• Environmental sciences, or physical geography
• Nature-society interactions
• Spatial distributions and patterns of human activities, or human geography
• Methods and models for measuring and interpreting patterns on the Earth

Geography investigates and answers many practical questions of daily importance, as well as those that are more theoretical in nature. For example, geographic concepts and data help explain why location determines property values (“location, location, location”), how changes in ocean temperatures affect climate, and what causes landscapes in Oregon to differ from those in Ohio, Oahu, Oaxaca, Oran, Ouagadougou, Omsk, Osaka, and Orissa.

Businesses depend on geographic models to target markets, to propose new sites for operations, and to lower operation costs based on the features of a place.

Travelers seek information on not only where they are going, but what language, foods, weather conditions, living costs, and potential hazards they will encounter on their trips.

Consumers want to know where and how their tomatoes were grown, and where their shoes were made and under what labor conditions.

Geography offers students, professionals, and the general public analytical and descriptive, qualitative and quantitative, graphic, technical, observational, and history-based tools for understanding relationships between earth and people.

At Oregon State University, undergraduates may choose a B.A. or B.S. degree in geography that provides a solid, broad introduction to the field, or they may select one of the following degree options:

• Climate & Water Science
• Geographic Information Science (GIScience, or Geospatial Technologies)
• Geography of International Development, Peace & Security
• Geography of Rural Sustainability

Geography at Oregon State is an ideal component in the Education Double Degree for students planning to teach, and in the International (Double) Degree for students interesting in studying abroad.

How do you know if you want to be a geographer (from Association of American Geographers web site)?
If you answer yes to a majority of these questions, you may have a bright future in geography:

1. Are you curious about places?
If so, geography channels this interest into a rigorous study of the makeup of places and what makes them tick.

2. Do you like to study maps?
The geographer's first inclination is to put information on a map in order to see how it looks spatially.

3. Do you prefer the window seat on airplanes?
Geography tries to explain the constantly-changing patterns of human activity and natural phenomena on the landscape.

4. Are you interested in foreign areas?
Many geographers specialize in a particular part of the world such as Latin America, Europe, Asia, or Africa.

5. Do you like to work outside?
Many geographers obtain their basic data from field investigation in environments that range from wilderness areas to cities.

6. Are you a problem solver?
As scientists, geographers are naturally curious about how the world is arranged. They ask lots of questions about why things are located the way they are and then they try to answer those questions.

7. Are you good at seeing connections among seemingly unrelated processes?
One of geography's strengths is its ability to integrate ideas about human behavior, social institutions, and the natural environment.

8. Can you adapt to rapid technological change?
Geography has been buffeted by monumental changes in technology. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have revolutionized the way geographers collect, store, analyze, and present spatial information.

9. Do you try to see the big picture?
Geographers look at how places interact with each other, and how they are influenced by larger, more global forces. Geographers think big!

10. Are you interested in connections between people and the environment?
Geographers see the world as the human habitat, one that we have transformed and that has transformed us

Where else can I find out about Geography?
* OSU Geography brochure
* What is Geography? (Association of American Geographers)
* What is Geography? (National Council for Geographic Education)
* What is Geography? (Royal Geographic Society)
* Definition of Geography from About.com
* About.com: Interesting Geography questions
* Top 15 Stories from National Geographic News
* Geography Videos from National Geographic
* Geography at the United States Geographic Service (USGS)