Degree Plans
- BA in Global Studies
- BA in Geography with GEOG Concentration
- BA in Geography with GIS Concentration
- BS in Geographic Information Systems
The Importance of Department Advisement
Our department provides the type of support and advisement that will allow you to complete your degree as quickly and cost effectively as possible. Once you declare your major in our department, you will be assigned a dedicated faculty advisor to help guide you through the requirements for your degree.
With the correct advisement, you can almost complete your Global Studies major by taking the required HCLAS distribution courses. We also count a substantial portion of transfer credits toward our major and minor. Our department also makes it very easy for you to double major (something that employers like to see) without taking many extra credits. A large number of our current majors are double majors, in subjects as diverse as Drama, Economics, Dance, Political Science, Sociology, Philosophy, and Communications. A substantial portion of majors are also in Hofstra University Honors College, and we count Honors College courses toward our Global Studies major.
To be an undeclared student, or a student who has declared a major without proper advisement, is to cost you time and money. The key to finishing your degree within four years is declaring your major as soon as possible and getting advisement prior to registering for your classes.
Your Faculty Advisor
To become a Global Studies and/or Geography major, come to the department and declare your intention to do so. At that point, you will be assigned to an advisor, and we will jointly complete all the necessary paperwork. Make an appointment to see your advisor at least once every semester. You may change your advisor if you prefer to work with another professor in the department.
Your advisor can explain the DAR (Degree Audit Report) and help you avoid mistakes. There are rules that you may not have noticed in the Bulletin; your advisor can remind you of requirements before it is too late.
Make sure you know who your department advisor is and keep in contact with them. This is especially important if you have any concerns about your classes, have to miss classes due to health emergencies, and before making major changes to your academic schedule. Your faculty advisor will try and help you solve problems before they have a chance to derail your progress, so make sure to stay in touch with them.
What should I do before seeing my advisor?
Try to familiarize yourself with your DAR (Degree Audit Report) prior to coming to your appointment and make sure to call ahead. The DAR provides the easiest way for your advisor to be brought up to speed on what you have already taken and what courses will fulfill your major, college, and university requirements. This is particularly important for transfer students and dual majors. At the meeting, the advisor will review your DAR electronically and complete a department advisement form for you. This form will reside with the department and will serve as a record of your progress through your different advisement meetings.
Please contact the department if you need more information or would like to set up an advisement appointment. You can also contact Dean Berthold Binder in Memorial Hall, who is the University Advisor for our program: Berthold Binder. His role is to work with your Global Studies and Geography faculty advisor to ensure that your major advisement is in sync with those of the University and other departments.
Students can also post advisement questions on our student-run Facebook page, which also lists internships and events, and allows you to communicate with alumni. You can also speak to other students when attending our student club meetings (Get Global).