Keeping up with the earth
How many cities are better well known than the countries they
are in? Start with Timbuktu in Mali. Where is Mali? If you major
in geography, you would be able to identify Mali as a country
in western Africa.
Description
Geography is the study of places, locations, routes,
and patterns. It is a broad based liberal arts field with links
to the various social sciences and natural sciences. It emphasizes
the fundamentals of human-environment relationships and spatial
arrangements over the surface of the globe. A number of specializations
are available in geography depending on the school and the degree
level. For example, most undergraduate programs provide a general
background in geography while most graduate programs allow you
to specialize in such areas as physical geography (the study of
the distribution of climates, vegetation, soil, and land forms),
economic geography (a focus on the geographic distribution of
an area's resources and economic activities), political geography
(a concern with geography's relationship to political phenomena--local,
national, and international), and geographic information systems
(combines computer graphics, artificial intelligence, and high
speed communication to store, retrieve, manipulate, and map geographic
data).
Program Coursework
In most geography programs, you start with the introductory
courses in physical and cultural geography and then take such
upper division courses as urban geography, economic geography,
geomorphology, cartography, weather and climate, and land use
analysis.
Career Options
As a geography graduate with a bachelor's degree, you
will typically find opportunities for employment in such areas
as environmental analysis, urban affairs, urban planning, and
cartography. With a master's or Ph.D. degree, you would seek employment
in your specialty area. For example, you might consider a master's
or Ph.D. program with an emphasis in geographic information systems
(GIS). GIS can be applied in many job areas such as weather forecasting,
resource management and emergency management.
More Information from US Department of Labor - Occupational Outlook Handbook