Welcome to Geography at UMW!

The Department of Geography is a lively, friendly space where students are encouraged to explore new topics, discover the breadth of our discipline, and engage in classes in cultural, environmental and technological subject areas.

We offer two majors, in Geospatial Analysis and in Geography.

We offer a certificate in Geographic Information Science (just like a minor for undergraduate students) that can be taken with any major.

Courses in the geotechnologies, like geographic information systems and remote sensing, are taught under the GISC numbering system. Other geography courses are taught under GEOG.

We recently revised the Geography major to allow for a greater level of specialization in one of three areas:

• Society & Politics:  This includes courses in geopolitics, globalization, migration, race, and urban geography. How do geographies of globalization affect political, economic and urban dimensions of those places?  Students might follow a career in urban or regional planning; or work for a non-profit organization in housing or transportation solutions; or conduct research for an organization such as the Library of Congress.
• Culture:  This includes courses in local and international development, sacred spaces, and regional geographies. How do people living in specific places and regions experience and affect social, cultural, economic, and environmental processes? Students might head for careers in education, research or development; they might work in the non-profit sector, for intelligence agencies or contractors, or for local and regional authorities.
• Environment:   This includes courses in landforms, climatology, biogeography, and human-environment relationships.  How do physical and social processes shape the natural environment and affect human life? This area leads to careers in environmental monitoring, emergency management, or  agencies such as the US Geological Survey or State Department of Conservation & Recreation.

A degree in Geography gives a broad foundation in so many different areas, you can do whatever you with it!