Department of Geography

About this program

The Department of Geography at Ohio State is ranked fifth in the U.S. and is internationally renowned. The program offers a diverse and challenging curriculum with five distinct specializations and two degree types (BS and BA). World-renowned faculty and team of researchers bring their expertise to the classroom. The program provides numerous opportunities for students to travel and experience hands-on study and fieldwork at locations across the globe.

What do geographers do?

Geographers address current issues of local and global importance, such as urban growth and decline, regional population shifts, societal change and patterns of human activity that effect the physical landscape and climate.

What can you do with this degree?

Geography majors' skills make them attractive candidates for positions with planning and development agencies at the federal, state and local levels. Retail chains, financial institutions, insurance companies, real estate and industrial firms employ geographers to collect and analyze data that relate to the firm’s production and distribution of goods and services.

Graduates from the environment and society specialization have a variety of career options including working for environmental and protection agencies, state Departments of Natural Resources and Conservation, and for a range of nonprofit agencies. There are numerous high-paying jobs with private companies and governmental agencies for students with training in computer-based cartography and the use of geographic information systems.