Navigate the world.
Plan the future.

Welcome to the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning

Chart a new course

The world’s most pressing challenges have met their match. At the School of Geographical Science and Urban Planning at ASU, we are tackling significant environmental and societal issues, including climate policy, water resource management, disaster relief, housing and community development, renewable energy and sustainable growth. Our primary areas of research are:

Computational Spatial Science

Place, Identities and Culture

Earth Systems & Climate Science

Sustainability Science & Studies

Community Development for Social Equity

Spatial and Economic Analysis

Transportation Planning & Policy

Urban Design & Sustainable Cities

Why Study Here? View Research Areas

Undergraduate Degrees

B.A. in Geography

Understand the culture and human patterns of places, from large regions to communities. Graduates develop careers in community development, foreign service, or teaching, and work in areas such as intelligence analysis, international trade, or urban or regional planning.

Undergraduate Degrees

B.S. in Geography

Build an understanding of spatial patterns landforms, plants, water and weather, or choose to focus on human populations, including their economic patterns or transportations. Graduates go on to careers in areas like geomorphology, water resources, environmental impact assessment and business location.

Undergraduate Degrees

B.S. in Geography (Meteorology-Climatology)

Prepare for a career as a meteorologist, with employers like the National Weather Service, the military, and the travel and energy industries, or go on to graduate study to build a research-oriented career.

Undergraduate Degrees

B.S. in Geographic Information Science

GIS takes computer science to a new level, specializing in technology that puts companies like Google on the forefront of innovation and navigating the globe. One of only a very few programs of its kind in the United States, our GIS program pairs the practical skill of computer science with conceptual knowledge of geographical problem solving and spatial thinking.

Undergraduate Degrees

B.S.P. in Urban Planning

Urban planners guide communities in making wise decisions about their use of land and resources. The BSP program in urban planning provides students with expertise in both the analysis and the synthesis of the physical, social, political and economic issues that shape urban and regional development.

Student Employment Opportunities

There are a number of internship and employment opportunities in geography and planning. SGSUP students have the chance to work on campus with research teams and for exciting employers like the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

Academic Advising

Our advisors are here to help you succeed. If you are pursuing a major, minor, certificate or BIS concentration in geography, GIS or urban planning, an advisor can help you stay on track for graduation and achieve your academic and career goals. You can schedule your appointment in advance or walk in.

David Pijawka

Our Faculty

Our faculty members are world-renowned researchers who publish extensively in leading journals and thrive on interdisciplinary collaboration. Among our internationally known leaders are four members of the National Academy of Sciences, a National Science Foundation Young Investigator award winner, two Guggenheim scholars, and members of the National Research Council Geographical Sciences Committee.

Visualizing Arizona heat through maps

July 15, 2019

When an earthquake or a tsunami strikes, aid groups and rescue teams begin assessing emergency needs right away. But other crises are harder to quantify.

New research corrects bias in data from fitness app

July 2, 2019

Recently, the culture is moving to change transportation habits for both health and environmental benefits.

WMO verifies third and fourth hottest temperatures recorded on Earth

June 19, 2019

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has officially evaluated temperature record extremes of 54.0 C (129.2 F) at two locations, one in Mitribah, Kuwai