Why Geography and Sustainable Development?

Do you stand for sustainability, social justice, and human rights? Do you want to help address global challenges? Are you interested in using technology to protect our environment, improve human health, reduce inequalities, or design the cities of the future? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, Geography and Sustainable Development is the right degree for you!

Geography bridges the gap between human society and the physical environment and uses modern technology to find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems, such as environmental change, population dynamics, biodiversity loss, unsustainable urbanization, and global inequalities.

Sustainable Development is a central concept for humanity. It is both a way to understanding the world and a method for solving global problems. It seeks to improve the living standards of all by promoting economic prosperity, social inclusion and cohesion, environmental conservation, and good governance.

Because of the breadth of interdisciplinary knowledge that geographers acquire during their education, their job outlook is promising. Geographers can work in more than 90 occupations available in education, government agencies, multilateral organizations, non-profit organizations, and businesses. Those with a strong background in sustainable development work on countless different fronts to find feasible and innovative solutions to global issues, such as climate change, freshwater scarcity, environmental degradation, environmental science, health disparities, and social inequality. In fact, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that the employment of geographers is projected to grow 7% from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

If your goal is to become a global citizen, a game-changer and make a difference in the world, Geography and Sustainable Development is the right degree for you.

What are you waiting for? Be a geographer! Begin your journey by learning more about our undergraduate or graduate programs.

If you have questions, send a message to geography_undergraduate@miami.edu.