Geography Program Map

Students completing Associate Degrees for Transfer are guaranteed admission to the CSU system. Please see the beginning of the "Academic Programs" section for details. The discipline of Geography studies the spatial relationships that make every place on earth unique. This includes both the physical characteristics and cultural traditions, along with the economic and governmental structures that make each place distinct. Geographers synthesize these concepts by studying the relationship between humans and their environment, the effects the environment has on humans, and the effects humans have on the environment. The Associate in Arts in Geography for Transfer Degree supplies students with foundational knowledge in Physical Geography and Cultural Geography, plus additional coursework within the discipline.

Program detailsAward, code, department, CIP/TOP

Community of interest: STEM Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Award: AA-T Degree
Program code: 31952.30AA-T
Department: Geography
CIP code: 45.0701: Geography.
TOP code: 2206.00 - Geography

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Geography

AA-T Degree

The AA-T is designed for transfer preparation to a specific California State University major in academic areas outside STEM and CTE. Like every Butte College associate degree, it has two parts: a general-education curriculum and an academic program of specialization.

About Associate Degrees for Transfer. AA-T and AS-T degrees are aligned with transfer model curricula developed jointly by the Academic Senates and discipline faculty in the California Community College and California State University systems. Completing one with a qualifying GPA guarantees CSU admission with junior standing in a related major (campus assignment depends on space and competitive criteria).

About General Education. GE is an integrated program of learning designed to foster intellectual curiosity, cultural understanding, critical thinking, creative reasoning, oral and written communication, and the capacity for ethical reasoning. By graduation, you'll have developed the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, apply quantitative reasoning, understand how the major academic disciplines ask their questions, comprehend diverse cultures and historical periods, and assess ethical problems — alongside the depth you build in your major.

See the 2025-26 Catalog for official program details

Semester-by-Semester Map

Term 1

Class Schedules

16–17 units

GEOG 2

Physical Geography

3 units

Meets Area 5A.

This course is a spatial study of the Earth's dynamic physical systems and processes. Topics include: Earth-sun geometry, weather, climate, water, landforms, soil, and the biosphere. Emphasis is on the interrelationships among environmental and human systems and processes and their resulting patterns and distributions. Tools of geographic inquiry are also briefly covered; they may include: maps, remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). (C-ID GEOG 110).

GEOG 3

Physical Geography Lab

1 units

Meets Area 5C.

This course is designed to provide supplemental exercises in topics covered in Physical Geography lecture. Lab experience will include map analysis and interpretation, weather prognostication, landform processes and evolution, tectonics, biogeography, and habitat analysis. (C-ID GEOG 111).

Prerequisite: GEOG 2 (or concurrent enrollment)

Select one: Meets Area 4

Required

3 units

Choose one of 2 choices

GEOG 4
Cultural Geography
3 units
course details
This course is a study of diverse human populations, their cultural origins, diffusion and contemporary spatial expressions. Topics include: demography, languages and religions, urbanization and landscape modification, political units and nationalism, and economic systems and development. (C-ID GEOG 120).
+−
GEOG 8
World Regional Geography
3 units
course details
Survey of the world's culture regions and nations as interpreted by geographers, including physical, cultural, and economic features. Emphasis on spatial and historical influences on population growth, transportation networks, and natural environments. Identification and importance of the significant features of regions. (C-ID GEOG 125).
+−

General Education: Area 1A

English Composition

Baccalaureate-level academic writing — expository and argumentative. The foundation for every other course you'll write in.

General Education: Area 3A

Arts

Engaging with creative work — painting, music, theatre, design — through making, viewing, and interpreting.

General Education: Area 6

Ethnic Studies

The histories, experiences, and contributions of the four autonomous disciplines: Black / African American / Africana studies, Native American studies, Chicano/a/x and Latino/a/x studies, and Asian American studies.

Term 2

Class Schedules

15–16 units

List A: Select two or any course not already used

Required

3 units

Choose 2 of 2 choices

GEOG 10
Geography of California
3 units
course details
A thematic approach to the state's issues, processes and topics relevant to geography including climate, landforms, natural vegetation, water resources, cultural landscape, ethnic diversity, urban and agricultural regions, and the economy. This course explores the physical, and human landscapes that have evolved as a result of the human-environment interface. (C-ID GEOG 140).
+−
GEOG 20
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
3 units
course details
Study of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) science and its applications to spatial data management. Identification and acquisition of GIS data. Assessment of vector and raster systems, scale, resolution, map projection, coordinate systems, georeferencing and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Spatial analysis and modeling with GIS. Explores how GIS solves spatial problems, such as those in natural resources, earth and life sciences, environmental planning, local government, business, transportation and other fields. (C-ID GEOG 155).
+−

General Education: Area 1B

Critical Thinking and Composition

Reading and writing about complex texts — analyzing arguments, identifying assumptions, building your own case with evidence.

General Education: Area 1C

Oral Communication

Public speaking and group discussion — organizing ideas for a live audience, listening actively, responding under pressure.

General Education: Area 3B

Taking ECON 20, HIST 8, HIST 10, HIST 18, or HIST 26 is recommended to meet the US-1 graduation requirement for CSU/UC.

Humanities

History, literature, philosophy, language — how people across time and cultures have made sense of the world.

Term 3

Class Schedules

15–17 units

List B

3–4 units

Choose one of 3 choices

ANTH 4
Cultural Anthropology
3 units
course details
This course explores how anthropologists study and compare human culture. Cultural anthropologists seek to understand the broad arc of human experience focusing on a set of central issues: how people around the world make their living (subsistence patterns); how they organize themselves socially, politically and economically; how they communicate; how they relate to each other through family and kinship ties; what they believe about the world (belief systems); how they express themselves creatively (expressive culture); how they make distinctions among themselves such as through applying gender, racial and ethnic identity labels; how they have shaped and been shaped by social inequalities such as colonialism; and how they navigate culture change and processes of globalization that affect us all. Ethnographic case studies highlight these similarities and differences, and introduce students to how anthropologists do their work, employ professional anthropological research ethics and apply their perspectives and skills to understand humans around the globe. (C-ID ANTH 120).
+−
Select One: Meets Area 2
1. STAT C1000
  Introduction to Statistics
  4 units
  course details
  This course is an introduction to statistical thinking and processes, including methods and concepts for discovery and decision-making using data. Topics include descriptive statistics; probability and sampling distributions; statistical inference; correlation and linear regression; analysis of variance, chi-squared, and t-tests; and application of technology for statistical analysis including the interpretation of the relevance of the statistical findings. Students apply methods and processes to applications using data from a broad range of disciplines. (C-ID MATH 110).
  Prerequisite: Placement as determined by the college’s multiple measures assessment process or completion of a course taught at or above the level of intermediate algebra
  +−
2. STAT C1000E
  Introduction to Statistics
  4 units
  course details
  This course is an introduction to statistical thinking and processes, including methods and concepts for discovery and decision-making using data. Topics include descriptive statistics; probability and sampling distributions; statistical inference; correlation and linear regression; analysis of variance, chi-squared, and t-tests; and application of technology for statistical analysis including the interpretation of the relevance of the statistical findings. Students apply methods and processes to applications using data from a broad range of disciplines. This course has embedded support. (C-ID MATH 110).
  Prerequisite: Placement as determined by the college’s multiple measures assessment process or completion of a course taught at or above the level of intermediate algebra
  +−

General Education: Area 5B

Biological Science

Life and living systems — from cells to ecosystems.

Elective (any course numbered 1-99 or C1000-C1999)

Only necessary if the 60 units needed to graduate have not been completed. Consider taking a Cal-GETC General Education course. Visit www.assist.org to see options.

Term 4

14 units

Elective (any courses numbered 1-99 or C1000-C1999)

Only necessary if the 60 units needed to graduate have not been completed. Consider taking a Cal-GETC General Education course. Visit www.assist.org to see options. Department recommends GEOG 12.

Career Connections

2-Year Degree Paths

Entry points students may pursue after associate-level study, technical preparation, or licensure pathways.

No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset point cleanly to an immediate 2-year outcome for this program.

4-Year Degree Paths

Roles that more often open up after transfer and a bachelor's degree.

No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the 4-year pathway for this program.

Graduate School Paths

Advanced roles commonly associated with graduate, professional, or post-baccalaureate study.

No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the graduate-school pathway for this program.

Source Notes

Course sequencing is generated from the Acadia Program Mapper cache. Career groupings use local CIP-to-SOC mappings and BLS occupation data when available. Confirm education plans with Counseling and Advising.

No NCES/IPEDS CIP-to-SOC mapping was found for this program's CIP code.

Last generated 2026-06-12T23:21+00:00

Program Snapshot

Next Steps

2-Year Degree Paths

4-Year Degree Paths

Graduate School Paths

Source Notes