GEOGRAPHY AT UMD

Geography is the study of place, or space, in the same sense that history is the study of time. Its study of human-land relationships and spatial interactions has always been of general interest, but Geography has added importance today due to the many environmental and economic challenges faced in today's world.

WHAT DO GEOGRAPHERS DO?

Geographers perform a wide variety of jobs in geographic subfields such as cartography, remote sensing, urban and regional planning, housing and community development retail site location, computer mapping, environmental analysis, climatology and resource conservation. Most geographers work in four basic career fields: business, government, planning or teaching. Geographers collect and analyze data to search for solutions to a variety of spatial problems related to each subfield.

WHY A KNOWLEDGE OF GEOGRAPHY IS IMPORTANT

A knowledge of Geography helps us understand the characteristics of space, location and place in the broader context of how people interact with both physical and human environments. Geographers identify and analyze the global patterns that shape our lives.

For example, geographers want to know:

- Where and how will the global environment adapt to anticipated world population growth?

- Why and where do people migrate? What are the effects on the regions from which migrants come and where they go?

- How can we use our diminishing agricultural land resources more efficiently than in the past?

- What is the extent and severity of acid rain?

- Where has illicit drug production affected the local agricultural economy? What are the implications of drug traffic for international trade?

- Where are the most profitable locations for new stores and why do corporations locate their headquarters in certain places rather than in others?

- Where are nuclear weapons being deployed, and what are the global consequences of nuclear war?

CAREERS AND PLACEMENT

The U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment of geographers to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations. Some career fields, such as computer assisted cartography, will grow faster than others. Some bachelor's degree holders may teach at the high school level with proper certification in the Social Sciences.

Individuals with geography backgrounds are needed in governmental research and planning agencies at the federal, state and local levels, in the research departments of many economic development units, both public and private and in business. Opportunitiies in business and service sectors are available in urban and environmental management and planning, including such fields as market and location analysis, land and water resources planning, and health planning. Those with strong backgrounds in urban, economic, and in physical geography should be in particular demand. Remote sensing specialists and cartographers are and will likely continue to be in demand.

Geography faculty help majors fulfill their educational and career goals by providing help and information for securing student internships, graduate internships, and information on geography or geography-related jobs whenever possible. Students may also utilize the services of UMD's Career Development and Placement Office.

Additional information regarding course content and the geography program at UMD is available in the Departmental Office - Cina 329.