertility, plant and animal wildlife, weather and climate, religion, language, ethnicity, urban planning, and international affairs, just to name a few.  Geographers are behind the maps you use every day, as well as the policies that shape our cities, and the analysis that sustains and protects our environment. Geographers help shape the future design of cities and infrastructure. Geographers assess the impacts of rising sea levels, volcanic eruptions, floods, heat waves, and tropical storms, while others study impacts of wildfires or manage wetlands. Geographers investigate the environmental and economic impacts of tourism and gauge the cultural impacts of globalization. Geographers use cutting edge satellite data to explore alternative energy sources and assess natural resource utilization and population growth. Geographers also work directly with local people on socioeconomic issues such as health, migration, and housing affordability.  Moreover, geographers play a vital role in teaching this eclectic subject matter in school districts across the nation and around the world. If you want to learn about and change our world, there is no better discipline for people who thrive on complex challenges and want to make a real impact on lives and our environment. In the age of global markets, global culture, global transportation systems, and global telecommunications, we are increasingly faced with the reality that our welfare is highly interdependent with the rest of the world. A geographic education represents an excellent way to understand how to deal with environmental, social, and economic issues associated with this reality. For an individual curious about the world and his or her place in it, few disciplines satisfy that curiosity as much as geography.

Geography Concentrations

The Geography program incorporates a two-track curriculum and is designed to fit the particular academic interests of our students and better prepare them for life beyond SHSU, particularly in terms of graduate study or employment opportunities. Students majoring in geography focus their studies within one of two concentrations; 1) Environment, Culture, and Development, or 2) GIS (Geographic Information Science). Both concentrations are somewhat flexible and enable students to tailor their degree plans toward a mix of coursework most appropriate to their career goals. The Environment, Culture, and Development Concentration truly integrates the strengths of environmental and human geography, with the application of geospatial techniques. For example, students choosing this concentration matriculate through a degree that integrates scientific study of the environment with the perspectives of such topics as hydrology, conservation, culture, economic change, development, population, and public health, while gaining experience using geospatial techniques. Students choosing this concentration can pursue either Bachelors of Arts (BA) or Bachelors of Science (BS) degrees. The GIS Concentration, available as a BS degree, is designed for students desiring more advanced and intensive training with a broad range geospatial tools and technologies, such as Advanced GIS, Remote Sensing, and Digital Image Processing.  

Career Opportunities

Because of the breadth of geography, there are a wide variety of career opportunities for geography graduates. These opportunities include careers in the following:

• surveying and geomatics
• geophysics
• wetlands delineation
• water quality analysis
• photogrammetry
• urban planning
• computer mapping and geospatial technologies
• environmental companies and state environmental agencies
• state transportation departments
• city, county, state, and federal government
• education
• historical preservation
• marketing agencies
• energy companies
• emergency management and law enforcement
• tourism & travel writing 
• military

Geography’s focus on spatial relationships, in conjunction with new advances in technology, have led to the development of new geographical tools—principally Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS)—that are now used by many geographers in a wide variety of fields. Because these technologies can be applied within virtually any field (government, business, military, etc.) it is one of the fastest growing job fields and the demand for people with experience using them exceeds the supply. Aside from offering a track with our program that emphasizes these technologies, we also offer students an Interdisciplinary Minor in GSS that emphasizes GIS, remote sensing and computer cartography. The combination of a geography major and a GSS minor is highly marketable. With their broad background, geography graduates have an ability to see connections where others do not, and this enables geographers to work in many different fields. Geography literally offers a world of opportunities.

• Master of Science in Geographic Information Systems
• Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems

Student Organizations and Activities

• Geographers of Sam Houston (GOSH) - GOSH is intended to enhance appreciation for geography through club-sponsored field trips, guest lectures, and other activities, and to promote camaraderie among geography students.
• Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU) - GTU is the National Geography Honor Society and was established to promote geographic awareness and the pursuit of geographic knowledge. To be eligible for membership in this honor society, students must have at least 12 hours of geography coursework, a minimum GPA of 3.25 in their geography coursework, and an overall GPA of at least 3.0.

Internships

Educational and research opportunities using GIS are available through a variety of internship opportunities that will increase students’ skills and employment opportunities.

Scholarships

• COSET GRADUATE RECRUITMENT SCHOLARSHIP:  The College of Science and Engineering Technology (COSET) Graduate Recruitment Scholarship is a $1000 competitive scholarship awarded to outstanding students entering their first semester of a COSET master's program at SHSU and who have not been awarded a graduate assistantship.  More information can be found on the College of Science and Engineering Technology website.
• AMATO BROTHERS SCHOLARSHIP: $3,000 per year; Recipient must be a full-time undergraduate or graduate student, majoring in any discipline, demonstrate financial need, and exhibit commitment to continue and complete their education.  The recipient must maintain a 2.5 GPA or higher in major and overall.

• COSET GRADUATE ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP: The College of Science and Engineering Technology (COSET) Graduate Achievement Scholarship is a $1000 competitive scholarship awarded to students demonstrating outstanding academic progress in a COSET master’s program.  More information can be found on the College of Science and Engineering Technology website.

• THE GRADUATE STUDIES SCHOLARSHIP: The Graduate Studies Scholarship is intended for high-quality students in SHSU graduate programs.  Nominations will be accepted for both new and current students.  Application Open: Scholarship Application Form (Updated 9/13/18)

• JAMES ELLISON KIRKLEY AWARD: Two awards (amounts vary) to majors in history, political science, geography, or sociology. Recipients are selected on basis of high academic achievement.

• For more scholarship opportunities please visit, Paying For School. 

Geography

Geology