Careers
A Geography and Environment degree focuses on many of the most engaging and important societal and environmental challenges in today’s world. Through your program you will gain insights into how the world works, what futures are possible, and how you can live and work in that future world while helping to change it.
Looking at the full range of program options within Geography and Environment will let you see the possibilities that best fit your interests and aspiration. All of these options will give you:
- critical insights about how the world works based in both social and natural sciences
- skills in collecting, interpreting communicating data and information on a wide range of problems
- breadth of understanding and ability to see inter-relationships and spatial connections across a wide range of scales and perspectives
- knowledge of the diversity of global societies and environments and their changes over time
- abilities in geographical information analysis
- experience in applying knowledge and skills to contemporary problems and opportunities.
It will open your eyes to diverse ways of understanding and knowing the world, and pathways for your future.
All of this opens up an astonishing array of ways in which you may build a career and life rooted in the many ideas and skills that your Geography and Environment degree builds so that you can pursue interests in many fields: geographical information systems, environmental consultancy, law, finance, urban development, business, international development, health, the natural environment, climate change, energy, travel and tourism, transportation, environmental restoration, global development, government policy and planning… and many more!
Specific programs in Geography and Environment relate to particular aspects of this wide range of options.
If you are interested in working fields such as global development, health, travel and tourism, energy, community planning, and government social policy the BA Honors Specialization or Major in Geography and Environment or in Environment, Development and Health with its focus on aspects of social and environmental issues and human actions and processes is a good choice.
If you lean towards work in areas such as climate change, water resources and hydrology, environmental change and restoration, earth surface hazards, environmental design, environmental quality and policy, and environmental earth sciences the BSc Honors Specialization or Major Geography and Environment or Major in Physical Geography with their focus on aspects of the natural environment and environmental issues and processes might be for you.
If you want to work specifically to resolve the current climate crisis and its consequences, and combine perspectives from social and natural science and across other disciplines, then the Major in Climate Change and Society is designed for you.
If you are interested in careers related to, earth observation, GIS analysis, mapping, transportation, urban information systems, geospatial analysis and digital geography, in public and private sectors you may choose an Honours Specialization or Major in Geographical Information Science (BA or BSc) which gives deeper understanding and experience of geographical information analysis and data and digital geographies while giving a grounding in the processes and environments to which these analyses are applied.
Perhaps you are interested in cities and the built environment, and the practices of urban development and planning we offer the unique-to-Western Honours Specialization in Urban Development that offers a foundation in urban geography and environments with additional education in finance and planning to provide excellent opportunities for work in many aspects of urban development and planning. Take a closer look at our unique program in Urban Development.
Where do I get more information?
There are many more resources related to careers in Geography and Environment. Check out any or all of these for inspiration, ideas and confirmation that Geography and Environment will take you in the direction you want to go:
