Physical geographers study atmospheric and climate variation, ecosystems, and landform processes.
They investigate the processes that create local and regional variations in the global environment, including its effect on human society. Human geographers study population and development issues, land use, historical patterns of settlement, and the economic, environmental, political, and social implications of policy decisions at all societal levels. They investigate how people have organized themselves in space and the interrelationships within these organizing structures, as well as links to the environment. Geography as a discipline has special appeal to those whose interests are wider than the bounds of the more traditional sciences. The bachelor of arts degree, offered through the College of the Liberal Arts, equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to analyze changing human and physical landscapes.