Department of Economics and Geosciences

Antecedent Departments

Economics and Government (1954–1956)
Economics (1956–1960)
Military History and Geography (1956–1958)
Geography (1958–1960)
Economics and Geography (1960–1966)
Economics and Management (1966–1973)
Geography (1966–1973)
Economics, Geography and Management (1973–1981)
Economics (1981–1986)
Office of Geography (1981–1986) (within Social Sciences Division)
Economics and Geography (1986–2005)
Economics and Geosciences (2005–Present)

Department Heads 1954–1959 Col Robert F. McDermott 1956–1957 Col Josephus A. Bowman (MH&G) 1957–1958 Col Wilfred W. Smith (MH&G) 1958–1960 Lt Col Wiley L. Baxter (Geog) 1959–1964 Col Wayne A. Yeoman (Econ) 1964–1966 Col Robert G. Taylor (Econ & Geog) 1966–1973 Col Taylor (Geog) 1966–1972 Col Yeoman (Econ & Mgt) Fall 1972 Lt Col Wade R. Kilbride Spring 1973 Lt Col Edward B. Oppermann 1973–1974 Col Marcos E. Kinevan 1974–1977 Lt Col Edward L. Claiborn 1977–1980 Col Lee D. Badgett 1980–1981 Lt Col Robert L. Taylor 1981 Lt Col William J. Weida 1982–1986 Col Kenneth H. Fleming 1986–1989 Lt Col Michael S. Anselmi 1989–1994 Col F Raymond E. Franck 1994–1996 Lt Col Laurence C. Vliet 1996–2000 Col Franck 2000–2001 Lt Col Steven Slate 2001–2008 Col Richard L. Fullerton 2008–2011 Col Neal J. Rappaport 2011–2014 Col Fullerton 2014– Col Jennifer C. Alexander		Permanent Professors Bob McDermott Whitey Yeoman Gil Taylor   Mark Kinevan Lee Badgett Ken Fleming   Chip Franck Rich Fullerton Jen Alexander

The Department Today:

The department addresses complex systems, from economics to weather forecasting and physical, human, and regional geography. Economics is the scientific study of decision-making, analyzing tradeoffs to recommend optimal decisions, and making predictions about behavior. The Economics major includes foundational courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics and allows cadets to focus on business, finance, international economics, public policy, or quantitative economics. The Meteorology major uniquely focuses on the impact of weather on military operations. The program is compliant with the World Meteorological Organization and balances classical mathematical and physical treatments of the atmosphere with societal impacts. The Geospatial Science major provides international insight and cultural and physical understanding of the battle space, leveraging coursework and digital modeling techniques to help interpret regional landscapes and conflicts.

Curriculum:

The department offers 23 Economics, 17 Geospatial Science, and 6 Meteorology courses, and supports courses in Operations Research, Foreign Area Studies, and Social Sciences.
    Core Courses: 
         Econ 201. Introduction to Economics
         Geo 351. Introduction to Physical Geography (Advanced STEM Choice)
         Geo 412. World Cultural Geography (Advanced Sociocultural Choice)
    Majors:  Economics
         Geospatial Science
         Meteorology (joint with Physics)
         Foreign Area Studies (Interdisciplinary)
         Operations Research (Interdisciplinary)

Noteworthy:

Department resources provide access to state-of-the-art geographic information processing methods such as digital image processing and geographic information systems. A modern, fully equipped Meteorology Laboratory provides access to online data and weather-forecasting tools.