THE TOP 10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BECOME A

GEOGRAPHY MAJOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

Dr. Ronald Luna, Undergraduate DirectorRachel Berndtson, Senior Undergraduate AdvisorDepartment of GeographyUniversity of MarylandFall 2011

What is Geography?

Geography concerns the relations between people and the natural world, the effects of ecosystems on human beings and vice versa,

the choices people make, the effects of past actions on people today, and the effects of today’s choices on future generations.

Geography Academic Options

Major

GEOGRAPHY

Concentration

GEOGRAPHY

Concentration

Geographic Information Systems

Concentration

ENSP-Coastal

Concentration

ENSP-Global

Concentration

ENSP-Land Use

Minor

Geographic Information Systems

Minor

*Upcoming* Global Environmental Justice

Minor

*Upcoming* Geospatial Intelligence and Analysis

Concentration

*Upcoming* Society, Sustainability and Environmental Justice

human-environmental interactions

Specialized subfields: urban, biogeographic, demographic 

technical skills

digital processing spatial analysis 

remote sensing observations

cartographic vector data

spatial analysis 

Remote sensing

military analysis and intelligence

environmental monitoring counter-narcotics

disaster assessments,

law enforcement

environmental justice

environmental resources location and use

Ecological dimensions

Cultural dimensions

Regional dimensions

International dimensions

scientific underpinnings

societal impacts

policy responses

climate change,

sea level rise

greenhouse gas emissions

stratospheric ozone

oceanography and littoral processes

meteorological conditions

environmental policy as it relates to marine and coastal management

#1: Rapidly expanding field of study

Geographic Information Systems Over the past 15 years there has been…

A “rapid pace of advancements and increasing accessibility” to GIS tools and programming languages

Increasingly more accessible computer memory for GIS programs

Diffusion and adoption of GIS across academic and professional disciplines

A flux of massive governmental and commercial spatial databases

A significant increase in the public availability to high-resolution satellite imagery

The creation of specialized software suites for unique industries

The development of Internet tools for GIS data dissemination and visualization

(Sampson and Delgiudice 2006, 1446; Florance 2006, 222-223)

#1: Rapidly expanding field of study

Geography Why Geography Matters…

“Geography is fundamental to the process of true education in that it serves as a springboard to virtually every other subject in the sciences and humanities” (McDougall 2001)

“Geography is vital to the examination of economic competition, poverty, environmental degradation, ethnic conflict, health care, global warming, literature and culture, and, of course, international relations.” (McDougall 2001)

Geography is essential to understanding and changing society (Massey 1984, 1)

Geographic knowledge is necessary to understanding industrial processes, economic mechanisms, poverty distribution, natural resource management, natural disaster response and mitigation (Massey 1984, 3, 6, 7)

#2: All-Star Faculty

Leaders of the field Recently ranked THIRD BEST Geography department

in the United States by the National Research Council Great connections

“Graduate school and career letters of recommendation need to be different from those required for undergraduate admission” in that they must come from a professor “who can say something good about your potential for graduate or career research, experience with undergraduate research, or performance as a student.”

THEREFORE…. “Develop good relationships with your professors

now.” Dr. Kim Nickerson, Assistant Dean at the University of Maryland’s College of Behavioral and Social

Sciences

…why does this matter?

#3: Ease of enrollment and degree completion

Not a Limited Enrollment Program No entrance exams or minimum GPAs No specific CORE requirements Manageable credit requirements: 50

Departmental Credits Easy to transfer in as a junior or senior Easy addition of minors or double majors

Several summer, winter and online course options

#4: Career Opportunities

Cross disciplinary Government: federal and state (DoD, EPA, BLM,

USGS, NASA, NGA, USAID) Corporate (Google, Lockheed Martin, ESRI) Non Profit (World Wildlife Fund, Natural Resources

Defense Council, Amnesty International, The Holocaust Museum)

Academic: Universities (teaching, researching), High School, Middle School

Physical: land use/land cover change, wildlife habitats, climate change, earth systems science

Human: political analysis, cultural analysis, census tracking, transportation systems, corporate strategizing, ethnic disputes, educational change, health access

#5: Internship Opportunities

Expanding number of new internship opportunities (private, nonprofit and government sectors) Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer internships

Bi-annual Geography Career Fair specifically designed for and open to

Geography/GIS students Up to 6 credits for internships (GEOG384,

GEOG385) Internship opportunities easily accessible

proximity to DC/MD/VA offices

Why is this important?

#6: Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Honors Program (GEOG396, GEOG397) Independent Studies Program (GEOG 398, GEOG498) Opportunities to submit research for cash rewards (Funded) Opportunities to present at national

academic meetings Why is this important?

Research at the undergraduate level is no longer seen as giving students an “edge” at graduate schools and job opportunities, but rather “many graduate schools and employers have come to expect it” (Webb 2007)

Dr. Michael Doyle, former president of the Council on Undergraduate Research and chemistry professor at the University of Maryland: “undergraduate research experience can help recent science grads land interviews (and even jobs) in the industry and compensate for the ‘years of experience’ listed in a job advertisement” (Webb 2007)

#7: State of the art technological facilities and

skills training Student computer labs

Access to latest GIS, Remote Sensing and Programming software ArcGIS, ENVI, ERDAS, Visual Studio, S-Plus

#7: Skills Training through GIS Courses

GEOG373 GEOG473 GEOG475

Geographic Information Systems and Spatial AnalysisPrerequisite: GEOG306 and GEOG373. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: GEOG473 or GEOG482. Formerly GEOG482. Analytical uses of geographic information systems; data models for building geographic data bases; types of geographic data and spatial problems; practical experience using advanced software for thematic domains such as terrain analysis, land suitability modeling, demographic analysis, and transportation studies.

Geographic Information SystemsCharacteristics and organization of geographic data; creation and use of digital geospatial databases; metadata; spatial data models for thematic mapping and map analysis; use of geographic information system in society, government, and business. Practical training with use of advanced software and geographic databases.

Computer CartographyPrerequisite: GEOG306, GEOG373 or equivalent The principles of designing maps for publication in print media, including books and atlases. The selection of symbols, colors, letter- ing, map projections, and map content. Constraints and problems in the classification and representation of map data.

#7: Skills Training through Remote Sensing Courses

GEOG372 GEOG472

Remote Sensing: Digital Processing and Analysis;Prerequisite: GEOG306, GEOG372 or equivalent. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: GEOG472 or GEOG480. Formerly GEOG480. Digital image processing and analysis applied to satellite and aircraft land remote sensing data. Consideration is given to preprocessing steps including calibration and geo registration. Analysis methods include digital image exploration, feature extraction thematic classification, change detection, and biophysical characterization. One or more application examples may be reviewed.

Remote SensingPrinciples of remote sensing in relation to photographic, thermal infrared and radar imaging. Methods of obtaining quantitative information from remotely-sensed images. Interpretation of remotely-sensed images emphasizing the study of spatial and environmental relationships.

#7: Skills Training through Programming and Modeling

Courses GEOG376 GEOG476 GEOG498N

Introduction to Computer Programming in GISPrerequisite: GEOG306, GEOG373 or equivalent. An introductory programming course for geography. Introduces the concepts of computer programming as applied to Geography

Advanced Computer Programming in GIS Prerequisite: GEOG306, GEOG373, GEOG376 or equivalent. An advanced programming course for geography . Implementation language is Visual Basic

Topical Investigations: Conceptualizing and Modeling Human-Environmental Interactions

#8 Study Abroad Opportunities Italy: GEOG328G Croatia: GEOG 498A Puerto Rico: GEOG 328 Southern Caribbean:

GEOG328

…and more on the way!

#9: Diversity of Coursework Physical course examples:

GEOG340, GEOG342, GEOG415 Human course examples:

GEOG328B, GEOG410, GEOG435 GIS course examples:

GEOG373, GEOG473, GEOG475 Remote Sensing course examples:

GEOG372, GEOG472 Programming and Modeling course

examples: GEOG376, GEOG476, GEOG498N

# 10: A Multi-Disciplinary Subject

Check the following website for additional specialty groups http://www.aag.org/sg/sg_display.cfm

Come See Us!

For more information on the Geography and GIS majors at the University of Maryland, please come to the Department of Geography’s Advising Office:

2108 LeFrak Hall301-405-4073Geog-advise@umd.edu

Sources

Florance, P. 2006. GIS collection development within an academic library. Library Trends 55(2): 222-235.

Massey, D. 1984. Introduction: Geography matters. In Geography matters! A reader eds. D. Massey and J. Allen, 1-12. New York: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge.

McDougall, W. A. 2001. Why geography matters. American Educator 25(1): 10.

Nickerson, K. “Towards a Career in Research: The Value of Undergraduate Research,” Geography 212 Lecture, University of Maryland. College Park. 21 September 2010.

Sampson, B. A. and G. D. Delgiudice. 2006. Tracking the rapid pace of GIS-related capabilities and their accessibility. Wildlife Society Bulletin 34(5): 1446-1454

Webb, Sarah, “The Importance of Undergraduate Research,” Science Careers, July 06, 2007, accessed September 17, 2010, http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/articles/2007_07_06/caredit_a0700095.