Frequently Asked Questions
What can you do with a degree in Geography?
Plenty! You might become a TV weatherman or a cartographer for a travel guide publisher; get involved in transportation and urban and community planning or teach overseas; serve as a park ranger or an outdoor guide; or become an environmental specialist or a GIS analyst. The Association of American Geographers claims that most geographers work in business, government, or teaching. If you plan to continue with graduate school, Geography is an appropriate background for many professional programs and academic majors, such as Environmental Science, Earth Sciences, Geology, City and Regional Planning, Landscape Architecture, Law, Public Policy, International Studies, and Forestry.
Career guides
The Association of American Geographers is the professional organization for geographers in the U.S. They have an excellent career guide website: https://communicate.aag.org/eseries/scriptcontent/custom/giwis/cguide/. If you want to know what you might do with a degree in Geography, spend some time exploring these pages. Also, take a look at what some of our recent graduates are doing. You really can get a job in your field with a B.A. in Geography!
What Are They Doing Now?
| Nina Rizzo | Global Exchange, West Coast Independence from Oil Campus Organizer |
| Kathleen King | Aide at a school for autistic children |
| Juan Bahena | Assistant Buyer at Duty Free Stores |
| Heidi Mason | Worked as geographer for Tesco, a grocery firm. She is currently developing her music career. |
| Nazira Mojadidi | Better Business Bureau |
| Sona Chilingaryan | Rule Writer in Air Regulations Office of the US EPA Region 9 in SF, CA |
| Meghan Luke | Training to be a dog handler (mushing dog sleds) |
| Hilary Near | Environmental Educator, I Recycle @ School Education Center, Stopwaste.org |
| Alex Demisch | Research Analyst, Strategic Economics, Berkeley, CA |
| Brie Solaegui | Environmental Consultant with AEI Consultants |
| Emily Busch | Creating and editing virtual reality panoramas for Immersive Media |
| Morgan Carter | Assistant Vice President of classic car auction company (goodingco.com) |
| Nat Evatt | In England working toward a restaurant job through Bunac program |
| Jennifer Boggs | Cartographer using GIS at The Wilderness Society |
| Alexandra Barnish | Creating GIS maps at GreenInfo Network, SF, CA (http://greeninfo.org) |
| Matthew Olson | Consultant in human capital, Mercer Consultant |
| Bryan Kahler | GIS consultant, CH2M Hill |
| Lena Fenik | Medical school student in Germany |
| Tasya Jansen | Pharmacy school student at the University of the Pacific |
| Aaron Arthur | Plant biologist and wetlands delineation at WRA, San Rafael, CA |
| Ryan Booth | Lights Out San Francisco, A nonprofit working on awareness of energy conservation and global warming |
| Jennifer Sta. Ines | Editiorial Assistant, OnEarth Magazine, National Resources Defense Council, NYC, NY |
| Joanna Sperber | Environmental Planner, Christopher Joseph & Associates, Petaluma, CA |
| Erin Hester | PhD student, Department of Geography, UC Davis |
| Melissa Higbee | Research Analyst, Strategic Economics, an urban planning research and consulting firm |
| Debra Wong | DTE Program student, UC Berkeley School of Education |
| James Shannon | Project management for International Transport Association, Geneva, Switzerland |
| Jane Wardani | Graduate student in Environmental Planning, UC Berkeley |
| Abby Lowe | Sports4Kids Program (provides support for school site coordinators) |
| Gabriela Baeza | Geotechnical Laboratory Technician, Fugro West, Oakland, CA, a geoscience consulting and marine survey firm |
| Rory Taggart | Investment Banking Analyst, Mosaic Capital, Los Angeles, CA |
| Mitra Forati van Vuren | Director of Admissions, International House, UC Berkeley |
| Emma Paethorpe | Environmental work for a mining and construction materials supplier, Santa Cruz, CA |
What are the major requirements?
See program information for course requirements, honors program, and other details.
Are there any scholarships for Geographers?
There are two scholarships awarded annually to Geography majors: the James J. Parsons Scholarship for Field Research in Geography and the David A. Rose Scholarship in Physical Geography. Geography majors who want to do original research for the Senior Honors Thesis are also good candidates for the Haas Scholars Program. To learn more, and to read about past recipients, see the Scholarships page.