Geography, Planning, and Sustainability Department Competencies Developed

Students master the scientific method, including conceptualizing problems and supplying evidence to effectively develop and critically evaluate hypotheses.    

Students develop effective communication skills and can tailor the use of text, graphics, and oral presentations to effectively relay information to a variety of audiences.  

Students gain practical experience through internships, research projects, and applied fieldwork courses. 

Students master quantitative analysis including applying statistical and other analytic techniques, including GIS and other geospatial technologies, to the definition, understanding, and evaluation of alternatives for planning and natural resource issues.

Students can collaboratively problem solve, develop plans, and design implementation actions. 

Students can critically evaluate the quality, currency, reliability, objectivity, and usability of data and information.  

Students understand the ethics of professional practice and behavior, including being familiar with the AICP Code of Ethics.  

Students practice critical self-reflection, examining their framework for decision-making and evaluating it against professional standards. 

Students articulate a meaningful vision of a just society, including issues of equity within generations—across the lines of gender, race, age, class, sexuality, and ethnicity—and across generations.  

Students recognize the multicultural aspects of society and demonstrate an awareness of the need for inclusive decision-making in planning, especially regarding historically marginalized populations.

Students critique ethical aspects of research and scientific endeavors. 

Students identify themselves as global citizens and articulate the reality of ecological limits and an environmental ethic that incorporates a view of just sustainability.