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Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment

People, Places, and Regions

Potential careers include International Development Specialist, Journalist, Foreign Services Officer, Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teacher, Interpreter and Translator, Urban and Regional Planner, Historic Preservationist, Community Organizer, Policy Consultant, Policy Researcher, Lobbyist, Pollster, Demographer, Public Health Officer, Transportation Manager, Community Resource Specialist, and Market Researcher. Potential employers include federal agencies (e.g., U.S. Agency for International Development, Department of Education, Department of Labor, Department of Transportation, Citizenship and Immigration Services), state and local governments (in particular in planning, zoning and transportation departments, museum and heritage departments, as well as in departments devoted to social services), international organizations (e.g., the United Nations), non-governmental organizations at all scales (e.g., Oxfam, Partners in Health, CARE International), and the private sector. This concentration is good preparation for graduate studies in cultural and social geography, economic geography, political geography, regional or global studies, international relations, international development, urban planning, and demography.

Requirements

  • Suggested complementary courses, especially if pursuing a graduate degree*

    • GEO 208 Political Geography
    • GEO 370 Urban and Regional Planning
    • GEO 235.01 Africa
    • GEO 235.02 Latin America
    • GEO 235.04 Middle East
    • GEO 304 GIS Applications
    • GEO 306.22 Geography of Chicago
    • GEO 308 Quantitative Methods II
    • GEO 322 Sustainable Cities
    • GEO 331 Cultural Geography
    • GEO 334 Political Ecology
    • GEO 336 Urban Geography
    • GEO 342 Economic Geography

  • Other suggested courses*

    • ANT 302 Ethnography SOC
    • 320 Global Development and Economic Change
    • COM 355 International Public Relations
    • SOC 333 Political Sociology
    • ENG 249 Technical and Professional Writing I
    • SOC 361 Urban Sociology
    • ENG 349 Technical and Professional Writing II
    • SOC 362 Population
    • MQM 349 Business in a Multi-Cultural Environment
    • SOC 375 Economic Sociology
    • POL 335 Community Development

We also strongly encourage a study abroad experience. For more details visit the International Studies website.

*some of these courses may have prerequisites.

Recommended Minors

Foreign Language (any), Economics, History, Political Science, Anthropology, or Sociology, Urban and Regional Planning.

Faculty Mentor