天美影视传媒

Geography Major

 

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About the Major

Geography is the intersection between humans and their environment. By studying topics ranging from climate change to globalization 鈥 including gender and cultural issues 鈥 geographers engage a wide range of tools that prepare students for the modern global job market.

Jobs in Geography

  • Geospatial analyst
  • Cultural resources administrator
  • Environmental enforcement officer
  • Urban planner
  • Geographic information system manager

Related Programs

Geography Degree Leads to Undersea Mapping Career with Navy

Brandi Stewart

A prestigious two-year scholarship that Brandi Stewart earned while studying geography at the 天美影视传媒 obligated her to two years鈥 work for the U.S. Department of Defense after graduation.

Stewart became a physical scientist with the Naval Oceanographic Office. That two-year term has extended to five, and counting. 鈥淚 love my job,鈥 she said.

She periodically goes to sea aboard one of the Navy鈥檚 six T-AGS oceanographic survey ships. She uses sonar and other technologies to gather bathymetric data 鈥 information about the bottom of the sea. Then, back at her office, 鈥渕y job is taking this data and making it useful to the fleet.鈥 She uses the data to compile navigational charts: maps showing the depths and contours of the bottom and anything resting on it.

Stewart鈥檚 family moved a lot when she was young. She noticed how profoundly the differences in location affected their lives 鈥 changing the stores where they shopped, for example.

 

鈥淭hey say a picture鈥檚 worth a thousand words. In my opinion, a map is worth at least a million.鈥

 

鈥淕eography is the study of place,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd there鈥檚 place in everything.鈥 Consider how often you call up a map on your smartphone, or search for something 鈥渘ear me.鈥 鈥淭hey say a picture鈥檚 worth a thousand words,鈥 Stewart said. 鈥淚n my opinion, a map is worth at least a million.鈥

At South, she participated in a NASA-developed internship and attended academic conferences as an undergraduate. The earth sciences department and her faculty adviser worked with her in crafting a secondary minor to 鈥渕ake myself more marketable.鈥 She ended up minoring in geographic information systems and information systems/information technology.

She regularly returns to campus to speak to introductory students about the surprising variety of geography-related careers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about how place affects people,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a joke among geographers that we鈥檙e just anthropologists who make maps.鈥


Did You Know?


  • Modern geography is an exciting science producing research of great value to governments, planning agencies and private businesses, especially through geographic information science (GIS) and other new technologies.
  • In addition to the core geography courses that majors take, the department offers such electives as geography of tourism, climatology, urban geography, national parks conservation and geography of Alabama.
  • Majors have opportunities for internships and study abroad as well as field experience and attendance at national conferences.

 

Contact:

Dr. Carol Sawyer
Geography Program Coordinator
Department of Earth Sciences
(251) 460-6169

 

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