This option is designed to prepare students for employment opportunities in business and industry and also in the field of planning at the regional or community scale. It emphasizes the locational aspects of economic activity and economic decision making. Students will gain an understanding of geographical patterns of markets, transactions and trade, transportation, production and consumption, industrial processing, and other aspects of the spatial economy. With this option, most students can go on to complete master's degrees in business administration or geography within one year or move directly into a growing area of employment for the business-oriented geographer. This option is designed to provide a background in land-use decision making and land management.
Emphasis is on mineral properties, but the techniques also apply to other resources.
Courses include locational, socioeconomic, environmental, and legal aspects of land management to prepare the student for either employment or advanced study in this growing profession. For students interested in geography but not in one of the specialty options, this option allows them to design their own curricula with the approval of a geography faculty adviser. This program is offered through the College of Letters and Science. This program is offered through the College of Mines and Earth Resources. This option emphasizes graphic design and communication and both computerized and conventional techniques of production cartography.