Why CU Geography?

Imagine where the world can go with your leadership.
Why Study Geography?

This science of place, connection, and change enables you to make a difference. With a career in urban design, public health, migration studies, geospatial analytics, environmental stewardship, arctic sciences—or as a perfect complement to almost any other major—Geography will equip you with the skills you need to navigate your own course and map your mark unto the world.

Mountain Over Quotes

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"Geography at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø exposed me to a diverse community and subjects from cartography to climate science—giving me a broad, valuable education"— Alumni, B.A. in Geography

Top Courses 1
Top Courses 2
Program Pathways
Undergraduate

The Department of Geography in 51³Ô¹ÏÍø attracts some 3,500 undergraduates to its courses every year. With about 200 majors, CU Geography students have access to individualized attention and opportunities for independent research projects, hands-on learning outside the classroom, and internships. Undergraduates receive a broad, liberal education that integrates the study of human activity and the natural environment, with concentrations in Environmental Sciences, Human Geography, Environment-Society Relations, or Geographic Information and Data Sciences.

Graduate

The graduate program of the Department of Geography offers both MA and PhD degrees. The Masters program was founded in 1930, and the PhD program was founded in 1965 and awarded its first PhD in 1968. The Department is ranked as one of the top programs among the nation's doctoral-granting departments of Geography. CU Geography has one of the nation's highest rates of PhD placement in academic Geography programs--as well as one of the highest rates of external funding for graduate student research.

Posner in the Field

Hands on Experience

Learn by doing, in and outside the classroom.

With an active faculty doing cutting-edge research, CU Geography takes students far beyond the classroom. Students and faculty work side-by-side on research projects, and many of our classes teach practical field skills, such as:

  • Engage with local communities in Colorado.
  • Measure the water flow of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Creek.
  • Learn to use hi-res GPS and Lidar technology.
  • Working with faculty advisors on collaborative research.
  • Develop independent research projects.
  • Flying drones and earning UAS certification.
  • Match your interest with internship opportunities.
  • Field trips to explore local open space areas.

What Sets CU Geography Apart

What Can I Do With a Geography Degree?
Hear from Our Alumni

Joseph Kerski

Joseph Kerski (51³Ô¹ÏÍø Class of 2000, B.A. & Ph.D. in Geography) is Geographer and Education Manager at Esri. He is currently focusing on the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in education.

Emily Baker

Ìý(CU Geography MA '15) is a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey's Alaska Science Center in Anchorage, AK. As part of her job, Emily studies the impacts of climate change on Alaskan glaciers. You can see a little bit more of her workÌý.Ìý

Dan McGrath

Dan MacGrath (51³Ô¹ÏÍø Class of 2013, M.A. & Ph.D. in Geography) is Assistant Professor in Geosciences at Colorado State University. Dan is a geoscientist who utilizes novelÌýin situÌýgeophysical and remote sensing tools to study earth surface processes, particularly related to the cryosphere.