Geotourism and Preservation Studies [BS]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid

Revised Program [Fall 2024]

Tourism stimulates the global movement of people and impacts national, regional, and local economies and environments. It creates relationships between people and the places they visit. National Geographic defines geotourism as tourism that sustains or enhances a place’s geographical character—its environment, geology, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. Academic institutions, tourism bureaus, the hospitality industry, and regional and national governments have begun to adopt this concept as part of tourism development initiatives.

Preservation Studies trains professionals who utilize best practices to ethically steward, preserve, and interpret our diverse cultural heritage. As cohorts of the only Preservation program in the U.S. that is embedded in geography, students learn to document, preserve, and interpret historic structures, objects, and places within the context of their cultural landscape setting.

The study of geotourism and preservation represents an excellent example of applied human geography. Upon completing the concentration, students will be well-prepared as geography specialists.

Learn

How do tourism and preservation shape landscapes, impact the environment, affect communities and economic development? These are just some of the questions that are applicable in geotourism and preservation studies.

Opportunities

Geotourism at EMU seeks to develop tourism education, research, and community engagement rooted in the discipline of Geography that enhances the geographic character of places and landscapes. Studying at EMU enables graduates to become leaders and entrepreneurs in local, national, and international tourism initiatives.

Preservation students gain a solid foundation in the field’s fundamentals and are well-suited to continue in EMU’s award-winning Master’s of Preservation Studies Program if they desire. Students participate in various practical experiences, including preservation documentation, heritage interpretation, and addressing the real needs of local communities.

Career opportunities for graduates include: City, state, and national tourism and preservation offices; City planning and community development; Convention and visitor bureaus; Entrepreneurship; Event planning; Festival Organization; Museums; Non-governmental organizations; Recreation and leisure management; Travel agencies, airlines, and accommodation providers; U.S. National Park Service; World tourism organizations.

Department Information

Geography & Geology 140D Strong Hall, 734.487.0218

Christine Clark, PhD, Department Head

Advisor Information

Matthew Cook, PhD, 140X Strong Hall, 734.487.8485

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, see General Education or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .

Major Requirements: 60 hours

Students will complete all of the following core areas.

Geography: 24 hours

GEOG 107 Introduction to Geography [GEKS] 3 hrs
GEOG 110 World Regions [GEGA] 3 hrs
GEOG 276 Principles of Geographic Information Systems 3 hrs
GEOG 333W Unsettled Geographies [GEWI] 3 hrs
GEOG 360 Cultural Geography 3 hrs
URP 115 The American City [GEKS] 3 hrs
Choose one course from the following:
GEOG 332 Urban Geography 3 hrs
GEOG 335 Economic Geography 3 hrs
URP 215 Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning 3 hrs
Choose one course from the following:
GEOG 314W Geography of Russia and Neighboring States [GEWI] 3 hrs
GEOG 318 Geography of Asia 3 hrs
GEOG 319 Geography of Europe 3 hrs
GEOG 320 Geography of the United States and Canada 3 hrs
GEOG 321 Geography of Latin America 3 hrs
GEOG 322 Geography of Africa 3 hrs

Geotourism and Preservation Studies: 23 hours

GEOG 112 Introduction to Travel and Tourism 3 hrs
GEOG 212 Geography of Travel and Tourism 3 hrs
GEOG 313 Geography of Michigan 3 hrs
GEOG 315 Travel and Tourism: The European Scene 3 hrs
GHPR 335 Historic Preservation 3 hrs
GHPR 443 Heritage Tourism and Preservation 3 hrs
GHPR 450 Digital Heritage 3 hrs
Choose one course from the following:
GEOG 446 Heritage Interpretation 2 hrs
GHPR 446 Heritage Interpretation 2 hrs

Field Experience: 2 hours

Students will complete a minimum of two credit hours of field experience by completing any combination of the following:

GHPR 424 Heritage Preservation Field Project 1 hr
GHPR 435 Heritage Preservation Field Project 2 hrs
An EMU Travel Study/Study Abroad course approved by the advisor.

Restricted Elective Courses: 11 hours

Choose eleven hours from the following. Please note that electives outside the department may require additional prerequisite courses not accounted for in the major.

AMA 240 Managing the Creative Process [GEKA] 3 hrs
AMA 400 Arts Management 3 hrs
AMA 426 Fund Raising in the Arts 3 hrs
AMA 427 Grant Writing for the Arts 3 hrs
ANTH 135 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology [GEGA or GEKS] 3 hrs
ANTH 150 Introductory Archaeology [GEKS] 3 hrs
ANTH 214 U.S. Racial and Cultural Minorities [GEUS] 3 hrs
ANTH 237 Native North American Cultures [GEUS] 3 hrs
ANTH 412W Culture, Tourism and Anthropology [GEWI] 3 hrs
ESSC 101 Introduction to Weather and Forecasting [GEKN] 4 hrs
ESSC 114 Geology of the National Parks [GEKN] 4 hrs
GEOG 111 Regions and Resources 3 hrs
GEOG 113 Great Lakes Geotourism: Water and Wine 3 hrs
GEOG 150 Thinking Sustainably [GEGA] 3 hrs
GEOG 311 History and Geography of the Modern World 3 hrs
or HIST 311 History and Geography of the Modern World 3 hrs
GEOG 336 Tourism and Socioeconomic Development 3 hrs
GEOG 346 Destination Branding 3 hrs
GEOG 445 Cultural Tourism Resources 3 hrs
GHPR 400 Cultural History of American Architecture 3 hrs
GHPR 401 Planning/Preservation Graphics and Geovisualization 3 hrs
GHPR 415 Place, Race, and Ethnicity 2 hrs
or AFC 415 Place, Race, and Ethnicity 2 hrs
GHPR 423 Interpreting the Historic Site 2 hrs
GHPR 475 Architectural Nomenclature 2 hrs
HIST 305 Native American History 3 hrs
HIST 313 Michigan History 3 hrs
HIST 315 History of Black Americans 3 hrs
HIST 319 The Civil Rights Movement in the United States 3 hrs
HIST 362 United States Urban History 3 hrs
HIST 370 History of American Sport 3 hrs
HIST 440 History of Detroit 3 hrs
IDE 226 History of Interiors from 1800 to Present 3 hrs
SOCL 214 U.S. Racial and Cultural Minorities [GEUS] 3 hrs
SOCL 306 The Urban Community 3 hrs
URP 306 Comprehensive Planning and Zoning 3 hrs
URP 435 History of Urban Form and Function 3 hrs
Only one course from the following may be used to satisfy the elective requirement:
GEOG 387L4 Cooperative Education in Geography [GELB] 3 hrs
GEOG 487L4 Cooperative Education in Geography [GELB] 3 hrs
GEOG 488L4 Internship [GELB] 4 hrs
GEOG 489L4 Internship [GELB] 5 hrs
GEOG 490L4 Internship [GELB] 6 hrs
GHPR 387L4 Cooperative Education in Historic Preservation [GELB] 3 hrs
GHPR 437 Historic Preservation Field Project 6 hrs
GHPR 487L4 Cooperative Education in Historic Preservation [GELB] 3 hrs
GHPR 488L4 Internship [GELB] 4 hrs
GHPR 489L4 Internship [GELB] 5 hrs
GHPR 490L4 Internship [GELB] 6 hrs

Minor Requirement:

This major does not require a minor.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
- Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
- At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.