Geography

Geography studies the relationship between people, places, and the environment.  Our degrees in environmental studies and geospatial applications provides students with opportunities to study how people relate to their natural and human surroundings at the local, regional, and global scale.  

As an inherently interdisciplinary field, geography bridges the natural sciences, social sciences, and liberal arts. Our students explore topics such as environmental processes, human populations, cultures, economies, political systems, and the ways these factors shape the world around us. Through this broad perspective, geographers develop a unique understanding of complex challenges facing society, including environmental change, resource management, urban development, and sustainability.

The program combines geographic inquiry with hands-on technical training in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, spatial analysis, and digital mapping. These highly sought-after skills enable students to collect, analyze, and visualize data to better understand patterns and relationships, to better aid decision-making processes across landscapes and communities.

Graduates are well prepared for careers in environmental consulting, environmental policy, urban and regional planning, GIS and geospatial technologies, watershed management, and many other fields. The Geography program also provides an excellent foundation for graduate study and careers focused on understanding and improving the relationship between people and the world they inhabit.

The liberal arts program in geography offers emphases in environmental and sustainability studies, and geospatial applications for both geography majors and minors. A minor in geography brings an added dimension to any major, and current geography minors hold majors in many different University departments. The program in secondary education, providing certification for social studies teaching with a geography emphasis, is also serving a growing demand. Every student will benefit from the liberal arts value of the introductory and regional geography courses.