Geography and Anthropology Department

Blugolds studying Geography and Anthropology can gain valuable instructional and interpersonal experience assisting faculty with GEOG 104: Planet Earth: The Physical Environment labs. As a student assistant, you'll work with fellow Blugolds and help them grasp the basics of geography.

The world is a geographer’s classroom. You can study beautiful natural landmarks right around Eau Claire, such as the Chippewa River, or expand your studies to places like Hawai’i or Finland. You’ll research these landmarks using the latest equipment, including unmanned aerial systems (UAS), global positioning system (GPS) and ground penetrating radar (GPR).

Here are some places where our Blugolds get real-world geographical field experience:

• Chicago, IL
• Chippewa River, Eau Claire WI
• Crystal Cave, Spring Valley WI
• Door Peninsula, WI
• Duluth, MN
• Ecuador
• Finland
• Hawai’i
• Lake Superior, WI/MN/MI
• National Weather Service, Chanhassen MN
• New York  
• North Carolina
• Oregon
• Putnam Park State Natural Area, UW-Eau Claire campus
• Texas 

As a student in our department, you’ll often gather data outside the classroom and then take your findings back to one of our on-campus curricular or research labs. All of these resources come together to provide you with advanced geographical insight — a rare opportunity for an undergraduate student at other institutions.

The following list of equipment is provided for geography and anthropology students to use — both in and out of the classroom:

• Geo probe soil extraction rig
• survey grade global positioning system (GPS) equipment
• ground penetrating radar (GPR)
• unmanned aerial systems (UAS)/drones (fixed-wing and multi-rotor) 

Dozens of scholars from universities throughout the world are invited to UW-Eau Claire each year to share their research with Blugolds interested in Earth Science. Topics of past seminars have included climate action, renewable energy, geologic maps, and much more.

Make new friends and have some fun by joining a Blugold student organization. UWEC has some geography and anthropology organizations that offer volunteer opportunities, such as preserving the natural beauty of the Eau Claire area or promoting geography and anthropology in Eau Claire’s local schools.

Geology and Anthropology Student Organizations:

• Geography and Anthropology Club
• Gamma Theta Upsilon, International Honorary Geography Society - Delta Tau Chapter

View more student organizations on Blugold Connect+.  

The Geography Honors Program gives Blugold majors and minors an opportunity to take another step in their academics at UW-Eau Claire. Through this program, eligible students work alongside faculty on research, participate in creative learning activities and engage in professional opportunities.

Learn about eligibility and the application process for our Honors Program.

The UW-Eau Claire Foundation has many scholarships for incoming, transfer, and current geography and anthropology students. These scholarships are available thanks to generous Blugold alumni, community members and many others.

• George Simpson Geography Incoming Student Scholarship
  • First-year students interested in majoring in geography are eligible to apply for the George Simpson Incoming Student Scholarship. The award is from $1,000 up to $1,500, and six awards are distributed each year.
  • There is a potential for the scholarship to renew in a second year, if the recipient maintains a 3.0 GPA, completes four geography foundation courses, makes satisfactory progress toward a degree in geology and takes a least one additional geography elective/required course in the first semester of their second year. 

Learn more and apply for scholarships.

Offering internships is a top priority for the Department of Geography and Anthropology. Our faculty build strong relationships with businesses to provide advanced internship opportunities. You could intern for an organization such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or in rapidly growing fields, such as geographic information systems (GIS) or remote sensing.

For more information, you can view current internship openings on Handshake, reach out to UW-Eau Claire’s Career Services, or contact the Department of Geography and Anthropology.