Why Study Geography? Because in an ever more connected world, place still matters.

How do physical and national boundaries affect power and inequality?    

Why is water central to global politics, culture, and economics? How does place influence who we are, how we act, and the choices we make?    

Geography isn’t just about knowing your way around a map. It’s about knowing your way around our changing world. In our geography courses, you’ll gain in-demand skills: critical analysis, communication, a global perspective, and an understanding of human-environment dynamics.    

Discover the #WhyofWhere.

Questions about the program? Schedule an appointment with our departmental advisor. 

Chart Your Course

Within our department, you'll work with real data about real-world situations around the globe. Through this authentic exploration, you'll develop an understanding of the processes that shape the world around us, from the climate to politics to environmental and social injustice.

Gain Real-World Experience

The best way to learn about geography is to get out into the world and experience new places. Our students are drawn to experiential learning opportunities such as internships and study abroad programs.

Experiential Learning

What You Can Do With a Geography Degree

A Geography or Spatial Data Science and Technology major can prepare you to work in many fields. Learn about possible careers and hear from alumni.

Explore Careers

Reframing Climate Change Narratives

“Climate change is threatening both glaciers and salmon in Washington State, putting the state’s economy, culture, and ecosystems at risk. However, the overlapping climate change issues are framed and understood in different ways by different stakeholders which affects policy and climate action. Through extensive narrative review and analysis, I found that the spatial location of a stakeholder (in-state vs. out-of-state) has a significant impact on the framing of these climate issues, and that by combining narratives of actionable climate issues (like salmon declines) with more hopeless ones (glacier retreat), we can transform climate narratives to be more effective for inspiring climate action.”

—Jenna Travers, Geography minor

Events

UO researchers improve maps of forests in Alaska and British Columbia

May 1, 2025

GEOGRAPHY - Challenges like climate change, conservation planning and natural resource management often extend beyond geographic and political borders, which means it’s vital that analysts and decision-makers can access environmental maps that do the same. CAS researchers James Lamping and Professor Melissa Lucash developed new maps that suggest Alaska and British Columbia forests store more carbon than previously thought.

Who's Afraid of a Big, Bad Planet?

March 5, 2025

COMPUTER SCIENCE, EARTH SCIENCE, GEOGRAPHY - The world can be hazardous: seismic activity that shakes the earth, rising sea levels and volcanic eruptions that reshape the landscape. Meet some of the CAS scientists who are studying the most powerful forces that threaten humanity.

Missing history: UO student project reveals gaps in Oregon's story

February 26, 2025

GEOGRAPHY, INDIGENOUS, RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES - Oregon’s historical markers, those roadside signs commemorating the state's past, give a version of history that University of Oregon researchers say is skewed. But a team of students is working to address the histories that highway markers omit through an online interactive map.