UB Programs At-A-Glance

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 Program

Geography is primarily concerned with the locations and arrangements in space of human and natural phenomena, and with the interrelationships between people, businesses, public and social institutions, and their spatial environments. Geographers, therefore, are interested in such topics as human perception and behavior; the location of industry and business; mobility and transportation; 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.

Over the years, geography has developed four major traditions or approaches:

1) The spatial organization tradition investigates the positions of places or regions, and the distances, directions, interdependencies, and movements between them. These elements produce geographic patterns on the land and these patterns are evidence of spatial laws.

2) The earth system tradition focuses on the study of earth surface processes and geographic patterns relating to climate, landforms, soils, and the living world.

3) Environmental/societal dynamics studies the interrelationships and interactions between society and the natural and modified environment.

4) Area study takes as its objective the description of places, the spatially correlated similarities among places within a region, and the differences and interactions between regions or between a place and its surrounding region.

Geographers represent geographic space with maps, and thus geographers are very concerned with map use and design. The design of maps may often involve the application of cognitive psychology, statistics, and mathematics. The development of Geographic Information Systems has revolutionized the mapping of statistics and made possible the rapid production of specialized maps for decision makers.

Because of these wide interests, geographers must acquire training in quantitative methods, field techniques, computer technology, data handling and analysis, cartographic displays and production, and written and verbal communication skills. In addition, interdisciplinary work often is necessary in such areas as economics, computer science, psychology, geology, mathematics, marketing, statistics, information systems, and environmental sciences.

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 45 undergraduate applicants each year and currently we have 95 majors enrolled in our program.

Degree Requirements

Please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

About Our Courses

Suggested Introductory Courses

  • GEO 100 Geography Perspectives and World Issues
  • GEO 101 Earth Systems Science I
  • 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: 15-50

For course descriptions, please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

About Our Faculty

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.

See a list of our undergraduate faculty.

Practical Experience and Special Academic Opportunities

Honors, Awards, and Scholarships

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 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:

Career Information and Further Study

Human geography is concerned with the spatial aspects of human existence - how people and their activities 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, social services, transportation, marketing, real estate, tourism, and international business. Physical geographers study patterns and interactions 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/manager
  • Geomorphologist
  • GIS specialist
  • Market research analyst
  • Meteorologist
  • Natural resource manager
  • Researcher
  • Urban and transportation planner



Work settings include:

  • Consulting Companies
  • Engineering and marketing consultants
  • GIS Software Development, implementation
  • Local, city and/or state planning offices
  • Multinational corporations
  • Real estate developers
  • Social services organizations
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center
  • U.S. Bureau of the Census
  • U.S. Bureau of Land Management
  • 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. Geological Survey
  • U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
  • U.S. Defense Mapping Agency



Additional Resources

Links to Further Information About This Program

Last Modified: Tuesday, 7-Nov-2006 10:26:09 EST