Geography
UW-Eau Claire's geography bachelor's degree is designed for those interested in understanding people and places, their cultures and environments, and the relationships within.
Study the Earth's Effect on Us
The curriculum within the major will provide you with a solid foundation in human geography, physical geography, regional geography, and nature-society relationships. Rich in field-based courses, the program could take you to places like Hawaii, New York City, New Zealand, Turkey, or the Great Lakes region. Through these experiences, unique projects and internship opportunities, you'll learn a wide variety of field, laboratory, and social/natural science research methods, tools, and techniques — giving you real-world experience before you even graduate.
Known for offering unparalleled research opportunities to undergraduate students, UWEC offers plenty of ways for geography majors to take their learning to the next level. Alongside faculty, you’ll have a chance to participate in groundbreaking research, bringing your findings back to labs equipped with top-notch tools and industry-standard software. Many students go on to present their discoveries at both regional and national competitions.
Graduates of our geography department leave with valuable experience solving real-world problems, gathering and analyzing data, interpreting earth surface processes, functioning as part of interdisciplinary research teams, and producing professional presentations and reports. Upon graduation, you'll have the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for a successful career in dozens of different industries.
Program Details
Take what you learn from our expert professors and experience it firsthand. Countless opportunities to explore the world are available to you at UWEC. Study physical geography in Hawaii, regional geography in Oregon, human and environmental geography in Texas Hill Country, or biogeography in Honduras. Take it from our graduates: These travels will change your perspective of the world and stay with you for the rest of your life.
As a student, you'll learn how to operate equipment like unmanned aerial systems (UAS), global positioning system (GPS), and ground-penetrating radar (GPR). The department also has two computer labs dedicated to geospatial science (cartography, GIS and remote sensing) and is well-regarded for its work with departments across campus.
Our on-campus McIntyre Library is also a federal map depository, with a collection of over 92,000 maps in its Simpson Map Library. These maps can all be used for research and study!
A variety of electives within the geography major allows you to pursue multiple passions and study the topics that most interest you. Explore courses in climatology, environmental hazards, the geography of food, cartographic design, and the geography of Western Europe. This flexibility gives you the chance to become an expert in multiple areas and opens doors to even more career paths.
First-year students interested in majoring in geography are eligible to apply for the George Simpson Incoming Student Scholarship. Six scholarships ranging from $1,000 up to $1,500 are awarded each year, and there is potential for recipients to receive an additional second-year scholarship if all academic requirements are met.
Blugold Stories
Where can the geography program lead me after graduation?
Geographers are everywhere in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Explore careers in education, environmental engineering and consulting, land-use planning, resource management, emergency management, public utilities, infrastructure management, travel, international business, or the retail sector.
As an integrative discipline, geography connects the local with the global, providing the tools and knowledge that allow graduates to be flexible and adapt to a dynamic job market.
Example Careers
- Environmental hazards
- Climate science
- Natural and cultural resource management
- Community and regional planning
- Emergency management
- Geospatial data (UAS/drone, LiDAR, satellite imagery) analysis
- Infrastructure planning and management
- Demography
- Tourism
Recent Graduates
Senior Geospatial Analyst
Xcel Energy
Wisconsin
UX Designer
Epic
Wisconsin
Senior Planner
Waukesha County
Wisconsin
Land Use Technician
St. Croix County
Wisconsin
GIS Specialist
Pacific Crest Trail Association
California
Transportation Specialist
MN Department of Transportation
Minnesota
The curriculum within the geography major is interdisciplinary and all-encompassing. In addition to core classes, students will choose multiple electives in advanced geography approaches. Areas of emphasis include physical geography, human-environmental geography, human geography, geography techniques, and regional geography.
A required capstone seminar integrates theory and methodology, quantitative and cartographic techniques as well as fieldwork. Students can expect to enhance their skills in literature review, research design, data collection, and presentation.
Here are a few courses in Geography at UW-Eau Claire.
GEOG 104
Planet Earth: The Physical Environment
This course examines the physical processes that shape our environment, which we view as a complex model of interacting systems. Students will learn about the principles and mechanisms of climate and weather, soils, vegetation, ecosystems, and earth surface processes that sculpt physical landscapes. Also examined are the Earth’s systems from a local to global scale as they relate to human interactions with the physical environment.
GEOG 280
Introduction to Cartography and Visualization
Introduces the art and science of map production through a focus on cartographic design principles, techniques, and best practices. Historic and contemporary maps are examined through the lens of their design elements and cultural context to inform students as they design maps. Discussions centered on the ethics of collecting and analyzing spatial data provide a critical framework for applying cartographic visualization fundamentals in the production of digital reference and thematic map projects.
GEOG 220
World Regional Geography: Diversity & Globalization
Examines the cultural and environmental diversity of our interconnected world using geographical perspectives and tools. Topics include the spatial dimensions of traditional and popular culture, physical environments, nature-society interactions, population distribution and movement, languages and belief systems, socio-economic linkages, politics, urbanization, and other characteristics of the world’s people and places.
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