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Geography & Cartography

Colleges offering this major Rankings Trends

What you'll do in college

This interdisciplinary group studies the spatial relationships between people, places, and the planet. Coursework blends physical geography, human geography, cartography, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with statistics, urban studies, and remote sensing. You will learn how to design maps, analyze satellite imagery, model population movement, and use spatial data to investigate everything from disease outbreaks to gerrymandering.

What you'll do after college

Geography grads have become surprisingly hot hires as every industry tries to make sense of location data. They work as GIS analysts at tech firms, cartographers at mapping companies, urban planners for city governments, transportation logisticians, and intelligence analysts for federal agencies. Many also pursue advanced work in climate modeling, public health geography, or commercial real estate analytics.

Selectivity vs. earnings

By acceptance rate

$59,159
752
100–87%
$61,336
1,498
87–46%
$66,619
759
45–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$57,737
594
400–1140
$62,546
1,194
1140–1340
$67,906
587
1340–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings by acceptance rate and institution category

$51,154p10 $70,902p90 STEM, Business & Military Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University 20–30% 10–20% 0–10% Cal Poly - Pomona · $58,568 Mount Holyoke College · $53,200 Carthage College · $57,800 Ohio Wesleyan University · $62,778 Augustana College (IL) · $58,309 Calvin University · $49,621 Gustavus Adolphus College · $60,041 Rocky Mountain College · $54,348 Aquinas College · $58,060 University of Georgia · $62,592 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · $76,314 Binghamton University · $72,695 San Diego State University · $58,405 University of California, Santa Barbara · $68,306 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire · $58,611 University of South Florida · $61,901 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $63,289 University of Tennessee, Knoxville · $58,500 University of Washington · $61,525 University of Maryland, Baltimore County · $60,605 University of Maryland, College Park · $71,066 Cal State Long Beach · $61,219 State University of New York at New Paltz · $53,263 Auburn University · $63,812 Texas A&M University - College Station · $77,758 Cal State Fullerton · $42,891 Fayetteville State University · $50,648 Northern Illinois University · $62,417 West Chester University of Pennsylvania · $65,623 Tarleton State University · $54,973 University of Connecticut · $73,347 Virginia Tech · $65,591 University of South Carolina · $64,891 New Mexico State University · $53,979 Central Connecticut State University · $52,606 University of Massachusetts - Amherst · $61,376 University of New Mexico · $61,081 State University of New York at Cortland · $60,714 Frostburg State University · $53,064 Minnesota State University, Mankato · $61,113 Northeastern Illinois University · $55,134 University of North Carolina Wilmington · $56,620 Fresno State · $49,612 University of Hawaii at Hilo · $40,926 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $58,442 Ball State University · $58,152 Eastern Michigan University · $53,062 Jacksonville State University · $48,412 Rutgers University - New Brunswick · $52,032 University at Albany · $60,814 James Madison University · $72,476 Texas Tech University · $65,747 University of Texas at Dallas · $71,546 Georgia Southern University · $53,386 University of Houston - Clear Lake · $57,336 SUNY Oneonta · $56,777 Eastern Illinois University · $44,153 University of Colorado Boulder · $66,219 Louisiana State University · $63,266 University of Alabama · $62,974 University of Delaware · $70,038 Louisiana Tech University · $63,443 Worcester State University · $38,320 Wright State University · $53,423 Western Illinois University · $56,100 Farmingdale State College · $55,841 University of Vermont · $40,469 Oklahoma State University · $62,203 University of Arkansas · $66,242 Miami University - Ohio · $64,682 SUNY College at Geneseo · $72,726 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse · $52,455 University of Colorado Denver · $60,020 Bemidji State University · $56,740 Cal State East Bay · $55,304 University of Idaho · $50,426 University of Louisville · $67,757 University of Wisconsin - Parkside · $54,860 Indiana University · $63,197 University of Missouri - Kansas City · $63,806 Rowan University · $49,291 University of Missouri · $68,573 University of Oklahoma - Norman · $77,970 University of North Carolina at Charlotte · $65,982 Eastern Kentucky University · $53,580 University of New Hampshire · $64,022 Youngstown State University · $56,027 Arkansas State University · $54,629 Oregon State University · $61,623 Coastal Carolina University · $55,233 Kennesaw State University · $59,503 University of Iowa · $61,195 University of West Georgia · $51,825 Metropolitan State University of Denver · $63,185 Portland State University · $51,627 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania · $59,696 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $59,764 University of Toledo · $61,291 University of Mary Washington · $70,895 San Jose State University · $65,483 University at Buffalo · $63,158 University of Central Oklahoma · $57,744 University of North Texas · $60,033 Bowling Green State University · $57,320 Indiana University of Pennsylvania · $58,260 Kent State University at Kent · $54,938 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania · $51,393 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania · $61,095 Sonoma State University · $53,179 University of North Dakota · $68,462 University of Utah · $64,741 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater · $57,607 Western Michigan University · $58,411 University of Nevada, Reno · $74,103 Michigan State University · $55,252 University of Arizona · $49,915 Framingham State University · $52,710 Indiana University - Indianapolis · $57,307 SUNY Buffalo State University · $51,524 Cal State San Bernardino · $49,896 Cal State Stanislaus · $52,910 Central Washington University · $54,136 Delta State University · $51,213 Saint Cloud State University · $62,359 South Dakota State University · $57,575 Southern Utah University · $52,914 West Virginia University · $65,300 Ohio University · $64,835 Indiana University Southeast · $53,331 Northern Michigan University · $53,614 Northwest Missouri State University · $57,467 University of Southern Maine · $54,878 Illinois State University · $71,135 Bridgewater State University · $56,320 University of Wisconsin - River Falls · $56,580 Temple University · $58,415 George Mason University · $75,802 University of Nebraska at Omaha · $66,623 University of Oregon · $54,108 Salisbury University · $59,142 Cal State Northridge · $60,996 Georgia College & State University · $62,075 Towson University · $52,378 University of Cincinnati · $62,509 University of Hawaii at Manoa · $52,339 Arizona State University · $62,729 University of Alaska - Anchorage · $86,491 Colorado State University - Fort Collins · $61,405 Fitchburg State University · $51,614 University of Northern Colorado · $64,096 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee · $59,556 University of Minnesota - Duluth · $60,047 Montclair State University · $47,952 Radford University · $65,426 Northern Arizona University · $55,548 University of Montana · $50,559 University of North Alabama · $59,769 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh · $61,183 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point · $63,892 Cal State Los Angeles · $43,170 Central Michigan University · $48,680 University of Texas at San Antonio · $54,247 Chico State · $67,430 Texas State University · $67,710 Old Dominion University · $56,779 Western Kentucky University · $57,400 Indiana State University · $57,548 University of Central Arkansas · $54,572 University of North Carolina at Greensboro · $56,942 Utah State University · $62,385 East Carolina University · $61,808 Millersville University of Pennsylvania · $52,231 University of Southern Mississippi · $54,652 Missouri State University - Springfield · $71,839 University of Kansas · $69,035 Grand Valley State University · $59,487 Cal Poly - Humboldt · $49,343 San Francisco State University · $61,452 University of Northern Iowa · $63,278 University of Kentucky · $62,033 Cal State Sacramento · $59,017 Sam Houston State University · $46,848 Western Washington University · $56,498 Appalachian State University · $59,003 Pennsylvania Western University · $56,162 Pittsburg State University · $62,091 University of Maine at Farmington · $48,967 University of South Alabama · $50,122 Kansas State University · $65,866 University of Wyoming · $62,807 Cal State San Marcos · $56,743 Troy University · $55,748 Salem State University · $60,354 University of Colorado Colorado Springs · $52,603 Marshall University · $52,166 Arkansas Tech University · $54,298 Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville · $56,773 Northeastern State University · $62,499 University of Arkansas at Monticello · $53,319 Utah Valley University · $58,742 Wayne State College · $58,024 Weber State University · $57,451 Texas Christian University · $68,415 Brigham Young University · $70,902 Concordia University - Nebraska · $56,004 Elmhurst University · $58,961 Saint Louis University · $66,971 Samford University · $62,498 Emory & Henry University · $51,154 DePaul University · $61,338 Valparaiso University · $44,748 Clark University · $55,464 George Washington University · $97,657 Syracuse University · $75,122 Hofstra University · $58,908 Westminster University · $57,618 University of Denver · $79,975 Park University · $76,625 University of Florida · $66,290 Florida State University · $58,761 University of Texas at Austin · $65,604 CUNY Hunter College · $47,158 Villanova University · $71,749 Vassar College · $57,113 University of Richmond · $68,485 Macalester College · $58,014 University of Southern California · $76,919 University of Miami · $67,969 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · $75,979 Middlebury College · $67,644 Colgate University · $75,646 United States Air Force Academy · $68,204 United States Military Academy · $66,641 Dartmouth · $85,005 UCLA · $61,288 STEM, Business & Military: mean $58,568 Liberal Arts: mean $56,770 Public University: mean $59,042 Religious University: mean $60,110 Private University: mean $71,624 20–30%: mean $61,647 10–20%: mean $71,286 0–10%: mean $73,147 All colleges: p10 $51,154 All colleges: p90 $70,902
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Geography & Cartography 257 3,009 59% / 41% 3% $60,278 95%
Geography 215 1,817 59% / 41% 2% $59,386 95%
Geography and Environmental Studies 43 637 49% / 51% 3% $61,261 97%
Geographic Information Science and Cartography 35 382 70% / 30% 6% $62,335 95%
Geographic Information Science 17 59 83% / 17% 2% $58,094 97%
Geospatial Information Science 1 26 62% / 38% 0% $66,834
Geography and Environmental Sciences 1 20 65% / 35% 0% $56,773
Geomatics 3 16 75% / 25% 0% $64,813 96%
Cartography and Geographic Information Systems 1 16 88% / 12% 12% $62,539 97%
Geography and Geographic Information Science 1 13 69% / 31% 15% $76,314 88%
Geography and Geospatial Science 1 10 70% / 30% 0% $57,876
Geography and Anthropology 1 7 43% / 57% 0% $55,233
Geospatial Sciences 1 6 67% / 33% 0% $57,073