Issues and topics

The following is an example of the types of issues and topics students will study within the Urban, Regional and Global Studies specialization.

Political geography

• Urban development
• Colonization
• Voting districts
• Segregation

Area/location studies

• North America
• South Africa
• Europe
• Former U.S.S.R.
• Latin America

Transportation

• Routing patterns
• Planning

Globalization

• Economics
• Politics

Development

• Industrialized
• Developing "Third World"
• Urbanization

Spatial analysis

• Statistics
• Cartography and GIS

Acquired skill sets

Students can expect to acquire and perform the following skills sets within this specialization. Students also should have a solid background in mathematics and the physical sciences.

• Critical thinking
• Critical writing
• Research
• Strong organizational skills

Technical skills:

• Quantitative and qualitative data analysis
• Graphic communication (including map reading and development)
• Graphics and statistical software packages

Career opportunities

Geographers can find career opportunities in many fields both within and outside the field of geography. Below is a partial listing of careers that students within the Urban, Regional and Global Studies specialization are well-suited and where previous graduates have found employment.

• Planner: transportation, urban, health services, land use, etc.
• Real estate appraiser/agent/researcher
• Shipper/route delivery manager
• Demographer
• Commodities broker
• Area/regional specialist
• Land development analyst
• Urban research analyst
• Archivist/librarian
• Shopping center developer
• Business planning manager
• Public policy analyst
• Market researcher/analyst
• Location/site selection expert
• Economic analyst