Careers in Geography and Environmental Studies
Students graduating with degrees in Geography and/or Environmental Studies find a wealth of employment opportunities open to them. The major career paths and percentage of graduates with Bachelor’s degrees who take them include:
Teacher Environmental manager GIS Cartographer Planner
By economic sector, geographers were distributed accordingly:
Government Private sector Education Nonprofit, self-employed
Some public agencies hiring geographers include those in the Federal government (60% of publicly-employed geographers):
National Imagery and Mapping Agency
National Ocean & Atmospheric Administration
Bureau of Land Management
Army Corps of Engineers
Environmental Protection Agency
Soil and Water Conservation Service
U.S. Geological Survey
Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Commerce
Forest Service
National Parks Service
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Census Bureau
Economic Development Administration
Interstate Commerce Commission
At the state, county, and local levels (40% of publicly-employed), geographers work in:
urban planning
economic development
emergency management
health planning
housing & community affairs
parks and recreation
transportation authorities
waste and water management districts
Geographers often work in private business in sectors or as occupations such as:
utilities
site location consultants
marketing, retail chains
real estate firms
port and airport authorities
travel agencies, tourism
airlines or trucking firms
publishers of maps, atlases, textbooks, news and travel magazines
For more information about careers in Geography and Environmental Studies, check out the following webpages:
Association of American Geographers www.aag.org (This page has an extensive listing of careers, examples of working geographers, professional portfolios, contact list of geographers who can help provide information, and notes on the use of GIS. It also offers an employer directory.)
The American Geographical Society also runs a career website at http://geojobs.amergeog.org
See the State Department’s brochure about careers in Geography:
See also:
MyFlorida.com (state jobs)
Geosearch.com (http://www.geosearch.com)
Usajobs.opm.gov (federal government jobs) Monster.com
GIS Jobs Clearinghouse www.gjc.org
EnvironmentalCareer.com
The FSU Career Center (UC A4100), 644-6431, offers help with resume writing, employment workshops, job search strategies, on-line listings, campus interviews, and more.
