Buffalo State's Geography and Planning Department offers two different undergraduate degrees, a B.A. in geography and a B.S. in planning, as well as minors in geography, urban and regional planning, meteorology and climatology and geographic information systems (GIS).
The geography major provides students with a basic foundation of the discipline while allowing them to focus on one major geographic subject area in the following concentrations: meteorology and climatology; watershed and ecosystems; economic geography and development; or Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
The department also offers a minor in geography.
The B.S. in urban and regional analysis and planning offers two areas of concentration: urban-regional planning and environmental planning. Environmental planning requires competency in biology and chemistry. Graduates are prepared for positions in planners in their area of expertise, which may range from land use to transportation planning.
The department also offers a minor in urban and regional planning.
The GIS (geographic information systems) minor allows students to gain the depth of knowledge needed for many of the jobs available today requiring spatial analysis skills and geographic data processing capabilities.
The College's Great Lakes Center offers two interdisciplinary master's programs in Great Lakes ecosystem science. Both programs share certain required and elective courses, but they differ in their objectives. The master of science program is designed to prepare its graduates for management positions in the environmental sciences; the master of arts program prepares graduates for research positions or academic careers.
