All degrees in Geography provide the opportunity for course work in both the physical and the social sciences, although the emphasis varies considerably among the programs. All programs provide students with a well-rounded academic background for a variety of careers, and options for graduate and professional study. Click on the tabs below for more information.
Michelle Maillet, the Undergraduate Advisor, can help you plan your undergraduate degree. She is available to answer your questions by advisor.geog [at] mcgill.ca (email), by virtual appointment, or in-person office hours Mondays and Wednesdays from 1-4pm in Burnside hall room 322.
For more information on the role of the advisor, how they may be of service, and what they expect of the students they advise, see the 
Fall 2023 Advising Syllabus.
Undergraduate Degrees Offered
The department offers Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc), and interfaculty Bachelor of Arts and Science (BASc) degrees.
There are two BA programs (Geography; and Urban Studies); two BSc programs (Geography; and Liberal Studies); and two BASc programs (Physical Geography; and Sustainability, Science, and Society). Minors are available in GIS and Remote Sensing, as well as Health Geography in addition to most BA and BSc programs.
Honours is available for the BSc and BA Geography, BA Urban Studies and BASc Sustainability, Science and Society programs. Joint-Honours is available in the BA Geography program only.
BA Geography (Arts)
BA: Geography Major Concentration
Geography offers students in the Faculty of Arts a program focusing on the interactions among people, places, and the environment. For the major, required courses include GEOG 216, two techniques classes, two field classes, and one introductory level physical geography course. The remaining classes can be drawn from the suite of courses offered by the department, typically (but not necessarily) emphasizing human geography.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Major Concentration GeographyBA: Geography Honours
The Honours option requires students to take additional coursework and to write a six-credit research-based thesis under the supervision of a faculty member. It provides excellent preparation for graduate study or for any student who wants to explore a particular area in greater depth. See the Honours webpage for more information.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Honours Geography
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Joint Honours Component Geography
BA: Geography Minor Concentration
The BA minor concentration in Geography requires four classes drawn from a list of the department’s introductory-level offerings, and three 300 or 400 level courses.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Minor Concentration Geography
BA: Minor Concentration in GIS and Remote Sensing
The minor in GIS and Remote Sensing offers students the opportunity to develop technical and analytic skills in geospatial analysis. The program includes classes from Geography, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Computer Science, and Earth Systems Science.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Minor Concentration GIS & Remote Sensing
BA: Minor Concentration in Health Geography
The B.A. Minor Concentration in Health Geography introduces students to both local and global health issues and provides a skill set in spatial and statistical analyses of diverse health outcomes in populations. The program requires four courses in this area, and additional classes in Environment, Public Health, and/or Sociology.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Minor Concentration Health Geography
BA Urban Studies (Arts)
BA: Urban Studies Major Concentration
Urban Studies is a highly interdisciplinary program that introduces students in the Faculty of Arts to the study of urban dynamics and the challenges facing contemporary cities around the world. The major requires GEOG 217, a field course, and three techniques classes, with the remaining credits drawn from a array of courses in Geography, the Faculty of Arts, Architecture, and Urban Planning. Urban Studies prepares students for a variety of urban-related careers as well as for graduate study in disciplines and professional programs such as urban planning, architecture, and urban geography.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Major Concentration Geography (Urban Studies)
BA: Urban Studies Honours
The Honours option requires students to take additional coursework and to write a six-credit research-based thesis under the supervision of a faculty member. It provides excellent preparation for graduate study or for any student who wants to explore a particular area in greater depth. See the Honours webpage for more information.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Honours Urban Studies
BA: Urban Studies Minor Concentration
The Urban Studies minor requires GEOG 217, two or three classes from an approved list (“Group A”) in Geography, plus two or three courses drawn from a list of other offerings (“Group B”) in the Faculty of Arts, Architecture, Urban Planning, and Civil Engineering.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Minor Concentration Geography (Urban Studies)
BSc Geography (Science)
BSc: Geography Major
The BSc in Geography is for students in the Faculty of Science interested in the interaction of physical, chemical, and biological processes in and near the earth’s surface. Required classes include GEOG 203, 272, five techniques courses, and two field courses. The remaining credits come from approved courses in Geography, Environment and Earth Systems Science, and elsewhere in the Faculty of Science.
Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) - Major Geography
BSc: Geography Honours
The Honours option requires students to take additional coursework and to write a six-credit research-based thesis under the supervision of a faculty member. It provides excellent preparation for graduate study or for any student who wants to explore a particular area in greater depth. See the Honours webpage for more information.
Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) - Honours Geography
BSc: Liberal Program
The BSc Liberal Program with geography as its core science component is similar to the BSc Geography major, but provides students with more flexibility to take courses outside the major.
Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) - Liberal Program - Core Science Component Geography
BSc: Geography minor
The BSc minor concentration in Geography requires GEOG 203, GEOG 272 and one class drawn from a list of the department’s introductory-level offerings, as well as three courses at the 300 or 400 level.
Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) - Minor Geography
BSc: GIS and Remote Sensing Minor
The minor in GIS and Remote Sensing offers students the opportunity to develop technical and analytic skills in geospatial analysis. The program includes classes from Geography, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Computer Science, and Earth Systems Science.
BASc Geography (Interfaculty)
BASc: Physical Geography Major Concentration
The BASc is an Interfaculty program that requires students to take programs in both the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The major and minor BA programs in Geography can serve as the Arts component of the BASc. The “Major Concentration Geography - Physical Geography” comprises a set of courses that can serve as the Science component of the program. The minor in Geography and the minor in GIS and Remote Sensing can serve as the Science programs as well.
The Major Concentration Geography - Physical Geography requires GEOG 203 and 272, four techniques classes, and one field course. Three to five additional classes must be taken in 300- and 400-level physical geography.
Bachelor of Arts and Science (B.A. & Sc.) - Major Concentration Geography - Physical Geography
BASc Sustainability (Interfaculty)
BASc: Sustainability, Science, and Society Interfaculty program
Sustainability, Science, and Society (SSS) is an Interfaculty program between Arts and Science, offered by Geography and the Bieler School of Environment. It provides inter-disciplinary and integrative skills focused on three major themes: Science and Technology; Economics, Policy, and Governance; and Ethics, Equity, and Justice. Required classes include ENVR 201, GEOG 360, GEOG 460, and three techniques/analysis courses. The remaining credits may be taken from a wide selection of classes in the Faculties of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Arts, Engineering, and Science.
BASc: Sustainability, Science, and Society Honours
The Honours option requires students to take additional coursework and to write a six-credit research-based thesis under the supervision of a faculty member. It provides excellent preparation for graduate study or for any student who wants to explore a particular area in greater depth. See the SSS website for more information on the Honours program.
Bachelor of Arts and Science (B.A. & Sc.) - Honours in Sustainability, Science and Society