What is a Degree in Cartography and Geography?

Geography and Cartography degree programs are designed to teach people about the earth's surface. Although this might sound simple, it's actually highly complicated, and students must use math and computers to read and design maps, interpret geographic information from photos and research older maps for comparative use. Geography and Cartography degree holders have learned about different land formations, surveying and drafting techniques, computer-assisted design (CAD), political divisions and history and land use patterns, among other subjects, and may be prepared for careers as geographers, drafters or cartographers.

Geographer

There are a variety of specializations within geography. Economic geographers study the geographic distribution of resources and economic activity, while political geographers are experts in political divisions and boundaries, such as disputed borders between international neighbors. Other specialists include medical geographers, urban and transportation geographers and cultural geographers. Today's geographers are aided by the development of geographic information systems, which allow them to develop and depict complex information in accurate and easily transformed pictorial and graphic form. In coming years geographers will face slower job growth than the national average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), www.bls.gov, because most job opportunities are concentrated in government and academic research. The median income for a geographer in 2004 was $58,970 per annum.

Drafter

Drafters make detailed drawings of objects or structures before their manufacture or construction, preparing technical blueprint images of everything from radios to office buildings. In the course of their work, drafters might collaborate with engineers, architects and others. To inform their drawings, they receive rough sketches and calculations from clients or visit job sites to take measurements and collect data. The CAD and image preparation skills learned in a degree program for Geography and Cartography can easily be transferred to meet the job requirements of this career. According to the BLS, employment opportunities will vary by industry through the coming decade. Depending on specialty, median salaries in 2004 ranged from $39,000 to $43,000 per year.

Cartographers

The range of a cartographer's duties covers everything from geographical, land use, demographic and climatic research to close collaboration with constructors and other professionals who may commission maps. Cartographers prepare maps in a variety of formats, increasingly using digital techniques to produce not only graphical representation but also increasingly photographic images, allowing for more three-dimensional representation of the cartographic information. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a system of cartographic software, also plays a large part in the work of the modern cartographer. Job growth in coming years for cartographers should be steady, although subject to cyclical fluctuations (BLS). Median wages in 2004 were $46,080 per year.