Geography

Overview

Do you get sucked into maps, or have an interest in the weather or the environment that your friends don't share? If so, Geography may be a field to explore. There's more to Geography than locating state capitals and identifying mountain ranges. Geographers predict the weather and analyze environmental changes; they deal with issues of population such as where population is greatest and why, and how populations change and have changed. If you have an interest in foreign affairs, many geographers focus on specific parts of the world such as Europe or Africa.

Human Geography and Physical Geography are two main branches of this field, and both offer many opportunities for interesting study. According to the Association of American Geographers, Human Geography deals with the spatial aspects of human existence: where we live and work, how we use space-basically how we create our worlds. Physical Geographers, on the other hand, focus more on the land and climate.

Geography majors usually become familiar with Geographic Information Systems, so be prepared for a lot of science, math, and computer work.