Geography, B.S. Urban Planning Concentration

Geographers explore both the physical properties of the earth and the human societies spread across it.

The urban planning concentration is in high demand, as people and jobs in the U.S. increasingly move away from large central cities. Planners are needed in the private sector as well as in state and local governments to provide the appropriate kinds of economic and community development that will ensure a high quality of life in both developed and developing countries.

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) students develop greater depth of knowledge and technical skills in one narrowly focused aspect of geography, as opposed to gaining a broader training through the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. This specialization is useful for certain types of professional employment and may facilitate a rapid start in graduate-level research.

PROGRAM DISTINCTIONS

• The Department of Geography offers an optional accelerated master’s degree, allowing qualified students to earn both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geography in as little as five years.
• Students have access to modern geographic technology, including an oversized cartographic plotter, GPS equipment, and computers with industry-standard software programs like Arc/Info, ArcView, ERDAS Imagine, ArcGIS, Surfer, AtlasGIS, MapInfo, and ER Mapper.
• State-of-the-art laboratories – like the Geomorphology and Weather and Climate Lab and the Regolith Analysis Laboratory – offer in-depth geographic analysis using the latest precision instruments.  
• UNC Greensboro is ranked as one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges, according to the Princeton Review (2020).

THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

• One of the hallmarks of UNCG’s Geography Department is the ability to study abroad. For example, the two-week summer field school has taken students to the Canadian Rockies, the Central Rocky Mountains, the desert Southwest, and the Pacific Northwest.
• The student-led Geography Club hosts a series of speakers each year from planning departments, environmental agencies, GIS firms, and economic development companies.
• Students who excel in the classroom can earn membership into UNCG’s chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon (ΓΘΥ), the international honor society in geography. 
• UNCG has an active Geography Bowl Team, which won the state competition defeating all other universities in North Carolina in 2019.

AFTER GRADUATION

• In a growth region like the Southeastern United States, geographers with a planning background are in increasing demand.
• Graduates have found careers in business and industry, urban and regional planning agencies, departments of federal and state governments, and teaching.
• An undergraduate geography degree is an excellent foundation for advanced graduate work or professional training in planning, business, or law.