Geography and Planning Bachelor's Degree Overview
Geography is about more than creating and reading maps. Students in The University of Toledo’s Geography and Planning Department study issues critical to all of us, like climate change, economic development, resource management, land use and population growth.
A UToledo geography and planning degree combines a liberal arts education with strong technical skills in geospatial technology (tools like GIS that help map geographic information). This combination is highly marketable and desired by employers. Nearly all University of Toledo graduates with bachelor’s degrees in geography get jobs.
Geography Bachelor’s Degree Concentration
- Planning
- Geographic information science and technology (GIS&T)
Geography and Planning Bachelor's Degree Highlights
- Highly marketable job skills. Employers love UToledo graduates. Geography and planning majors are trained in the skills the market demands: current geographic information systems (GIS) technologies, computer cartography and graphics, statistical analysis and data management.
- Strong programs in transportation planning and community planning.
- A nationally recognized paid internship program. Students in the geography bachelor's degree program work with planning agencies, community development organizations and companies applying geographic information system technologies.
- Research opportunities. Students work alongside geography and planning faculty on their research. Geography undergraduates also conduct research at the nearby Lake Erie Center.
- Learn from the experts. Faculty has been awarded more than $25 million to fund their studies and often bring their research into the classroom.
- State-of-the-art technology. UT's geography and planning majors use the latest geographic information systems and remote sensing laboratories. They have access to the Geographic Information Science and Applied Graphics Lab on UToledo’s campus. The lab is a clearinghouse for GIS research opportunities. Researchers at the GISAG lab have studied freight transportation in the Great Lakes and mapped the Maumee River Basin.
- A highly collaborative field. Geography and planning faculty work on research with professionals in other disciplines: engineering, business, natural sciences, environmental health and criminal justice.
- Active student geography groups. The Geography and Planning Club hosts events like geocaching, a “Geopardy” competition and trips to the National Museum of the Great Lakes and Toledo Mud Hens baseball games.
- Graduate school options. Many geography and planning undergraduate students also earn advanced degrees from The University of Toledo. Learn more about UToledo's MA in geography and planning, GIS certificate, and Ph.D. in spatially integrated social sciences.
Career Opportunities
UToledo geography alumni have worked for employers such as the Lucas County Auditor's Office, Fulton County Planning Department, City of Toledo, Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments, Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Examples of Geography and Planning Bachelor Degree Jobs and Careers
| Census and location analyst | Transportation planner |
| Intelligence officer | Community developer |
| Market researcher | International business consultant |
| Urban planner | Peace Corps officer |
Our Alumni
"Majoring in geography at The University of Toledo exposed me to a wide variety of experiences and knowledge. I had the best of both worlds: a liberal arts education that helped teach me how to think and a technical education that exposed me to the technologies revolutionizing the world."
Jeffrey Kodysh, GIS analyst, NTH Consultants
BA in geography, '11
Geography and Planning Bachelor's Degree Plan of Study
Faculty specialize in the following areas:
| GIS and spatial analysis (including location-allocation modeling) | Transportation geography and planning |
| Community planning | Cultural geography |
| Urban-economic geography | Remote sensing |
| Environmental geography and planning |
Geography Bachelor’s Degree Sample Classes
| Fundamentals of Geography | Urban Planning |
| Remote Sensing | Cultural Geography |
| Geographic Information Systems |
View Plan of Study
Internship Opportunities for Geography and Planning Bachelor's Degree
Typical Internship Locations
| City of Toledo | Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority |
| National Geographic Society | Toledo Police Department |
| Owens Corning | U.S. Department of Energy |
Geography and Planning Bachelor's Degree
4-year programProgram Availability
Program Quick Links
View Admission RequirementsDepartment of Geography and Planning
College of Arts and Letters
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