The Royal Geographical Society notes 'there is no such thing as a geography job; rather there are multiple jobs that geographers do'.
Studying geography develops your analytical and communication skills and your ability to evaluate data, all strengths that are in demand in the graduate jobs market. Like other science graduates, you have a broad range of career paths open to you, though you may be particularly drawn to areas such as environmental planning, health, politics education, commerce, industry, transport, tourism, public sectors and international relations. Geography students tend to be open-minded and interested in the world around them, qualities which are attractive to employers and may be a particular advantage if you are working for an international organisation. You'll also have many transferable skills, attracting employers from the business, law and finance sectors.
You could also apply the broader skills developed during your degree to many other opportunities: it is estimated that although graduate employers often specify a minimum degree classification as part of their shortlisting, approximately 70% of graduate employers do not specify that you must have studied a particular subject to work for them. However, graduate employers do highly prize skills such as strategic planning, resilience under pressure, creative problem-solving and commercial awareness which are some of the key skills you can develop during your course. Therefore, you could use your degree to access work in a multitude of sectors or industries.
It is also worth noting that around one quarter of geography graduates go onto postgraduate study.
Researching your career options
With such a wide range of careers open to you as a geography graduate, it is important to make sure you explore and research your options thoroughly so that you can make informed decisions about your future.
Take a look at the
Prospects,
TargetJobs and the professional associations websites for inspiration:
Employment opportunities
Below is a snapshot of what some of University of Plymouth Geography graduates told us they were doing 15 months after graduation. For some graduates, these jobs serve as steppingstones to professional posts by providing relevant workplace experience.
- Admin and Marketing Assistant
- Administrator and Teacher
- Agricultural Regulatory Inspection Officer
- Analyst
- Assistant Consultant
- Assistant Estimator
- Assistant Manager
- Assistant Planning Consultant
- Assistant Sales Manager
- Broadcasting Graphics Operator – TV Broadcasting
- Carbon Portfolio Analyst
- Community Infrastructure Levy Officer
- Compliance Officer
- Conservation Marketing
- Consultant
- Content Creator
- Credit Analyst
- Data Analyst
- Data Services Specialist
- Deep Space Network Mission Operations Engineer
- Design Graduate
- Development Officer
- Director
- Duty Manager
- Earth Observation Scientist
- Economic Development Officer
- Educational Advisor
- Enforcement Officer for a City Council
- Environmental Advisor
- Environmental Analyst
- Environmental Consultant
- Environmental Researcher
- Environmental Scientist
- Export Control and Customs Specialist
- Fieldwork Assistant
- Flood And Coastal Risk Management Officer
- Geo Spatial Sales Exucutive
- Geo-Environmental Consultant
- Geography Researcher
- Geography Teacher
- Geophysicist
- Geotechnical Laboratory Technician
- Graduate Consultant
- Graduate Designer
- Graduate Engineer
- Graduate Environmental Consultant
- Graduate Field Engineer
- Graduate Geotechnical Engineer
- Graduate GIS Consultant
- Graduate Land Referencer
- Graduate Management Trainee
- Graduate Planner
- Graduate Project Manager
- Graduate Trainee
- Graduate Training Scheme
- Graduate Transport Planner
- HR Advisor
- Humanities Teacher
- Junior Meteorologist
- Junior Project Engineer
- Junior Surveyor
- Laboratory Analyst
- Laboratory Technician
- Lettings Negotiator
- Low Carbon Building Design Intern
- Major Development Planning Intern
- Market Insight Analyst
- Marketing Coordinator
- Member Pioneer Manager
- Merchandiser and Admin
- Network Graduate
- Nuclear Environmental Engineer
- Operational Buyer
- Operations Graduate Management Trainee
- Operations Manager
- Pharmacy Technician
- Placement role in Ecology
- Planner – Construction
- Planning Application Caseworker
- Planning Consultant
- Planning Officer
- Planning Policy Graduate
- Primary School Teacher
- Project Management Consultant
- Project Management Graduate
- RAF Officer – Air Ops Controller
- Recruitment and Training Consultant
- Recruitment Consultant
- Sales and Marketing Executive – International
- Salesforce Instructor and Consultant
- Seasonal Assistant Ecologist
- Seasonal Oncologist
- Secondary Teacher
- Senior Business Account Manager
- Social Media Producer
- Soil and Water Consultant
- Sports Coach
- Supplier Development Engineer
- Supply Teacher Secondary Geography
- Sustainability Consultant
- Town Planner
- Trainee Assistant Manager
- Trainee Construction Manager
- Trainee Environmental Advisor
- Trainee Pharmacy Technician
- Trainee Project Researcher
- Transport Consultant
- Transport Planner
- Transport Planning Officer
- Transport Policy Officer
- Tutor
- UK Operations Manager – Environmental Services
- Writer
Employers
- Adams Environmental Limited
- AECOM
- Ambition
- Argans
- Argans Ltd
- Atkins
- Atlas Copco
- Babcock International
- Basingstoke And Deane Borough Council
- BEB Contract And Legal Services
- Bellway Homes
- Benefex
- Betfred
- Bristol Avon Rivers Trust
- Buckingham Group
- Calibro Consultants Ltd
- Capita
- Cenex
- C J Associates
- Clever
- Clifton Emery Design
- Co-Op
- Co-Operative Group
- Cornwall Council
- Corserv Ltd
- Credit Reporting Agency Ltd
- Currys Business
- Cyient
- Dalcour Maclaren
- David Tucker Associates
- Dawlish Warren Pharmacy
- Deeset
- Deloitte
- Delta Finance
- DHL
- Don't Waste Group
- DPDgroup
- Ecodesk
- Ecoteer
- Enhance Land and Planning
- Environment Agency
- Exeter Science Centre
- First Line Offense
- Fisher German LLP
- Fleetwise Associates
- FPCR Environment And Design
- Fugro GB
- Fugro GB North Marine Ltd
- Geotechnical Engineering Ltd
- Gibside National Trust
- Goonhilly Earth Station
- Gran Tourismo Engineering
- Grish And Sons Limited
- Harris Federation
- Healthspan Limited
- High Society
- Hilson Moran
- Jacobs Engineering Group
- Kier Highways
- Kovia
- Live Wire Sport
- Local Council
- Looe Community Academy
- Marden Edwards
- Marine Academy Plymouth
- MeteoGroup UK Ltd
- Met Office
- Mid Somerset Consortium
- Milton Keynes Council
- Mode Transport
- Montague Land Partners
- MSA Environmental Ltd
- Nick Bishop Coaching
- Northstar Consultancy Limited
- North Somerset Council
- North Warwickshire Borough Council
- Obelisk
- Obelisk Network UK
- Open Doors International Language School
- Plymouth City Council
- Princess Yachts
- QA
- Queen Mary's University London
- Rackham Planning
- RAF
- Red Penguin Marine
- Ridge And Partners
- Royal United Hospitals Trust
- RPS
- RSK ADAS Ltd
- Salcombe Diary Limited
- Samworth Brothers
- School Sports Teaching
- Scope A T
- Secondary School
- Shine Wraparound Care Ltd.
- Siemens Healthcare Limited
- Smurfit Kappa
- Sorted Surf Shop
- South Hams District Council
- Southwest Renewables Limited
- SPCR
- Spinlock
- Stimulus Consulting
- Stuart Michael Associates
- Tallington Community College
- Target Geo Limited
- Ted Wragg Trust
- Ted Wragg Trust Lipson Academy
- Transport Planning Practice
- Turtle Bay
- Two Counties Trust
- United Welsh
- University Of Plymouth
- Utilitec Services
- Wellesley Park Primary School
- Wessex Water
- Westward Laboratories
- Wood
*Data is from the Graduate Outcomes Surveys of 2017/18 and 2018/19. Graduates were surveyed 15 months after graduating. Data displayed is for 73 UK-domiciled, first degree, full-time graduates who are working, studying or looking for work.