Geography (BA, BS)

The Department of Geography at Ohio State is ranked 5th in the U.S. and is internationally renowned. We offer a diverse and challenging curriculum with five distinct specializations and two degree types (BS and BA). We employ a world-renowned faculty and team of researchers who bring their expertise to the classroom. We provide numerous opportunities for students to travel and experience hands-on study and fieldwork at locations across the globe. 

Geographers address current issues of local and global importance, such as urban growth and decline, regional population shifts, societal change and patterns of human activity that effect the physical landscape and climate.

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Ali Grandey

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(614) 292-6961
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Jocelyn Nevel

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(614) 292-6961
1049A Derby Hall

Affiliated Departments & Centers

Associated Facilities

Areas of Study

Environment and Society

ENVIRONMENT & SOCIETY

Ohio State Geography is one of a handful of geography departments across the continent that offers students the possibility of a dedicated undergraduate training in environment and society issues. Students master a range of geographic theories and methods at the intersection of the human and physical sciences.

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Urban, Regional and Global Studies

URBAN, REGIONAL AND GLOBAL STUDIES

This specialization provides students with an understanding of the spatial differentiation and organization of political, social, cultural, and economic activity. Students tackle the same sorts of real-world problems and theoretical issues familiar to political scientists, sociologists, economists, urban planners and anthropologists – but from a specifically geographic perspective.

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Spatial Analysis

SPATIAL ANALYSIS

Ohio State is among the nation's premier institutions in the development of geospatial technologies. Students enrolled this specialization will learn the tools, methods, and software necessary for managing and analyzing geographic information and become skilled in a variety of computer technologies through coursework in surveying and measurements, technical mathematics, statistics, remote sensing, and graphics.

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Physical Geography and Climatic Studies

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATIC STUDIES

This track focuses on the processes and patterns linking the Earth's surface, or geosphere, with the atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. Students acquire a background in geographic information science, cartography, and satellite image analysis.

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Career Opportunities

Career Opportunities

Students earning a degree in Geography are prepared to pursue careers, research positions and graduate study in a variety of fields. Geography graduates are highly sought-after by employers because of their interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving, their ability to think critically and analyze issues from multiple perspectives and their ability to communicate ideas and thoughts effectively.

Mountain range

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Geography is the study of distributions, patterns and movements across space, both physical and social. Human geographers study the geographic patterns of various human activities: economic, political and cultural. Physical geographers focus on the geography of physical processes and their effects: the geography of weather and climate. Geographers use critical analysis, powerful technologies and an integrative, holistic perspective to understand complex 21st century challenges.

Department of Geography Website More Geography Courses

The ability of Urban, Regional and Global Studies specialization graduates to analyze and to integrate various aspects of the Earth’s human and physical environments makes them attractive candidates for positions with planning and development agencies at the federal, state and local levels. Graduates from the Environment and Society specialization have a variety of career options including working for environmental and protection agencies, state Departments of Natural Resources and Conservation and for a range of non-profit agencies.

courses you might take:

GEOG 3751: Geography of Ohio

This field course examines the political ecology of Appalachian Ohio by focusing on four broad topics: forest recovery, mining, food systems and amenity-led development. Students travel to locations in southeast Ohio and explore geographic concepts through hands-on fieldwork and research.

GEOG 5501: Urban Spaces in the Global Economy

Examine the social, economic, cultural, and political processes that produce urban spaces in local, national, and global terms. In other words, learn why cities form the way they do and why this process looks different in different countries across the globe.

GEOG 2800: Our Global Environment

Develop critical perspectives on some of the most pressing socio-environmental concerns, such as global climate change, deforestation and water scarcity. Students become global citizens who do not just witness environmental problems but have the ability to understand and take steps towards changing the status quo.

GEOG 3300: Transportation Security

Explore the importance of transportation to human activity, the major transportation industry and government institutions responsible for addressing transportation security issues and threats to transportation security.

Modern Geopolitical Imagination: GEOG 3601

Explore the neglected, rich and contested tradition of geopolitics, which are the geographical assumptions that structure the knowledge and practice of world politics.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center

For geography majors interested in climatology, the internationally known Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center provides work-study and research opportunities in paleoclimatology, glaciology, meteorology, remote sensing, ocean dynamics and the geological sciences.

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Research Opportunities

Each year, multiple opportunities become available for graduate and undergraduate students to participate in research. Often these opportunities are connected to a larger, ongoing initiative that supports the research of our faculty, but students are also encouraged to pursue their own research interests.

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Center for Urban and Regional Analysis

For geography majors interested in urban and regional development, transportation analysis, and land use issues, CURA provides a series of workshops, guest lecturers, and special events throughout the year to help students connect what they are learning in the classroom to real-world problems and scenarios.

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Geography Club

The Geography Club is a student organization open to all students interested in the field of geography. The geography club hosts educational, professional and social events throughout the year with the purpose of connecting geography students to potential employers, mentors and with each other. Geography majors are encouraged to get involved with this organization early in their academic careers.

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