Is Geography a smart major choice?

College Majors
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I just finished my freshman year of college and switched into the geography program because I have always loved it. The disappointing part is that my university only offers a BA in Geography. I am more interested in the human side of geography than the physical side but I still like GIS and want to incorporate that in my curriculum because i believe it would really help me in the job market.

So I’m wondering, is it a good choice for a major? I just want to be confident about it.

Also, the minor that I’m really interested in is Public and Urban Affairs, which I believe will help me in the long run.

Thoughts?

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Sounds like you have it figured out! Thumbs up

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The first couple of pages that come up on searching “geography” on the Indeed.com jobs website suggest that there are many jobs for which a geography bachelor’s degree is considered appropriate. However, there are rarely jobs for which geography graduates only are thought appropriate. So geography graduates should expect to have a lot of competition for most jobs. For example, someone with “a Bachelors Degree in Planning, Physical Science, Political Science, Geography or related field” is sought for a Public Works Planner job. Someone with “BS/BA in Geography, Natural Sciences, Computer Science, Planning, Engineering, or a related discipline” is sought for GIS Specialist.

Buzz words, so presumably areas of valuable knowledge, for geography jobs appear to be GIS, urban planning, environmental science, natural resource planning, transportation planning.

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Thanks for the insight! I have seen good things and bad things about my major so I just want to be confident in my choice. What other minors would set me aside from other students that just have a Geography degree?

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Guided by what is sought in the jobs I found, I think Urban Planning, Physical Science, Environmental Science, Computer Science, Transportation Planning and Political Science. I suggest that you search jobs websites for “Geographer” to see if any other areas are particularly mentioned.

You said that you’re interested in Public and Urban Affairs as a minor. What I would do is look at the courses entailed in that, and if the courses correspond largely to the courses in Urban Planning and/or the other areas identified as desired by employers, then it would be appropriate.

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