Geography AA-T Degree
This degree is designed to prepare students for a seamless transfer into the CSU system to complete a bachelor’s degree in Geography or a similar major.
Associate in Arts for Transfer | SC Program: AA-T.4002
The field of geography is rooted in the universal curiosity about the world around us, and the differences that occur from place to place. Shasta College's Geography Department offers students the opportunity to develop an understanding and appreciation of our complex world.
Geography is the study of Earth’s environments and how humans interact with them. Subject matter in the physical, biological, and social sciences is investigated in order to develop an understanding of our complex world. Students explore challenges and solutions to environmental change, resource use, urbanization, migration, conflict, and sustainability. Students are exposed to a range of geographic methods including field observation, research, map reading, and geospatial technologies.
The Associate in Arts in Geography for Transfer degree is designed to prepare students for a seamless transfer into the CSU system to complete a baccalaureate degree in Geography or a similar major.



Choose your path
Map your education by viewing the program map for the degree or certificate you’re interested in earning below. Meet with a counselor to create your official comprehensive education plan.
A program map shows all the required and recommended courses you need to graduate and a suggested order in which you should take them. The suggested sequence of courses is based on enrollment and includes all major and general education courses required for the degree.
Fall Semester, First Year
15 Units TotalIn this course, students receive instruction in academic reading and writing, including writing processes, effective use of language, analytical thinking, and the foundations of academic research. An argumentative research essay is required for the successful completion of the course. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course is a comparative survey of the major ancient world civilizations which developed between 3500 B.C.E. and 1500 C.E. It examines political institutions, religious ideologies, the rise and fall of empires, and the major cultural innovations of each of the major world civilizations. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
Spring Semester, First Year
15 Units TotalThis course is a survey of the history of the United States from Pre-Columbian Peoples to the end of Reconstruction. Topics include contact and settlement of America, the movement toward independence, the formation of a new nation and Constitution, westward expansion and manifest destiny, the causes and consequences of the Civil War, and Reconstruction. This course satisfies the CSU requirement for US History (US-1). This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course provides an introduction to California's diversified geography including climate, landforms, natural vegetation, and mineral and water resources. The cultural landscapes of ethnic diversity, our Native American past, urban and agricultural regions, and the economic challenges of the future are also examined. California Geography examines these topics, their spatial distributions, and their impact on the environment. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
Fall Semester, Second Year
15 Units TotalThis course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of race and ethnicity in the United States. It examines social justice movements in relation to ethnic and racial groups in the United States to provide a basis for a better understanding of the socioeconomic, cultural, and political conditions among key social groups including, but not limited to, Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latina/o Americans. This course examines the systemic nature of racial/ethnic oppression through an examination of key concepts including racialization and ethnocentrism, with a specific focus on the persistence of white supremacy. Using an anti-racist framework, the course will examine historical and contemporary social movements dedicated to the decolonization of social institutions, resistance, and social justice. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course is an introduction to government and politics in the United States and California. Students examine the constitutions, structure, and operation of governing institutions, civil liberties and civil rights, political behaviors, political issues, and public policy using political science theory and methodology. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course covers the theory and practice of geographic information systems (GIS). Students learn essential GIS procedures for data viewing, acquisition, manipulation, geographic referencing, and map creation. GIS data types, properties, database operations and applications are covered. Basic methods of GIS analysis are also included. This course focuses on the ArcGIS software platform, employing both desktop and online products. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
Spring Semester, Second Year
15 Units TotalThis course offers an introduction to the biological principles of plant growth and development. Ecosystem relationships will be covered with particular emphasis on succession, water cycle, mineral cycle, and energy flow. In addition to investigating modern production and marketing practices of agronomic crops, the impact of commercial crop production upon mankind and the environment will be considered. The lecture portion of this course may be offered in a distance education format.
Logic is the science that evaluates arguments. This course introduces principles of reasoning with an emphasis on deductive logic. It will provide students with extensive experience in identifying a range of correct and incorrect argument forms using the tools of formal logic. The course may include a treatment of inductive reasoning and fallacies. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
The Geographic Information Systems(GIS) Work Experience Education course allows the student to gain on-the-job experience through employment/volunteerism at an approved GIS job site that is acquired by the student and related to the student's major. A faculty member supervises all WEE courses to ensure that the work experience is of educational value. The course stresses good work habits and meeting of competencies through actual on-the-job performance. A student may repeat this course since course content varies and skills are enhanced by supervised repetition and practice. A maximum of 14 units may be earned in a single semester.
Please see a counselor to discuss options for meeting general education requirements for transfer to California State Universities (CSU) and/or University of California (UC) campuses, as well as any specific additional courses that may be required by your chosen institution of transfer.
*Alternative Courses: Please see a Shasta College counselor for alternative course options. You can also view the following to find other courses to meet degree/certificate requirements:
- California State Universities – General Education
- IGETC – Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum
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