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  4. Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Geography

Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Geography

The Associate in Arts (AA), Emphasis in Geography provides the first two years of a four-year curriculum for students who wish to specialize in human and/or physical geography. Graduates of this Associate degree program can work as cartographers, land surveyors, GIS analysts, and forest and conservation workers. With a bachelor`s degree, students can pursue a number of careers, including geographers, hydrologists, GIS technicians and technologists, and forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists. Upon completion of a graduate degree, students can pursue careers as atmospheric and space scientists, environmental scientists, geoscientists, climate change analysts, urban planners, and geography professors.

Details

Details iconImportant information you’ll need when applying for admission:
Field of Interest
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Type
Associate Degree
Academic Plan
Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Geography (DEG)
Academic Plan Code
8113
Total Credits Required
60-64
Catalog Year
2020-2021
Students at any Maricopa Community College may need to complete courses at more than one of our colleges.
Notes

Students must earn a grade of C or better in each course in the program.

What You'll Learn

This pathway map will help you gain the expertise needed to:

  1. Evaluate spatial patterns and relationships within the framework of the scientific method.
  2. Examine the interdependent relationships between the physical and human/cultural environment (such as landforms, climate, resources, political and economic systems, sociology, sustainability).
  3. Critically assess and analyze real-world issues through application of geographic concepts, systems, principles, and theories.
  4. Communicate geographic analyses through verbal, written, and/or geospatial techniques.
  5. Recognize ethical considerations encompassing the professional activities of geographers.
  6. Collaborate with diverse individuals, groups, and institutions to achieve common goals in the field of geography.
Career Opportunities

Successful completion of this degree may lead to employment in a variety of different occupations and industries. Below are examples of related occupations with associated Arizona-based annual median wages* for this program. Education requirements vary for the occupations listed below, so you may need further education or degrees in order to qualify for some of these jobs and earn the related salaries. Please visit with an academic advisor and/or program director for additional information.

Atmospheric and Space Scientists

$93,430

Cartographers and Photogrammetrists

$62,310

Computer Occupations, All Other

$80,320

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

$57,850

Forest and Conservation Workers

$30,460

Geographers

$65,310

Geography Teachers, Postsecondary

$78,820

Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers

$75,670

Hydrologists

$70,310

Surveyors

$58,640

Urban and Regional Planners

$66,470

There are additional career opportunities associated with this degree that do not have occupational data available for Arizona at this time. These occupations are listed below:
  • Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists
 * Wage information sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Program. Updated May 2019.
Course Sequence by Term

The following is the suggested course sequence by term. Please keep in mind:

  • Students should meet with an academic advisor to develop an individual education plan that meets their academic and career goals. Use the Pathway Planner tool in your Student Center to manage your plan.
  • The course sequence is laid out by suggested term and may be affected when students enter the program at different times of the year.
  • Initial course placement is determined by current district placement measures and/or completion of 100-200 level course and/or program requirements.
  • Degree and transfer seeking students may be required to successfully complete a MCCCD First Year Experience Course (FYE) within the first two semesters at a MCCCD College. Courses include AAA/CPD150, AAA/CPD150AC, CPD104, and AAA115/CPD115. Course offerings will vary by college. See an academic, program, or faculty advisor for details.

Pathway Map Options

There are multiple options available for this pathway map. These options vary depending on the available transfer institutions and what degrees you may be able to transfer into.

These pathway map options may share some common coursework. To explore what additional coursework may be required, select your desired option from the list below. Once selected, the list of courses and any associated details will be automatically updated.

Additional courses that are specific to your selected option will be highlighted with a blue border. Depending on your selected option, the blue bordered courses may replace the gray bordered courses found in the other options.

Full-time Sequence

Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Awareness Areas
  • In addition to the requirements identified in the sequence below, students must complete the following awareness areas if not otherwise met by other program requirements:
    • Cultural [C] and
    • Global [G] or Historical [H]
  • Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
GPH113 or
(GPH111 and
GPH112)		 Introduction to Physical Geography or (Introduction to Physical Geography and Introduction to Physical Geography) Critical course Gateway course SQ 3–4
GCU102 Introduction to Human Geography Critical course Gateway course G, SB 3
ENG101 or
ENG107		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC 3
MAT140 or
MAT141 or
MAT142 or
MAT145 or
MAT146		 College Mathematics or College Mathematics or College Mathematics or College Mathematics with Review or College Mathematics with Review MA 3–6
AAA115 or
CPD150		 Creating College Success or Strategies for College Success 0–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
GCU121 or
GCU122		 World Geography I: Eastern Hemisphere or World Geography II: Western Hemisphere G, SB 3
ENG102 or
ENG108		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC 3
CRE101 College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking Or Equivalent by assessment L 0–3
COM100 or
COM110 or
COM225 or
COM230		 Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Small Group Communication COM100, COM110 or COM230 carry SB Value.
COM225 carries L Value 		SB or L 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option CS 0–4

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
GCU121 or
GCU122		 World Geography I: Eastern Hemisphere or World Geography II: Western Hemisphere G, SB 3
(GPH212 and
GPH214) or
(GPH213 and
GPH215) or
GPH211		 (Introduction to Meteorology I and Introduction to Meteorology Laboratory I) or (Climate and Weather and Climate and Weather Laboratory) or Landform Processes SQ or SG 4
HU Humanities, Fine Arts, and Design 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
GIS205 Geographic Information Technologies CS 3
HU Humanities, Fine Arts, and Design 3
L or
Elective		 Literacy & Critical Inquiry or Elective L needed if not satisfied by CRE101 OR COM225 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4

Part-time Sequence

Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Awareness Areas
  • In addition to the requirements identified in the sequence below, students must complete the following awareness areas if not otherwise met by other program requirements:
    • Cultural [C] and
    • Global [G] or Historical [H]
  • Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
GPH113 or
(GPH111 and
GPH112)		 Introduction to Physical Geography or (Introduction to Physical Geography and Introduction to Physical Geography) Critical course Gateway course SQ 3–4
ENG101 or
ENG107		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC 3
AAA115 or
CPD150		 Creating College Success or Strategies for College Success 0–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
GCU102 Introduction to Human Geography Critical course Gateway course G, SB 3
ENG102 or
ENG108		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC 3
CRE101 College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking L 0–3

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
MAT140 or
MAT141 or
MAT142 or
MAT145 or
MAT146		 College Mathematics or College Mathematics or College Mathematics or College Mathematics with Review or College Mathematics with Review MA 3–6
GCU121 or
GCU122		 World Geography I: Eastern Hemisphere or World Geography II: Western Hemisphere G, SB 3

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
COM100 or
COM110 or
COM225 or
COM230		 Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Small Group Communication SB or L 3
GCU121 or
GCU122		 World Geography I: Eastern Hemisphere or World Geography II: Western Hemisphere G, SB 3

Term 5

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 5
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
(GPH212 and
GPH214) or
(GPH213 and
GPH215) or
GPH211		 (Introduction to Meteorology I and Introduction to Meteorology Laboratory I) or (Climate and Weather and Climate and Weather Laboratory) or Landform Processes SQ or SG 4
Transfer Option Transfer Option CS 0–4

Term 6

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 6
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
HU Humanities, Fine Arts, and Design 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4

Term 7

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 7
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
GIS205 Geographic Information Technologies CS 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4

Term 8

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 8
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
HU Humanities, Fine Arts, and Design 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–4

Term 9

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 9
Course
Number		 Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
L or
Elective		 Literacy & Critical Inquiry or Elective L needed if not satisfied by CRE101 OR COM225 3

Pathway Map Option Details

No pathway map option has been selected. Please select from the pathway map options listed above.

Course Area Key

Gateway Course = Generally the first major-specific course in a pathway.

Critical Course = A course that is highly predictive of future success in a pathway.

  • C = Cultural Diversity in the US
  • CS = Computer/Statistics/Quantitative Application
  • FYC = First Year Composition
  • G = Global Awareness
  • H = Historical Awareness
  • HU = Humanities, Fine Arts, and Design
  • L = Literacy & Critical Inquiry
  • MA = Mathematics
  • SB = Social-Behavioral Sciences
  • SG = Natural Sciences General
  • SQ = Natural Sciences Quantitative
Disclaimer

Students must earn a grade of C or better for all courses required within the program.

Course Sequence total credits may differ from the program information located on the MCCCD curriculum website due to program and system design.

View MCCCD’s curriculum website for the Associate in Arts in Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Geography (http://aztransmac2.asu.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MCCCD.woa/wa/freeForm10?id=158300).

At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.

Other Versions

The pathway map presented above is for the current catalog year and is the intended pathway map for new students. Other versions of this pathway map from different catalog years are available below:

Catalog YearEffective Dates
2019-20205/28/2019 – 5/25/2020
2018-20195/29/2018 – 5/27/2019