College of Arts & Sciences

Geography

1

Earth

92%

Employment

$75K

Average Salary

Restart your search

Geographers work in a variety of fields, leveraging data and fieldwork to understand our dynamic planet, including its environmental, economic, social, and political systems. Geographers explore the world through perspectives on space, place, and landscape. They study spatial relations, meanings of place and placemaking in our lives, and the changing urban and rural landscapes in which we live. To do so, they employ scientific methods, concepts, and theories of our social fabric, while using state-of-the-art methods in digital data analysis, mapping, and cartography.

Careers

Grow Your Future

Geographers make valuable contributions to business, non-profits and government agencies, using skills in understanding social systems, improving the environment, and enhancing financial performance. In the private sector, geographers use skills related to spatial thinking, mapping, location analysis, logistics, database management or economic planning. In government agencies, geographers may focus on topics such as transportation, health, planning, development or GIS. Geographers in non-profit organizations may be involved in issues such as conservation, child welfare, development, health, education, culture and the arts, and historic preservation. 

Career opportunities in Geography

  • International area specialist
  • Business site selection
  • Cartographer
  • GIS analyst
  • Environmental scientist
  • Geoscientist
  • Teacher
  • Environmental planner
  • Natural resource manager
  • Geographer
  • Geopolitical analyst
  • Hydrologist
  • Intelligence Analyst
  • Land use planner/analyst
  • marketing analyst
  • urban/regional planner
  • community developer
  • technical writer

 

Classes & Requirements

What You'll Study

Geography is both a social and a physical science that analyzes and explains the location of and interrelationships between human and physical features of the earth’s environment. Geography majors examine how and why features and their locations change over time, with particular interest in the many impacts of these changes on both people and natural settings. Students build solid academic foundations that draw from and interrelate areas of study from the social and behavioral sciences, humanities, computer science and graphic communication, and the natural sciences.

 

Graduation Requirements

Any student earning a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree must complete a minimum of 39 hours at the 300+ level. These hours are generally completed by the major requirements. However, keep this hour requirement in mind as you choose your course work for the requirements in the major. Students interested in earning a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree must complete a minimum of 60 hours in biological, physical, mathematical and/or computer sciences. See the complete description of College requirements for a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Sciences degrees in the Arts and Sciences section of the 2020-2021 Undergraduate Bulletin.

UK Core Requirements

  • The Nature of Inquiry in Arts and Creativity (3 hours)
  • The Nature of Inquiry in the Humanities (3 hours)
  • The Nature of Inquiry in the Social Sciences (3 hours)
  • The nature of Inquiry in the Natural, Physical and Mathematical Sciences (3 hours)
  • Composition and Communication I (3 hours)
  • Composition and Communication II (3 hours)
  • Quantitative Foundations (3 hours)
  • Statistical and Inferential Reasoning (3 hours)
  • Community, Culture and Citizenship in the USA (3 hours)
  • Global Dynamics (3 hours)

Total Credit Hours - 30


Major Requirements 

Major Core Requirements

  • GEO 200 - Orientation to Geography [3 hours]
  • GEO 406 - Field Studies in Geography [3 hours]
  • GEO 309 - Introduction to GIS [3 hours]
  • GEO 499 - Senior Research Seminar [3 hours]

Tracks

  • Students must complete 15 credit hours from one of the following three tracks.
    • Mapping and GIS Track
      • GEO 109 - Digital Mapping
      • GEO 210 - How the Internet Works: Understanding Digital Places & People
      • GEO 305 - Elements of Cartography
      • GEO 310 - Data Explorations and Applications in Everyday Life
      • GEO 311 - Qualitative Methods in Geography
      • GEO 361 - GIS Applications for Health
      • GEO 399 - Internship in Geography
      • GEO 405G - Cartographic Product and Design
      • GEO 409 - Advanced GIS
      • GEO 419 Introduction to Remote Sensing
      • GEO 509 - Workshop in Geospatial Technologies
    • Environment Track
      • GEO 130 - Earth’s Physical Environment
      • GEO 135 - Global Climate Change
      • GEO 162 - Introduction to Global Environmental Issues
      • GEO 230 - Severe Storms and Extreme Weather
      • GEO 235 - Environmental Management and Policy
      • GEO 261 - Global Dynamics of Health and Diseas
      • GEO 316 - Environment and Development
      • GEO 320 - Geography of the United States and Canada
      • GEO 323 - Mexico: Environment, Politics and Society
      • GEO 324 - Geography of Central and South America and the Caribbean
      • GEO 326 - Geography of Europe
      • GEO 328 - Geography of the Middle East and North Africa
      • GEO 332 - Geography of Southeast Asia
      • GEO 333 - Geography of East Asia
      • GEO 336 - Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa
      • GEO 351 - Physical Landscapes
      • GEO 362 - onserving Global Environments
      • GEO 372 - Health Environment Futures
      • GEO 399 - Internship in Geography
      • GEO 419 - Introduction to Remote Sensing
      • GEO 431 - Political Ecology
      • GEO 451G - Fluvial Forms and Processes
      • GEO 530 - Biogeography and Conservation
    • Cities and Societies Track
      • GEO 160 - Lands and Peoples of the Non-Western World
      • GEO 161 - Global Inequalities
      • GEO 172 - Human Geography
      • GEO 220 - U.S. Cities
      • GEO 221 - Immigrant America: A Geographic Perspective
      • GEO 222 - Cities of the World
      • GEO 255 - Geography of the Global Economy
      • GEO 261 - Global Dynamics of Health and Disease
      • GEO 285 - Introduction to Planning
      • GEO 311 - Qualitative Methods in Geography
      • GEO 316 - Environment and Development
      • GEO 320 - Geography of the United States and Canada
      • GEO 323 - Mexico: Environment, Politics and Society
      • GEO 324 - Geography of Central and South America and the Caribbean
      • GEO 326 - Geography of Europe
      • GEO 328 - Geography of the Middle East and North Africa
      • GEO 332 - Geography of Southeast Asia
      • GEO 333 - Geography of East Asia
      • GEO 336 - Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa
      • GEO 399 - Internship in Geography
      • GEO 422 - Urban Geography
      • GEO 442G - Political Geography
      • GEO 455 - Globalization and the Changing World Economy
      • GEO 475 - Health and Medical Care in Space and Time
      • GEO 485G - Urban Planning and Sustainability

Breadth Electives

  • Students must complete an additional 12 credit hours from one or both of the tracks that were not selected as the student’s primary track within the major. Of the 12 credit hours, 6 credit hours must be at the 300-level or above. Courses used to satisfy the track requirement may not be used to satisfy the breadth requirement

Total Hours - 39


Geography | Bachelor of Arts

B.A. Four Year Plan

Geography | Bachelor of Science

B.S. Four Year Plan

Imagine Your Future

Geographers

Geographers study the Earth and the distribution of its land, features, and inhabitants.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics | Click the link for more info.

Median Salary

$90,880

per year in 2023

Number of Jobs

1,500

in 2023

Work Environment

Most geographers work full time. Geographers who do fieldwork may travel to foreign countries or remote locations.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

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A&S Undecided/Exploratory Studies

Understanding that over 70 percent of university students will change their declared major at least once during their college careers, the College of Arts and Sciences has developed an Exploratory Studies program for students who have yet to decide the specific field of study that most closely aligns both their personal interests and their professional career goals and objectives. The Exploratory Studies Program provides students with an extraordinarily diverse educational environment that includes coursework spanning Math and Natural Sciences, Humanities, and Social Sciences and provides students with the unique opportunity to explore multiple areas of interest during their first several semesters on campus. For more information please contact a recruiting representative at asrecruting@uky.edu. 


Enhancing Your Time at UK

While there are endless ways to create an unforgettable journey as a Wildcat, we can only think of one that gives you the chance to step outside the classroom and into exploring new parts of the world around you: participating in an Education Abroad opportunity! Whether it’s in a study, research, service, or internship program, taking your UK experience international with EA is the most hands-on way for you to expand your global perspective while making yourself a more well-rounded, marketable candidate to future employers no matter your field. As you take these first steps towards investing in your future, EA encourages you to take advantage of all the opportunities UK has to offer. Take a look at some of the many suggested opportunities UK Education Abroad & Exchanges has to complement your major! #ukyabroad

 

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