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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

$57,503
727
100–81%
$57,972
1,455
81–42%
$62,851
730
42–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$55,244
545
400–1130
$58,790
1,071
1130–1330
$63,609
548
1340–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings vs. selectivity rank

$50,093p10 $66,607p90 Military Female-only Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University Liberal Arts 1–20 Public University 1–25 Private University 21–40 Private University 1–20 United States Military Academy · $59,278 Mount Holyoke College · $57,584 Bucknell University · $73,619 Ohio Wesleyan University · $49,867 Carthage College · $52,851 Augustana College (IL) · $48,768 Gustavus Adolphus College · $59,039 Calvin University · $55,050 Rocky Mountain College · $54,856 Keene State College · $47,946 Aquinas College · $55,692 CUNY Hunter College · $51,430 Cal State Long Beach · $54,468 University of South Florida · $59,516 Binghamton University · $61,599 San Diego State University · $56,844 Cal State Los Angeles · $48,904 University of California, Santa Barbara · $64,880 University of Washington · $65,245 Cal Poly - Pomona · $65,411 Florida International University · $55,963 University of North Carolina Wilmington · $53,779 University of Maryland, Baltimore County · $60,781 State University of New York at New Paltz · $56,231 Salisbury University · $54,341 San Jose State University · $68,109 Cal State Fullerton · $52,460 Fayetteville State University · $46,443 Northern Illinois University · $59,972 West Chester University of Pennsylvania · $66,381 University of Connecticut · $75,314 University of South Carolina · $53,719 New Mexico State University · $49,333 Tarleton State University · $54,704 CUNY Lehman College · $53,832 Central Connecticut State University · $54,290 Illinois State University · $67,995 University of Massachusetts - Amherst · $66,607 University of New Mexico · $65,989 State University of New York at Cortland · $59,887 Frostburg State University · $56,911 Minnesota State University, Mankato · $58,276 Northeastern Illinois University · $56,445 Arkansas State University · $58,343 Appalachian State University · $67,126 Fresno State · $53,372 University of Hawaii at Hilo · $43,925 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $60,883 Louisiana Tech University · $54,298 Ball State University · $52,447 Central Michigan University · $61,764 Eastern Michigan University · $52,386 Jacksonville State University · $45,881 Oklahoma State University · $58,836 University at Albany · $57,288 Texas Tech University · $57,561 University of Alaska - Anchorage · $84,502 SUNY Oneonta · $56,011 Texas State University · $54,724 University at Buffalo · $45,228 University of West Georgia · $51,603 Louisiana State University · $64,845 Northern Michigan University · $53,023 University of Colorado Boulder · $64,229 University of South Alabama · $54,305 Cal State Sacramento · $66,360 East Carolina University · $56,049 Eastern Illinois University · $42,564 George Mason University · $69,330 Georgia Southern University · $52,672 Indiana University Southeast · $52,468 Marshall University · $49,797 Millersville University of Pennsylvania · $56,669 Missouri State University - Springfield · $49,420 Montclair State University · $52,219 Northeastern State University · $51,341 Northwest Missouri State University · $54,543 Ohio University · $52,831 Radford University · $62,281 Salem State University · $50,774 Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville · $53,966 Temple University · $53,400 Troy University · $52,241 University of Central Arkansas · $49,423 University of Colorado Colorado Springs · $52,181 University of Colorado Denver · $53,701 University of Delaware · $63,769 University of Houston - Clear Lake · $54,724 University of Maine at Farmington · $47,988 University of Nebraska at Kearney · $53,716 University of North Carolina at Greensboro · $50,081 University of Northern Colorado · $61,122 University of Northern Iowa · $53,782 University of Oklahoma - Norman · $60,869 University of Southern Maine · $53,507 University of Texas at Dallas · $59,747 Western Illinois University · $51,785 Worcester State University · $40,233 Wright State University · $55,347 Farmingdale State College · $60,229 University of Vermont · $40,054 Miami University - Ohio · $62,639 SUNY College at Geneseo · $58,337 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse · $54,489 Bemidji State University · $55,573 Cal State East Bay · $61,924 Old Dominion University · $57,063 Oregon State University · $54,853 University of Alabama · $54,000 University of Idaho · $50,696 University of Louisville · $57,437 University of Wisconsin - Parkside · $52,578 Indiana University · $63,356 University of Missouri - Kansas City · $57,876 University of Missouri · $55,067 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire · $55,942 Cal State San Marcos · $61,983 Chico State · $72,207 Fitchburg State University · $52,714 Northern Arizona University · $64,874 Saginaw Valley State University · $53,935 University of New Hampshire · $61,643 University of North Carolina at Charlotte · $65,598 University of Oregon · $56,028 Youngstown State University · $52,345 Grand Valley State University · $52,050 Metropolitan State University of Denver · $65,100 Portland State University · $45,964 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania · $51,520 University of Minnesota - Duluth · $58,476 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $56,132 University of Toledo · $54,443 Western Washington University · $56,690 University of Central Oklahoma · $54,701 University of North Texas · $58,717 Bowling Green State University · $55,149 Cal Poly - Humboldt · $50,093 Colorado State University - Fort Collins · $59,112 Indiana University of Pennsylvania · $52,182 Kennesaw State University · $61,548 Kent State University at Kent · $48,350 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania · $51,355 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania · $60,719 Sonoma State University · $58,890 University of Mary Washington · $56,193 University of North Dakota · $57,373 University of Utah · $53,662 West Liberty University · $50,607 Michigan State University · $72,290 Stephen F. Austin State University · $53,323 University of Iowa · $58,386 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater · $57,676 Western Michigan University · $50,766 Framingham State University · $54,440 Indiana University - Indianapolis · $54,184 Rowan University · $64,292 Arkansas Tech University · $50,205 Cal State Dominguez Hills · $61,832 Cal State San Bernardino · $56,562 Cal State Stanislaus · $58,725 Central Washington University · $51,964 Delta State University · $48,394 Indiana State University · $51,598 SUNY Buffalo State University · $50,824 Saint Cloud State University · $61,359 South Dakota State University · $54,342 Southern Utah University · $50,615 University of Akron · $55,676 University of Arizona · $50,703 University of Cincinnati · $56,009 University of Nevada, Reno · $73,367 West Virginia University · $52,226 Bridgewater State University · $55,435 James Madison University · $60,642 University of Wisconsin - River Falls · $52,795 University of Nebraska at Omaha · $53,950 Arizona State University · $59,314 Cal State Northridge · $75,692 Georgia College & State University · $54,436 Towson University · $58,017 University of Hawaii at Manoa · $55,583 University of Kansas · $57,978 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee · $52,148 University of Kentucky · $55,378 University of Montana · $47,981 University of North Alabama · $50,714 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh · $56,163 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point · $50,872 University of Texas at San Antonio · $52,380 Plymouth State University · $55,031 University of Southern Mississippi · $51,310 San Francisco State University · $50,547 Utah State University · $57,456 Pennsylvania Western University · $56,840 Pittsburg State University · $55,990 College of Staten Island CUNY · $54,847 Kansas State University · $58,733 University of Wyoming · $54,771 Sam Houston State University · $53,453 University of Arkansas at Monticello · $52,572 Utah Valley University · $57,758 Wayne State College · $51,833 Weber State University · $54,675 Brigham Young University · $64,601 Villanova University · $75,430 Texas Christian University · $65,399 Liberty University · $55,501 Olivet Nazarene University · $55,596 Concordia University - Nebraska · $52,970 Elmhurst University · $55,859 Samford University · $57,118 DePaul University · $57,128 Valparaiso University · $44,153 Syracuse University · $70,112 Clark University · $58,960 Jacksonville University · $56,891 Hofstra University · $61,780 Westminster University · $55,380 University of Denver · $82,326 Middlebury College · $72,228 Vassar College · $60,745 Colgate University · $73,308 Macalester College · $58,317 University of Florida · $56,724 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · $48,486 University of Georgia · $58,281 University of Maryland, College Park · $77,031 UCLA · $69,966 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · $61,569 University of Texas at Austin · $69,390 Rutgers University - New Brunswick · $55,839 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $62,158 Texas A&M University - College Station · $71,323 Florida State University · $47,482 Auburn University · $57,705 University of Tennessee, Knoxville · $52,073 Virginia Tech · $65,342 Ohio State University · $62,445 University of Southern California · $87,136 University of Miami · $65,936 University of Richmond · $71,775 George Washington University · $76,822 Dartmouth · $68,078 Military: mean $59,278 Female-only: mean $57,584 Liberal Arts: mean $55,299 Public University: mean $56,235 Religious University: mean $58,376 Private University: mean $64,242 Liberal Arts 1–20: mean $66,150 Public University 1–25: mean $61,054 Private University 21–40: mean $75,417 Private University 1–20: mean $68,078 All colleges: p10 $50,093 All colleges: p90 $66,607
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Geography & Cartography 255 2,912 59% / 41% 3% $57,435 95%
Geography 218 1,959 58% / 42% 2% $56,866 95%
Geography and Environmental Studies 29 459 49% / 51% 4% $58,017 97%
Geographic Information Science and Cartography 31 317 68% / 32% 7% $59,841 94%
Geographic Information Science 17 57 74% / 26% 2% $55,335 94%
Geospatial Information Science 1 39 85% / 15% 3% $59,468
Geography and Environmental Sciences 1 21 67% / 33% 0% $53,966
Geography and Geographic Information Science 1 21 62% / 38% 29% $61,254 95%
Cartography and Geographic Information Systems 1 13 77% / 23% 8% $62,158 98%
Geomatics 3 10 90% / 10% 0% $65,139 96%
Geography and Geospatial Science 1 8 75% / 25% 12% $54,087
Geospatial Sciences 1 5 60% / 40% 20% $54,749
Computer Science + Geography and Geographic Information Science 1 3 0% / 0% 0% $63,878