About Us
History
The Department of Geography at SIUE was founded in 1957, along with the university. In the beginning, the Geography Department was housed within the Social Studies division, which also included Government, History, Sociology and Anthropology. Students had the option to obtain either a BS in Education with geography as the emphasis, or a BA in Geography. When the graduate program was founded in 1966, there were seven professors and five instructors. In 1967, the undergraduate degree structure changed so that students obtained either a BS or a BA in Earth Sciences. The BS, however, was still looked at as a degree meant for future educators. Also in 1967, the undergraduate catalog noted that "A broad background in other fields is of great importance to a geographer. Thus, it is recommended that geography students hold their hours of geography to the minimum number required and use their elective hours to take work in other areas." Skills in mathematics and statistics were also emphasized during this time period as being of great importantance to the geography student and the geographic professional. By 1970, there were 13 professors and nine instructors in the department. From 1974 until 1982, the department was known as the Department of Earth Sciences, Geography and Planning. Between 1982 and the organization of the college of Arts and Sciences in 1994, the department focused on Geography and Earth Science. Since 1994, we have become the Department of Geography. As of the Summer of 2007, we have 11 full-time faculty.*
Present
The diversity of faculty interests permits a variety of options for specializations at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The department has a modern and well-equipped spatial analysis laboratory. Internships with various private and public organizations in the southwestern Illinois region and St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area may be available for undergraduate and graduate students.
The
departmental faculty are engaged in ongoing research in the Missouri/Illinois
area which provides the opportunity for independent projects in which geographic
skills can be applied toward solving real world problems. Some jobs for both
the undergraduate and graduate students are available with these projects. Occasionally
courses are taught at night and on weekends at both the undergraduate and graduate
levels. These schedules permit students to combine their education with part-time
or full-time jobs.
* Special thanks to Steve Kerber and University Archives and Special Collections for their assistance in collecting data regarding the history of the Geography Department.
URL: http://www.siue.edu/GEOGRAPHY/AboutUs.htm
Published by: SIUE Department of Geography
Last update: July 23, 2007 by webmaster