Career Opportunities

Last updated: Spring 2020

A wide range of careers demanding knowledge of geographic concepts and mastery of geographic techniques are open in business, government, non-profit organizations, teaching, and GIS (Geographical Information Systems)/cartography. Many opportunities are becoming available in the field of environmental management and planning. The Federal government will need additional personnel to work in programs such as regional development, environmental quality, and intelligence. Employment of geographers in state and local government is expected to expand, particularly in areas such as conservation, environmental quality, emergency management, highway planning, and city, community, and regional planning and development. Private industry also is expected to employ increasing numbers of geographers for market research and location analysis. Graduates who have only the Bachelor’s degree in geography may find positions connected with making, interpreting, or analyzing maps and GIS databases; or in research, either working for government or industry. Others may obtain employment as research or teaching assistants in educational institutions while studying for advanced degrees. Some Bachelor’s degree holders do teach at the high school level, although in some states, the Master’s degree is becoming essential for high school teaching positions.

Many geographers have job titles such as GIS specialist, map analyst or regional planner, that describe their specialization. Others have titles that relate to the subject matter of their study, such as photo-intelligence specialist or climatological analyst. Still others have titles such as community or environmental planner, transportation planner or market or business analyst.

Further training to open career doors may be either in geography or in other fields where geography can be applied, such as planning or business, or it can be totally unrelated to geography specifically, such as law and public administration. The critical point is for the student, in consultation with a faculty adviser, to work out a solid program in geography and related fields which will sound out the various options.