Geotourism Minor

Program Overview

This program in Travel and Tourism provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the industry, including its cultural, geographical, and socioeconomic aspects. Through required courses and restricted electives, students gain knowledge in areas such as world regions, travel and tourism geography, cultural tourism, and heritage interpretation. Graduates are prepared for careers in various sectors of the travel and tourism industry, including city planning, tourism offices, event planning, and travel agencies.

Program Outline

Outline:

Required Courses (17 hours):

• GEOG 110 World Regions [GEGA] (3 hours)
• GEOG 112 Introduction to Travel and Tourism (3 hours)
• GEOG 212 Geography of Travel and Tourism (3 hours)
• GEOG 360 Cultural Geography (3 hours)
• GEOG 445 Cultural Tourism Resources (3 hours)
• GEOG 446 Heritage Interpretation (2 hours)

Restricted Electives (5-7 hours):

Students can choose 5-7 credit hours from the following courses:

• ANTH 412W Culture, Tourism and Anthropology [GEWI] (3 hours)
• ESSC 114 Geology of the National Parks [GEKN] (4 hours)
• GEOG 111 Regions and Resources (3 hours)
• GEOG 113 Great Lakes Geotourism: Water and Wine (3 hours)
• GEOG 115 Observing the Human Landscape (2 hours)
• GEOG 276 Principles of Geographic Information Systems (3 hours)
• GEOG 313 Geography of Michigan (3 hours)
• GEOG 315 Travel and Tourism: The European Scene (3 hours)
• GEOG 318 Geography of Asia (3 hours)
• GEOG 319 Geography of Europe (3 hours)
• GEOG 320 Geography of the United States and Canada (3 hours)
• GEOG 321 Geography of Latin America (3 hours)
• GEOG 322 Geography of Africa (3 hours)
• GEOG 333W Unsettled Geographies [GEWI] (3 hours)
• GEOG 336 Tourism and Socioeconomic Development (3 hours)
• GEOG 346 Destination Branding (3 hours)
• GHPR 335 Historic Preservation (3 hours)
• GHPR 443 Heritage Tourism and Preservation (3 hours)

Careers:

Career opportunities for graduates include:

• City Planning and Community Development
• City, state, and national tourism offices
• Convention and visitor bureaus
• Entrepreneurship
• Event planning
• Festival Organization
• National Park Services
• Non-governmental organizations
• Recreation and leisure management
• Travel agencies, airlines, and accommodation providers
• World tourism organizations