What do geographers do?
Geographers work in a wide variety of jobs using their diverse skills. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the occupation of Geographer is one of the highest paid entry-level jobs one can attain with a BS degree. Geographers work on a wide variety of topics, including agriculture, environment, forestry, tourism, transportation, emergency response, public health, transportation, water resources, security and intelligence. Geographers use skills of planning, GIS, remote sensing, digital image processing and cartography. Jobs for geographers exist in federal, state and local government agencies and in the private and non-profit sectors.
Recent graduates with a B.S. in Geography and Geospatial Science from OSU are working as:
- City planner
- Data manager
- Engineering technician
- GIS analyst
- GIS instructor
- GIS lead planner
- Health professional
- Lawyer
- Parks planner
- Science teacher
- Social policy researcher
Geography graduates enter the job market with a broad background in the natural and social sciences. To strengthen their preparation for a career area, advisors in the OSU Geography Program may suggest coursework in fields such as foreign language, computer science, statistics, anthropology, economics or chemistry.
What about graduate school?
Many geography majors continue their education at the master's or Ph.D. levels in geography and allied fields, both in the United States and abroad. Graduate geography degrees are offered in a wide variety of universities, with specializations depending on the faculty, facilities and related programs. More information about Oregon State's graduate geography degree can be found on the Geography Graduate Program page of this website.