An Inside Look at New York City's Department of City Planning
Laura Smith, MA ’06, discusses how her childhood love of maps led to her current work planning New York City’s economic development.
Undergraduate
Geography students in GW's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences learn the technical skills essential to geography-based careers, as well as transferable expertise in problem solving, research and emerging technologies.
Students may explore human geography, studying the migration patterns, languages and cultures that shape our world. Others focus on physical geography, digging into climate patterns, the formation of landforms and the evolving impact of plant and animal species change. Still others master the latest techniques in geospatial geography, learning how to construct the navigation systems the world relies on. All undergraduates gain a thorough foundation in geography and its applications through introductory courses taught entirely by tenure-track faculty.
Learn more in a short video about the Field Methods class at GW.
Watch Videos from GW Geography
What is Geography?
What can you expect from our department?
Common Double Majors with Geography
How to Declare a Major
Environmental Studies or Environmental & Sustainability Sciences?
Minor in Geographic Information Systems
Programs
"My GIS and physical geography classes were vital to my internship in Colombia. My education was put to the test when I had to explain ‘bioaccumulation’ and ‘gentrification’ in Spanish to professionals in the field."
Sarah Cassius
BA '19
Technical Skill Set
Geographers use many tools and techniques in their work, and geographic technologies are increasingly important for understanding our complex world. For example, these technologies allow geographers to plan new communities, decide where new highways should be placed and establish evacuation plans.
Through coursework and research, Department of Geography and Environment students become fluent in the latest advancements in the field:
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- Remote Sensing
- Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
- Online Mapping
Immersive Class Settings
Cities and Societies
Undergraduate students use Washington, D.C., as an outdoor laboratory to explore urban trends. In one course, students visited the National Mall to study the meaning of monuments and memorials.
Human Geography
In an introductory geography course, students mapped the globalization of Facebook users as a way to explore contemporary themes in human geography.
Urban Sustainability
Partnering with the local D.C. nonprofit Casey Trees, student coursework has included inventorying campus trees—measuring both tree diameter and canopy.
Senior Seminar
Fourth-year students participate in an annual class trip outside the city to work in small groups, collaborate with professors and refine their final project ideas.
Geography in Action
The National Mall: Geography and America’s Front Yard
The National Mall is the United States’ most important public space. Professor Lisa Benton-Short looks at the Mall as a symbol of the American story.
Geographers Redefine Immigration Trends
For generations, many people believed that most immigrants to the United States were people with limited education or training who came for economic opportunity