The Geography Department offers students opportunities to learn practical skills beyond the campus setting with our Field Studies courses. The goal of Field Studies is to develop problem solving techniques in preparation for post-graduation employment.
The Field Studies courses focus on the physical and human experience in Geography. Integrating core knowledge in the discipline, students can explore diverse environments including the Sierra Nevada, Owens, Panamint and Death Valleys, White-Inyo Mountains, Mojave Desert, Central Coast, Channel Islands, and the greater southern California region.
Learning in outdoor and laboratory settings, students work with advanced laser-based surveying equipment, Doppler-acoustic and 3D-profiling current meters, RTK-GPS units, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or drones), the programming and deployment of weather stations, and advanced sediment analysis.
Complementing these skills, students learn methodologies for sampling in the human environment, including the development of professional surveys, data collection and analysis, urban mapping, and participation in community projects within and beyond California.