Discover the World

As a geography major at NMU, the world is your classroom. You’ll have the opportunity to discover your world from a variety of perspectives-whether it’s using geographic information systems to map Marquette County, observing weather and climate on the shore of Lake Superior, or experiencing eco-tourism in Costa Rica. Unlike many universities where lower-division courses are taught by part-time faculty members or graduate students, all of our classes are taught by full-time faculty members. Because our class sizes are typically small (ranging from 20-40 students for classes above the 100 level), you’ll get personalized attention from professional faculty members who are dedicated to teaching.

Programs

The Geography department offers nine different programs, so you can take your interest in geography in virtually any direction you choose. In addition, many of our programs are interdisciplinary and include partnerships with departments such as biology, chemistry, political science, and education, so you’ll be exposed to a broad range of specialties.

• conservation
• earth science
• environmental science
• human geography
• physical geography
• planning
• geographic information sciences certificate
• geographic information systems
• secondary education, earth science

Get a Little Dirty

As many of our current students will probably tell you, the best thing about being a geography major is the field work. You might go on a camping trip to the Keweenaw Peninsula to study geologic formations or investigate spring flood damage in Marquette County. Or perhaps you’d like to study abroad? Our professors have led field trips to Costa Rica, Ecuador, Scotland, and Ireland, exposing students to the geography of other countries.

Have a Little Fun

Joining a student club or organization is a great way to meet people who share the same interests as you while also benefiting the community. Members of the Superior Geography Club enjoy group activities such as hiking, camping, and cross-country skiing.  Members also participate in the Adopt-a-Highway program and help coordinate guest speakers, who talk on a variety of geography-related topics.

Facilities

The Geography department is located in the New Science Facility, which is part of the Seaborg Science Complex, one of the premier university science facilities in the Midwest. This state-of-the-art facility plays host to a geographic information systems and remote sensing lab with new computers, printers, and a plotter and is ESRI licensed. Northern’s Geography department is also home to a collection of more than 75,000 map items. An extensive collection of GIS data makes your studies in geographic information systems easier.

Life After NMU

These are just a few of the geography-related careers listed by The Association of American Geographers:

• cartographer
• climatologist
• computer mapping specialist
• ecologist
• environmental scientist
• geologist
• GIS analyst
• land surveyor
• natural historian
• remote sensing specialist
• teacher
• water resource specialist