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Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Analysis
The Department of Geography, Environment & Spatial Analysis at Cal Poly Humboldt helps students understand how people, place, power, and environment shape the world through fieldwork, research, and geospatial tools.
B.A. in Geography
Research and explain how people and environments shape the world. Build skills in fieldwork, qualitative and mixed-methods research, and critical spatial analysis focused on socio-ecological change, cultural landscapes, and spatial justice.
B.S. in Geospatial Science & Technology
Use GIS, remote sensing, and spatial data to map and solve real-world problems. Build technical skills in geospatial analysis, modeling, and field data collection for environmental and social applications.
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Academic Programs
Geography, B.A.
The Geography B.A. program at Cal Poly Humboldt prepares students to analyze how people, places, and environments interact in a rapidly changing world. Coursework engages with topics such as global environmental change, social movements, political ecology, and spatial justice, helping students connect local places to broader systems and power relations. Graduates are prepared for careers and graduate study in planning, environmental and community organizations, education, public service, and related fields where analysis and communication matter.
Geospatial Science & Technology, B.S.
The Geospatial Science & Technology B.S. is a dynamic, interdisciplinary program where students gain hands-on experience with mapping technologies, spatial data analysis, environmental modeling, and remote sensing to solve real-world environmental and social challenges. The program builds strong technical proficiency alongside applied problem-solving, preparing graduates to work across diverse landscapes and professional sectors.
Geospatial Certificate Programs
Geospatial Certificate Programs offer flexible, stackable pathways to build in-demand skills in mapping, GIS, and remote sensing. Start with the Basic Certificate to develop spatial thinking, data analysis, and geovisualization, then add focused certificates in GIS, Remote Sensing, or Cartography. For undergrads, grads, and non-degree learners, courses emphasize hands-on projects, real data, and portfolio-ready work for careers in many fields nationwide.
Real World, Hands-On Learning
Whether you're collecting environmental samples, learning new spatial analysis software, or collaborating with local organizations, you’ll learn by doing—both in the classroom and out in the world. Our students gain practical experience through local fieldwork, lab training, and community partnerships that bring geography and geospatial science to life.
Research Experience & Career Prep
Our seniors complete self-designed research projects that build critical thinking, technical fluency, and a portfolio of work for graduate school or employment. The department also supports student travel to conferences, publishing opportunities, and research collaborations with faculty mentors.
See Examples of Geography Professional Development
Small Classes, Big Support
Our small class sizes foster close connections with professors and peers who know you by name. You'll grow intellectually while sharpening your analytical and technical skillset, all within a supportive community that guides you from your first semester through graduation and beyond.
Place-Based Learning Community: People & Planet
As a freshman, you’ll participate in hands-on geographic and community activities with your peers before classes even start, and in some cases, have the opportunity to live in the same residence halls with your peers. Geography students will join four other departments for People & Planet, which focuses on learning how sustainability is both local and global, while addressing specific case studies in fields such as agriculture, clean energy, and climate justice.
Achievements
Find out what our students, faculty, and staff are being recognized for.
Dr. Laura Johnson
Geography, Environment & Spatial Analysis
Dr. Laura Johnson was honored when her Old Town Eureka-based yoga studio, A Restful Space, won Best of Humboldt in the annual North Coast Journal contest. A Restful Space offers radical rest practice and communal grief tending with an emphasis on ecological, collective, and systemic grief. Over the summer, Laura also published a children's book with art from Pen+Pine called 'The Little Book of Rest.' You can find a copy at the North Coast Co-Op or Eureka Books, or reach out directly to Laura at laura.johnson@humboldt.edu. You can learn more about A Restful Space at www.arestfulspace.com
Dr. Amy Rock
Geography, Environment & Spatial Analysis
"Experiences of Women AAG Presidents: Leading Through Diverse Voices" (Li, Mossa, Dixon, Oberhauser, Rock, Sultana, and Mukherjee, 2025) has just been released in electronic format (https://doi.org/10.1080/00330124.2025.2500588). The first in a series of articles on the status of women in Geography, this article focuses on the experience of women presidents of the American Association of Geographers, specifically the challenges they faced and the changes they brought to the organization and the discipline. This article will be bundled into a special issue of the Professional Geographer, encapsulating two years of research by the team.
Samantha Ramos
Geography, Environment & Spatial Analysis
Geography major Samantha Ramos won second place for student paper at the California Geographical Society annual conference for her research on the spatial patterns of migrant deaths at the Arizona border.