Bachelor's in Geography - Urban Planning

Geographers explore both the physical properties of the earth and the human societies spread across it. The Bachelor’s in Geography — Urban Planning degree, available as a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), allows you to focus your studies on applying geographic skills and knowledge to problems of urban development, transportation, and other issues affecting the health, vitality, and sustainability of cities. In the Urban Planning concentration, you’ll take more courses in urban and transportation planning, economic and human geography, and other courses (e.g., in sustainability and physical geography) supporting the wise application of this knowledge.

The Urban Planning concentration is in high demand, as people and jobs in the U.S. increasingly move away from large central cities. Planners are needed in the private sector as well as in state and local governments to drive economic and community development initiatives that ensure a high quality of life in both developed and developing countries. In a growth region like the Southeast, geographers with a planning background are in increasing demand. This concentration is especially beneficial for those interested in careers with professional planning agencies in city government and regional planning authorities.

B.S. OR B.A. — WHICH urban planning DEGREE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

The B.S. in Geography — Urban Planning degree replaces some free electives in the B.A. program with more focused urban planning-related coursework.

The B.A. in Geography — Urban Planning degree offers a broader curriculum, with greater emphasis on analyzing issues that connect geography, sustainable development, and humans’ place in these complex systems.

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) students develop greater depth of knowledge and technical skills in one narrowly focused aspect of geography, as opposed to gaining a broader training through the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. This specialization is useful for certain types of professional employment and is excellent preparation for graduate-level research.

Whether you choose to pursue your B.S. or B.A. degree in Urban Planning, we strongly recommend taking coursework in geographic information science (GIS).

Urban Planning PROGRAM DISTINCTIONS

• You’ll have access to up-to-date geographic technology, including an oversized cartographic plotter, GPS equipment, and computers with industry-standard software programs like Arc/Info, ArcView, ERDAS Imagine, ArcGIS, Surfer, AtlasGIS, MapInfo, and ER Mapper.
• State-of-the-art laboratories — like the Carolina Tree-Ring Science Laboratory, and the Regolith Analysis Laboratory — offer in-depth geographic analysis using the latest precision instruments.  
• UNC Greensboro is ranked as one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges, according to The Princeton Review, and is featured in its 2025 Green Colleges list.

THE Urban Planning STUDENT EXPERIENCE

• One of the hallmarks of UNCG’s Geography, Environment, and Sustainability Department is your ability to take summer field courses traveling to fascinating U.S. destinations like the Rocky Mountains, desert Southwest, and Pacific Northwest, as well as locations abroad like Iceland, Italy, and Southeast Asia.
• The student-led Geography Club hosts a series of speakers each year from planning departments, environmental agencies, GIS firms, and economic development companies.
• Academically high-achieving students in the B.A. in Geography — Urban Planning degree may pursue Disciplinary Honors in Geography.
• Students who excel in the classroom can earn membership into UNCG’s Kappa Phi chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon (ΓΘΥ), the international honor society in geography. 

AFTER GRADUATIng from the Urban Planning Program

• In a growth region like the Southeastern United States, geographers with a planning background are in increasing demand.
• Bachelor’s in Geography graduates have found careers in business and industry, urban and regional planning agencies, departments of federal and state governments, and teaching.
• Our Bachelor’s in Geography — Urban Planning degree is an excellent foundation for advanced graduate studies— such as our top-ranked online Master’s in Sustainability and Environment and our graduate Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (PBC) program — or professional training in planning, business, or law.