Geography 

Career and Major Information
Related Career Titles
Web Sites
Salary Information

 

The Associate of Science degree in Geography is designed to complete the freshman and sophomore course requirements of a four-year bachelor’s degree.  The Walters State catalog curriculum is not designed to fulfill requirements for any one college or university; a student should consult a WSCC faculty advisor or an advisor at the intended transfer institution to determine particular courses for a specific school.  The link for the WSCC department is: http://www.ws.edu/socialsci/default.asp#Academic%20Programs.

 

 

Career and Major Information:

 

According to the 2002-2003 edition of the Occupational Outlook Handbook, geography is a social science occupation whose practitioners study the effects of physical and cultural development on local, regional, continental and global scales.  Economic geographers examine resources and economic activities.  Political geographers relate geography to political phenomena.  Cultural geographers study the geography of cultural phenomena.  Physical geographers study variations in climate, vegetation, soil and landforms and the effects on human activity.  Urban and transportation geographers investigate metropolitan areas, and regional geographers research the cultural, physical and political aspects of areas, which may range in size from small congressional districts to an entire continent.  Medical geographers study health care delivery systems, the causes and control of disease in specific areas, and environmental effects on health. 

 

Related Career Titles:

 

Land Developer

Site Researcher

Geographer

Cartographer

Map Analyst

Soil Conservationist

Land-Use Analyst

Teacher

Map Curator/Librarian

Surveyor

Urban/Regional Planner

Public Utilities Specialist

Transportation Manager

Natural Resources Specialist

Demographer

Zoning Investigator

Hydrologist

Earth Scientist

Environmental Impact Analyst

College Professor

 

Web Sites:

 

Careers in Geography

http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/geography/careers.html

 

Occupational Outlook Handbook – Geography

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocoigl.htm#G

 

What Do Geographers Do?

http://www.d.umn.edu/geog/main/aboutgeog.php

 

Careers in Geography

http://www.aag.org/Careers/Intro.html

 

Salary Information:

 

The median annual earnings of geographers in 2002 were $53,420.  In the Federal Government, social scientists with a bachelor’s degree and no experience could start at $23,442 or $29,307 a year.

 

Salary figures quoted are based on national figures.  Local or regional salaries may be lower.

 

 

Citation: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004-05 Edition, Social Scientists, Other, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos054.htm