Geography
Department of Geography
College of Arts and Sciences
105 Wilkeson Quad
Ellicott Complex
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14261
Phone: 716.645.2722
Fax: 716.645.2329
Web: www.geog.buffalo.edu
Alan D. McPherson
Chair
Michael Woldenberg
Director of Undergraduate Studies
About the Department
Geography is primarily concerned with the locations and arrangements in space of human and natural phenomena, and with the interrelationships between people and their spatial environments.
Geographers, therefore, are interested in such topics as the location of industry and business, urban growth and development, regional planning and policy study, physical and ecological environments, interactions of people and places over space and time, and the diffusion of information, commodities, and ideas. Students may choose concentrations in Geographic Information Systems and Cartography, International Business and World Trade, Physical and Environmental Systems, or Urban and Regional Analysis. The Department of Geography has within it two centers: The National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, and the U.S.-Canada Trade Center. Ranked 11th nationally, the Geography department has an excellent record of turning out graduates who are successful in securing employment both in the private and public sectors.
Students have access to three teaching/research laboratories: a soils lab, a biogeography lab, and a geographic information systems laboratory oriented toward computer-based data systems.
Degrees Offered
Undergraduate: B.A., Minor
Combined: B.A./M.A. in International Economic and Business Geographies
Graduate: M.A., Ph.D.
About Our Degrees
Acceptance Criteria
Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall.
Minimum GPA of 2.0 in any two geography courses.
Acceptance Information
Applications are accepted all year long; forms are available in the Geography main office at 105 Wilkeson. We have about fifty undergraduate applicants each year and currently we have ninety-five majors enrolled in our program.
Degree Requirements
Please see the Undergraduate Catalog.
Transfer Policy
Prospective majors who have taken geography courses at another school that they believe are equivalent to courses offered by this department, should contact the director of undergraduate studies for assistance in petitioning for acceptance of transfer geography credits.
About Our Courses
Suggested Introductory Courses
- GEO 101 Physical Environmental Geography
- GEO 102 Introduction to Human Geography
- GEO 103 Geography of Economic Systems
- GEO 120 Maps and Mapping
The typical class size for:
Freshman/introductory courses is: 50-150
Sophomore/intermediate courses is: 40-100
Upper level/advanced courses is: 15-40
For course descriptions, please see the Undergraduate Catalog.
About Our Faculty
The Department of Geography faculty members have an impressive record of publications, national editorships, and research and teaching awards. The quality of teaching has been formally recognized and several professors have received the University-wide Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Many faculty have received research grants, both for work with government agencies and for field work in many parts of the world. These activities give the department multifaceted expertise in applied research, urban development, international trade, and environmental problems.
Special Academic Opportunities
GEO 490 Honors Geography is only open to qualified majors. Students enrolled in GEO 490 must complete an honors project under the supervision of a Geography faculty member, and each project is to be read and evaluated by a second faculty member in the department. Students who receive a grade of "B" or higher in GEO 490 are awarded a special honors certificate following the completion of all the requirements for the B.A. degree in Geography. Qualifying students are awarded certificates of distinction.
Internships
Internships with all levels of government agencies and with businesses are encouraged and widely used in the department. Specific internship experiences are arranged based on the individual student’s area(s) of specialization.
Extracurricular Activities
Undergraduate Geography Student Association:
Organized and run by students, the club has regular meetings and offers a variety of programs, including field trips, lectures, discussions, sporting events, and picnics.
See the UB Student Association.
Complementary Programs and Courses
Courses Outside the Major that Could Improve Employment Opportunities:
- Anthropology
- Biology
- Business Administration
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Environmental Planning
- Geology
- Management
- Planning
- Statistics
Advising Information
Students should contact Dr. Peter A. Rogerson at Rogerson@buffalo.edu or call 645-2722, ext. 13.
Career Information
There are two main branches of geography: human geography and physical geography. Human geography is concerned with the spatial aspects of human existence - how people and their activity are distributed in space, how they use and perceive space, and how they create and sustain the places that make up the earth's surface. Human geographers work in the fields of urban and regional planning, transportation, marketing, real estate, tourism, and international business. Physical geographers study patterns of climates, land forms, vegetation, soils, and water. They forecast the weather, manage land and water resources, and analyze and plan for forests, rangelands, and wetlands. Many human and physical geographers have skills in cartography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Geographers also study the linkages between human activity and natural systems. Geographers were, in fact, among the first scientists to sound the alarm that human-induced changes to the environment were beginning to threaten the balance of life itself. They are active in the study of global warming, desertification, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, groundwater pollution, and flooding.
Career Choices
- Cartographer
- Climatologist
- Computer analyst
- Ecologist
- Economist
- Educator
- Environmental scientist
- Geologist
- Geomorphologist
- Market research analyst
- Meteorologist
- Researcher
- Urban planner
Work settings include:
- Local, city and/or state planning offices
- Multinational corporations
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center
- U.S. Bureau of the Census
- U.S. Defense Mapping Agency
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Economic Development Administration
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- U.S. Forest Service
- U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
- U.S. Defense Mapping Agency
Aulitional Resources
- Association of American Geographers
- NCGIA (National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis)
- CUSTAC (Canada United States Trade Center)