What is Geography?
Geography is the study of the earth and the ways people interact with it and on it. Geographers are deeply interested in the ideas of space and place. Geography involves more than memorizing states and capitals. It’s a unique way of looking at the world and finding answers to geographic questions.
Physical geographers concentrate on the earth and topics such as weather, climate, soils, landforms, and the natural environment.
Human geographers concentrate on people and their activities, such as culture, economics, political systems, and history.
The technologies of Geographic Information Science, such as cartography, Geographic Information Systems, and remote sensing are used by both physical and human geographers to bring a spatial perspective to our knowledge of the World.
You can choose from undergraduate degrees in Geography (BA or BS), Geography and GIScience (BS), and a teaching subject endorsement for Education degrees. We also offer Minors in Geography, GIScience, and Environmental Science. See the links in the green box for more information.
The program is located in Copeland Hall, which includes laboratories for GIS, Remote Sensing, Cartography, and Physical Geography. There are six full-time faculty members with diverse teaching and research interests.
For more information, please contact Geography at (308) 865-8355.
2009 Geography Awareness Week Events
Please join the Geography Program in celebration of Geography Awareness Week during Nov. 16-20th. We are excited to share the following lectures with UNK and the wider community.
Dr. Ted Goudge, Professor of Geography at Northwest Missouri State University, will present "'Getting Lost' in Mapping Sport Geography: The Geography of College Athletics" on Wednesday, Nov 18 at 3:30 p.m. in Copeland Hall Room 130.
Dr. Adam Houston, of the Department of Geosciences at UNL will present "The Impact of Air Mass Boundaries on Tornadic Storms" on Thursday, Nov 19 at 3:30 p.m. in Copeland Hall Room 131.
Dr. Houston will also present "Using Unmanned Aircraft to Probe Tornadic Storms in VORTEX-2" on Thurday, Nov 19 at 7:00pm in Copeland Hall Room 142. Dr. Houston and colleagues participated in last summer's VORTEX-2 tornado research project. His talks are presented by the Department of Physics and the Geography Program.
Click here for complete details, including presentation abstracts.
2009 South Dakota State Geography Convention
Three Geography students presented research at the 40th Annual South Dakota State Geography Convention on April 16 & 17. Congratulations to Matt Buchanan for placing second with his poster on socioeconomics and crime in the Great Plains! Click here for more information.
Special Lecture Presentation
UNL research geologist and associate professor Matt Joeckel will present "One Billion Years of Nebraska Landscapes” on Wednesday, April 8 at 3:30 p.m. in Copeland Hall Room 142. Dr. Joeckel's talk is presented by Sigma Xi and the UNK Geography program. Click here for more information.
2009 Student Research Day
Nine Geography students presented research at the 11th Annual UNK Student Research Day on Wednesday, March 25. Congratulations to Jacob McGlade, Tony Reznicek, and Jamie Knuth for placing first and to Crystal Jacobson for receiving Honorable Mention in the Behavioral and Social Science Division! Click here for more information.
Mr. Brett Chloupek, UNK Geography Alumus, was the guest speaker at the Student Research Day luncheon. Brett is currently a PhD student in Political Geography at the University of Kansas.
2009 Nebraska GIS Symposium
Please join us April 21-23 for the 2009 Nebraska GIS Symposium. You can register and find out more information here.
Geography Program Assessment Documents