Career Day

SAVE THE DATE:
Annual Career Day & Job Fair Event
February 23, 2024  | Time: TBD | Location: TBD
The Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences offers a variety of career and internship support assistance. Many of our faculty, staff, and alum know people in private industry and government who periodically provide internships and jobs. We also host a Career Day and Job Fair Event every Spring that connects students with internships and potential employers in a wide variety of professional settings.

R. Mitchell at GEO Career DayThe primary goal of the event is to promote geography and the kinds of jobs that are potentially available with such a degree. Students make great connections to potential jobs and internships. In preparation for those interactions, we host resume workshops previous to the event thanks to Thu-Tram Butler (ttbutler@msu.edu) & Maya Craft (mayac@msu.edu), our MSU Career Services & Placement Coordinators.  

Geography is an exciting field with a wide variety of job opportunities at good pay. Our students work in fields such as environmental consulting, real estate, education, urban planning, forestry, state/national park management, climatology, agriculture, GIS, and many others.

With a degree in geography, you are well-positioned to sell yourself to employers as someone who understands how spatial variables interact in significant ways. Imagine, for example, that you apply for a position as a location analyst for a major retail chain. Although the job announcement doesn’t ask specifically for a “Geographer,” you can successfully compete for that job. Why? Consider the variables that are important for a new store location, which includes proximity to a populated area, easy access via highways or major roads, distance from the competition, and the physical characteristics (such, as soils, wetlands, etc.) of the potential sites for the new store. Who is best suited to analyze those questions? 

That’s right! A Geographer!

Geography Department Career Day

Just a few of the exciting career opportunities awaiting our graduates!

Environmental Consultant Forestry Technician
Public School Teacher Earth Scientist
Purchasing/Logistics Manager National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Economic Location Analyst Strategic Planning in Gas & Electric
Natural Historian Remote Sensing Specialist, CIA
GIS Analyst, Real Estate Division Climatologist
Aerial Photo Interpreter Transportation Modeler
Surface Water Analyst Land Management
Planning Coordinator Weather forecaster/Meteorologist
Cartographer, National Mapping Agency Real Estate Agent
Management GIS Specialist, in Land Services
Computer Mapping Specialist Battalion Maintenance Officer, U.S. Army
Air/Water Quality Control Manager Soil Conservationist
Systems Librarian Peace Corps
Physical Scientist Department of Natural Resources Specialist
Public Health Analyst Land, Community, Industrial, or Tourism
Developer Urban Planner

 

More Information About Careers In Geography
Geographer job outlook to 2028: The median pay for Geographers is approximately $61,800-$80,300 per year. (US Bureau of Labor Statistics 2018).

American Association of Geographers Career Resources 

American Geophysical Union Career Resources

GIS Jobs Clearinghouse 

Contact Thu-Tram Butler (ttbutler@msu.edu) or Maya Craft (mayac@msu.edu), MSU Career Services & Placement Coordinators for Social Science.

  
Undergraduate application information may be obtained from Michigan State University’s 

Student Resources