Options with geography
Geographers look at issues from a wide perspective and develop a range of skills that are attractive to a very broad range of future employers. Specific technical skills directly relevant to geography-related careers include field work, research and report writing, preparing maps and diagrams, and using social survey and interpretative methods.
Geography graduates are also adept in collecting and analysing information using various technical and laboratory-based methods for the collection and analysis of spatial and environmental information (e.g. GIS, remote sensing and mathematical modelling) and recognising the moral and ethical issues involved in debates and enquiries.
In addition, during your multidisciplinary course you develop other personal and intellectual skills which are required by all employers, whether they are employing graduates in careers related to, or unrelated to, geography. These skills can be developed through your experience at university as a whole but also through your degree programme, as geography is very diverse and includes lots of hands-on, practical application work.
Skills you develop include analysing and problem-solving, decision-making, critically interpreting data and text, developing a reasoned argument, numerical skills (interpreting and presenting relevant numerical information), team-working, planning skills, presenting oral and written arguments and information, communication and technology skills (ICT) - including word processing, databases, internet communications, information retrieval and online searches.
The career area you choose may depend on whether you are more interested in physical or human geography. You can consider jobs that are degree-related, jobs that appeal because they incorporate other interests or elements of your degree, or jobs that are not related to your degree at all.
These job options are just a small sample of the jobs open to geographers. Most will require some experience or further training after your degree. The Royal Geographical Society website has a useful careers section, and its booklet Going Places With Geography includes interesting case studies of geography graduates and their varied career choices.
A range of jobs in physical systems and the natural environment is also available to geographers who undertake postgraduate study or research, including pollution analyst, earth scientist or coastal engineer.
The technical and interpersonal skills you develop during your degree will equip you to apply for geography-related jobs when you graduate, but it is also useful to do some work-shadowing to find out about particular career areas that are of interest to you.
Although some of the jobs listed here might not be first jobs for many graduates, they are among the many realistic possibilities with your degree, provided you can demonstrate you have the attributes employers are looking for. Bear in mind that it’s not just your degree discipline that determines your options. Remember that many graduate vacancies don't specify particular degree disciplines, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here. Look at your degree... what next? for informed advice on career planning and graduate employment, or login/register with My Prospects to find out what jobs would suit you, a helpful starting point for self-analysis.
Explore types of jobs to find out more about the above options and related jobs.
A 2011 HESA survey of 2010 graduates show that six months after graduating just over half of geography graduates had entered paid work, either in the UK or overseas.
Geography graduates entered into a wide range of jobs in a variety of sectors. Initially, just under a third of those employed went into non-graduate roles, such as clerical/secretarial positions, retail, catering or bar work.
Of those who entered graduate-level jobs, roles in commercial, industrial and public sector management were the most popular with 13% of graduates entering this type of work. A further 9% went into business and financial occupations, while another 9% started work in professional and technical occupations.
Many organisations are interested in the analytical and research skills developed by geographers during their degrees. For example, The Ministry of Defence (MOD) employs geography graduates as research analysts, and the Police Service offers civilian careers in intelligence analysis and research. Companies also recruit geography graduates as trainee account executives, with responsibility for developing knowledge of their clients’ accounts and understanding their research needs.
Examples of employers include local government, the armed forces, private companies, environmental consultancies, environmental protection agencies, utilities, charities, information systems organisations, education authorities, further and higher education institutions, commerce, industry, transport, tourism and the civil service. Geography graduates have excellent transferable skills, which also attract employers from the business, law and finance sectors.
For further information on some of the above employers see:
See industry insights for further information on possibilities in other employment areas.
Statistics are collected every year to show what HE students do immediately after graduation. These can be a useful guide but, in reality, because the data is collected within six months of graduation, many graduates are travelling, waiting to start a course, paying off debts, getting work experience or still deciding what they want to do. For further information about some of the areas of employment commonly entered by graduates of any degree discipline, check out What Do Graduates Do? and your degree...what next?
In 2010, within six months of graduation, just over a fifth of geography graduates had started on further study, and a further 7% were also studying while working. Geographers often choose to study Masters or postgraduate diploma courses to specialise in a specific area, such as geographical information systems, remote sensing, environmental conservation, environmental management, oceanography, coastal and marine management, meteorology or water resources.
Choosing to undertake a PhD enables geography graduates to specialise in an area of research that most interests them and often provides experience of university teaching.
Postgraduate courses in teaching, surveying or urban/rural planning are also popular, as they qualify you to work in those career areas. Some geographers also opt to take business or management courses.
These trends show only what previous graduates in your subject did immediately upon graduating. Over the course of their career - the first few years in particular - many others will opt for some form of further study, either part time or full time. If further study interests you, start by thinking about postgrad study and search courses and research to identify your options.
Look at funding my further study for details relating to finance and the application process.
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