Why Geography
The Department of Geography at FSU offers students career preparedness, community, and connections to real-world solutions. Our Department’s role in your college career is to help you along your journey of knowledge and impacting the world. We guide our students in pursuing research and careers that make a difference in the world.
Our students build a strong toolkit that includes learning about the interconnectedness of people, places, and environments and applying cutting-edge technology that appeals to employers and communities. Students in our department become clear communicators, competent scientific researchers, and strong problem solvers. Not only do they learn principles that enable them to engage with the problems of our time, but they also develop communication skills across boundaries with a whole host of different stakeholders in their communities and employment sectors.
Majors in the Department of Geography
are often set apart by their:
Dedication to solving the world’s modern and pressing problems
Curious natures and interest in unravelling the world’s complexity through a variety of methods, such as field data collection, GIS, and mapping
Enthusiasm for activism, sustainability and resilience, technology, and nature
Applying Geography to the Real World
Geography bridges data and decision-making. From urban systems to public health,
it provides spatial insight that drives smarter, more sustainable solutions.
Environmental Change
Geography bridges social sciences with knowledge of the biophysical environment to address interlinked socio-environmental challenges. From environmental change to urban systems to public health to local communities, it provides spatial tools and insights that drive more just, resilient, and sustainable futures.
GIScience and Spatial Data Science
Geographic Information Science is concerned with the collection, representation, visualization, and analysis of spatial data. Spatial Data Science is the study of the spatial processes that produce the data we observed on the world around us, largely through a quantitative lens. Both apply their in-demand skills to solving societal problems in the realms such as health, transportation, crime, retailing, and the environment.
Human Health and Wellbeing
Health geographers analyze how location, environment, and social/cultural factors influence health outcomes and the spread of disease. They use geographic methods like mapping and spatial analysis to understand health disparities, plan health services, and inform public health policy.
Human-Environment Interactions
In this core theme of geography, scholars explore how humans interact with, depend on, and adapt to their environment, as well as how human activities, in turn, alter the environment. By examining these relationships, geographers help predict environmental changes, find sustainable solutions, and contribute toward environmental justice and resilience.
Urban Analytics and Urban Futures
By 2050, nearly 70% of the 11 billion people in the world will concentrate in urban areas. Geographers use data science and computational methods to understand, manage, and improve urban systems, including phenomena such as population movements, land use, transportation, and environmental conditions.
Community-Based Research
By collaborating with community member partners, geographers conduct research important to the community. The goal is to improve community well-being, address uneven development, spatial inequality, and foster social change by integrating knowledge with action.
Careers in Geography
Geographers are hired in a wide range of career paths, including, local, state, and federal government agencies, private firms, non profit and NGOs. According to the US Department of Labor, the median annual wage for geographers was $97,200 in May 2024.
FSU Geography alumnus are shaping the future across sectors. They hold key positions in Federal and State agencies, including the National Weather Service, National Park Service, Department of Defense, and the Florida Departments of Education, Transportation, and Environmental Protection. In the Private Sector, our alumni contribute to global leaders such as Google, Boeing, Walt Disney, ESRI, and Southwest Airlines. Additionally, many continue their impact in Higher Education and Research at Florida State University, the University of Florida, and other major institutions across the state and beyond.
Career Snapshots
| Career | Median Salary (USD) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Climatologist | $94,570 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Chief Sustainability Officer | $206,420 | US Department of Labor |
| Environmental Health & Safety Officer | $118,894 | Indeed |
| Economic Development Specialist | $100,753 | Glassdoor |
| Sustainability Specialist | $81,270 | US Department of Labor |
| Geographic Information Systems Technologist & Technician | $108,970 | US Department of Labor |
| Urban & Regional Planner | $83,720 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Environmental Specialist | $80,060 | Bureau of Labor Statistics |
Voices from Our Alumni
Brandon Welbourn
BS Geography, 2012 • Regional Environmental Manager, Verizon
“My degree in Geography helped to establish a solid understanding of the intersection between Earth’s physical processes and human environments. This interdisciplinary perspective has been extremely important throughout my career, enabling me to navigate and work in environmental remediation, regulatory compliance, and policy development across both private and federal sectors.”
Tshoy Stewart
BS Geography, 2018 • MS GIS, 2020 • Senior GIS Specialist, NextEra Energy
“The favorite part of my program is learning about Geographic Information Science (GIS). There are plenty of career opportunities available. Most companies and government agencies interact with and use spatial data on a daily basis in some capacity. While pursuing my MS in GIS, I worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Now, I work at NextEra Energy—one of the world’s largest generators of renewable energy. I am also an adjunct professor at a private university who teaches an Intro to GIS in Business course.”
Calvin Zerry
BS Geography, 2019 • Senior Marine Cartography Technician, Garmin
“I discovered a talent, appreciation and affinity for the awareness and grounding effect that accompanies geographic knowledge, as it applies learned concepts from various subjects to an immediate global spatial practicality, with so many avenues of knowledge progression to pursue with unique, diverse specialities, fields and occupations to choose from. The ability to provide and convey information that displays a sense of direction to support and lead others is a gift.”
Community
The Department of Geography offers a vibrant community where students interact directly with their peers, professors, and staff members. Students are able to get one-on-one support and mentorship from award-winning faculty members beyond the classroom. Each semester, the department hosts guest speakers, social lunches, and various celebrations. We also have a Reading Room, open to all students. Students can engage with active student groups such as the Geographical Society (GS), which meets monthly to host student-focused events. The GS provides a space for members to receive guidance from senior students and build lasting friendships.
Get Connected
If you would like to learn more about geography and our degrees, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Undergraduate Program Director, Dr. Rachael Cofield (rcofield@fsu.edu), our Graduate Program Director, Dr. Tyler McCreary (tmccreary@fsu.edu), or our MSGIS Director Dr. Xiaojun Yang. We’d love to meet you and get you started on your journey in geography.
You can also check out our socials using our Department linktree.