GEO 101 World Human Geography
Spring 2008
FAQ: Majoring in Geography

Here are some frequently asked questions about majoring in geography along with my answers

Q. The other day I realized that I can' t live my life without geography and think that I would like to major in geography. What do I do?

A. Hey, great! We're always happy to have more geographers in the world. Check out some of the information and requirements on the web and come talk to me, Dr. Kilpinen, or Dr. Janke.

Q. I was thinking about majoring in geography, but my mom and dad think I should be a lawyer. Can I get a real job with a degree in geography that will make my mom and dad proud or will I be stuck in some boring fast food job for the rest of my life?

A. Your choice of career should be your own, so don't worry about displeasing your parents. They will probably be happy with whatever career you choose as long as you are happy with your decisions. If you really do want to be a lawyer and are interested in geography, you can still major in geography and get into law school and even do geography related stuff as a lawyer (like environmental law for instance). The career possibilities are pretty wide open when you major in geography. The likelihood that you'll find a career in which you can use your major is high. The Association of American Geographers has oodles of additional information on careers in geography. Here's what some of my own former students are doing now.

• One student works for a major .com company doing web design and evaluation. Skills he learned in cartography and in classes on geography and the Internet help him in his job. He obtained this job in the middle of the .com slump when such jobs were hard to come by.
• Another of my students has gone on to law school to study land use, planning and environmental law with the hope that a law degree will help him to participate in changing the world for the better.
• One student is attending graduate school so that he can teach geography and social studies at the high school level.
• One student obtained a job working in community development on an Indian reservation.
• One of my students is in the peace corps in Eastern Europe.
• One of my former students studied GIS Environmental Analysis in graduate school for two years and now has a job working for a surveying and engineering firm helping to set up and run their GIS system.
• Several of my former students are now in graduate school in geography focusing their studies in a variety of fields.
• Some of my former students have gone on to study urban planning in graduate school.

Q. Wow, I'm a Junior majoring in political science, but I really like this geography stuff. Is it beneficial for me to double major or add a minor in geography?

A. Yes, because geography is such a broad discipline and being able to think geographically is a valuable skill geography makes a good double major. We have some advice online that you can use to help plan out a course of study in geography that will complement your non-geography major.

Q. Hmm, I'm a freshman. I really liked the things we studied in this course, but I'm not sure I want to major in geography. What courses should I take to get a better feel for geography?

A. Any additional course in geography should help you make up your mind. Globalization and Development also focuses on the human side of geography but uses a regional perspective. Geomorphology is a good course to take to start to learn about the physical side of geography. Many students choose geography as a major after taking Geomorphology. Finally, you might consider taking a more specialized 200 level course in geography for some more in-depth exposure to geography. Talking informally to any of the geography professors can also be an additional way that you can learn more about geography and interesting course offerings.