Geography
424 Cramer Hall
503-725-3916
www.pdx.edu/geography
- B.A., B.S. in Geography
- B.A., B.S. in Environmental Studies
- Minor in Geography
- Minor in GIS
- Minor in Water Resources
- Minor in Climate Change Science and Adaptation
- Geography Bachelors Plus MS in GIS Master
- M.A., M.S. in Geography
- M.S. in GIS
- Graduate Certificate in GIS
- Ph.D. in Earth, Environment, & Society
The Geography Department at Portland State University links environmental sciences, nature-society relations, and socio-cultural studies in programs centered on global sustainability, socio-cultural and natural landscapes, and Geographic Information Science (GIS).
Coursework in multiple modalities emphasizes systematic and geospatial approaches to understanding the physical and human-environment interactions. Techniques classes in GIS, remote sensing, cartography, and spatial analysis provide the tools to analyze complex local, regional, and global phenomena. Access to cities, small towns, and rural areas in the larger Pacific Northwest; the Pacific Coast; and the Cascade Mountains provide ample opportunity for fieldwork-based classes and research opportunities. The Geography Department is an excellent choice for undergraduate and graduate students interested in the linkages between human, physical, and technological systems.
In addition to our BA/BS in Geography, students can earn Minors in Geography, Climate Change Science and Adaptation, Geographic Information Systems, and Water Resource Management. Students interested in graduate education are invited to pursue a 4+1 GIS MS to earn the MS within a year of completing the requirements for the Geography major, an MS in GIS, an MA/MS in Geography, or a Graduate Certificate in GIS. Additionally, students can earn a doctoral degree working with a Geography faculty within the interdisciplinary Earth, Environment, and Society Ph.D. Program.
Faculty engage in local, regional, and international research projects in climate and weather extremes, water resource management, forest and vegetation dynamics, labor, geomorphology, migration, socio-ecological resilience, hydrology, land use analysis, cultural and political ecology, urban landscapes, remote sensing, geographic education, and GIS, among others. Ongoing faculty research sites include the Pacific Northwest, India, the Western US, Patagonia, the Amazon Basin, and the Pacific Rim.
Our students participate in Gamma Theta Upsilon: the international geographical honor society and the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing student chapter. Several research groups and outreach programs in the department provide additional job and internship opportunities for interested students in public agencies and businesses engaged in planning, environmental management and conservation, GIS, cartography, and others. Geography majors find work in urban and natural resource management, spatial/GIS analysis, urban planning, map design and production, and data and statistical analysis. Geography is the lead department on campus for training in GIS, remote sensing, cartography, and spatial analysis.