Geography
Do you love studying maps? Are you curious about why things happen where they do? If you like thinking about our impact on the planet, then there's a place for you here—where you can study everything from world hunger and hazardous waste to erosion, trade, transportation and more. How does dust in the atmosphere affect climate change? What is the optimum amount of soil water content for a forest to thrive under extreme temperatures? Why do some maps omit places that are popular with people who are LGBTQ? Join us and find out.
What will I learn?
Geography at UB is a flexible major, with a small number of required classes, and then the freedom to take lots of electives in areas like earth science, urban geography, development geography, forest ecology, environmental hazards, health behaviors, oceans and international trade. Whether you choose to concentrate in a specific area or not, you'll learn how to collect, describe, analyze and interpret data. You'll discover how to create and analyze maps and models. And you'll get hands-on training in the software required to be successful in your future career.
What can I do with a geography degree?
Develop a more efficient map for bus routes in a city. Help a hospital prevent the spread of diseases in a community. Reduce the risk of life-threatening floods. Find the ideal sites for solar panels and other sources of renewable energy. These are just a few of the paths you can follow as a geography graduate, in a career that can take you around the world.
This degree provides opportunities for a career with a government agency (including federal agencies, state organizations and local planning offices), a university, a nonprofit organization, or a business (such as a consulting company or real estate developer).
Popular career choices include:
- GIS analyst.
- Cartographer.
- Geospatial data scientist.
- GIS software engineer.
- Computer analyst.
- Crime analyst.
- Demographer.
- Ecologist.
- Environmental scientist.
- Geomorphologist.
- Health care analyst.
- Market research analyst.
- Meteorologist.
- Natural resource manager.
- Urban and transportation planner.
By the Numbers
Check out salary ranges and career outlooks straight from the U.S. Department of Labor to see the return on investment for your degree.
| Occupation Title | Mean Annual Wage | Mean Hourly Wage | Future Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, All Other | $47,950.00 | $23.05 | Rapid Growth, Many Openings |
| Surveying and Mapping Technicians | $108,940.00 | $52.37 | Rapid Growth |
| Geographers | $95,940.00 | $46.13 | |
| Geography Teachers, Postsecondary | $66,510.00 | $31.98 |
Data provided by the and DOL data from 2024.