Welcome to UW-Parkside Geography
Geography examines the relationship between humans and the environment through field work, laboratory analysis, and literature research. Geographers utilize a variety of tools such as maps, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), tree increment borers, densitometers, sling psychrometers, hygrometers, anemometers, and aerial photographs.
A degree in Geography from UW-Parkside prepares students for careers in planning, environmental analysis, teaching, soil conservation, natural resource management, GIS analysis, as well as many more fields. Geographers answer questions like:
- Is Wisconsin a good location to utilize wind generated energy?
- Are non-native plant species a problem in Wisconsin?
- What kinds of alternative energy sources will power are cars in the near future?
- How can we better address issues concerning sustainable development?
- What causes so much congestion on certain highways?
- Where would be a suitable location for developing a bicycle/hiking trail?
- How does soil affect the spatial distribution of vegetation?
- What are solutions to environment fragmentation/urbanization?
- Is it better for cities to expand or densify?
- How do fire patterns affect biodiversity?
Geography is an exciting discipline. Students learn about culture and the environment both in and out of the classroom. Our students might be found coring trees in the forest to explore vegetation and fire dynamics, visiting a local windmill to learn about alternative energy, meandering along a stream to collect data on biological invasion and river channels, digging a soil pit in the prairie to uncover the rich world of the underground, mapping trails or neighborhoods with a GPS unit, Geocaching in Petrifying Springs Park, exploring Wisconsin’s glacial landscapes, or camping at Devil’s Lake.
We offer our students a broad-based level of training. Our department has a Biogeography Lab that supports biogeography field research, including soils analysis and Dendrochronology; and a Spatial Data Analysis Lab that supports GIS, cartography, and remote sensing applications.
Our Geography majors can choose one or more fields of concentration:
- Concentration in Planning
- Concentration in Applied Environmental Geography
- Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Our faculty members are active in local and nationwide research, which often includes the participation of their students.
