College of Social Sciences and Public Policy
Geography is more than maps and places. It studies the relationship between people and their environments, revealing the spatial dimensions of global change, urban development, climate risks, and social inequality. To study geography is to understand how the world works—and to use spatial thinking to solve real-world problems.
Florida State Geography is a hub for the spatially inquisitive. Whether it is understanding the roles of climate in shifting species distributions, deconstructing the processes that shape the growth and development of cities, using computational models to recommend where disaster relief is needed, unveiling social differences through trends in municipal bonds, exploring the interactions of people and their dependence on aquatic habitats, or building technical skills through the implementation of remote sensing, programming, and Geographic Information Systems, our faculty and students dive into a myriad of subjects touching numerous corners of our world. These are only a few of the areas our department’s talent pursues.

Our Programs

Are you interested in how people interact with their environment? Are you a tech fan looking to leverage the power of GIS, automation, and spatial statistics? Have you ever considered how remote sensing could impact the trajectory of an entire industry? Perhaps you find yourself thinking of how people develop both physical and social constructs. If so…
Geography is a field built on three pillars – the human, the environment, and the technical. By advancing basic knowledge as a foundation for problem-solving, and exposing students to a wide variety of applications across diverse interests, Geography equips its scholars with skill sets that are increasingly marketable in a world of complex questions. Many of our graduates, researchers, and faculty employ skills in geospatial science, statistics, and critical analysis. The trained geographer has the ability to identify issues or phenomena, ask appropriate questions, and deploy techniques from perspectives unique to the field and for the benefit of society.

Florida State University acknowledges that its Florida campuses are located on the ancestral and traditional homelands of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, the Apalachee, Seminole and Muscogee Nations, the ancient Calusa, Uzita and Tocobaga, and others. We pay respect to the resiliency of their tribal members, past and present, and to all Indigenous peoples.
The University honors its unique and collaborative friendship with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, together paying tribute to the Tribe’s great history and rich culture. We encourage all to learn about the significance of Indigenous peoples in this region and throughout the nation. With a collective knowledge of the past, we are inspired to teach, live, and support a future that empowers all individuals.
December 4, 2025
On November 21, the Department of Geography hosted its Thanksgiving 2025 Celebration. Students brought dishes from across the globe as we celebrated them! …
December 2, 2025
The GIS Day 2026 Celebration, held on November 19, 2025 (11 a.m.–1 p.m.) at the Claude Pepper Center, was a great success! The event featured talks from four distinguished speakers representing Florida State University and the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI). …
November 21, 2025
The College of Social Sciences and Public Policy hosted a Mark and Marianne Barnebey Leadership Lecture with Jean Accius, Ph.D., on Friday, November 14. The event was followed by a reception at 3 p.m. The talk, "Forged by Fire, Strengthened by Purpose: Why Collaboration Is the New Currency," with Dr. Accius …