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Geography Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach geography at various grade levels.

What Geography Education Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Geography Education build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Geography Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Geography Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Geography Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Geography Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Geography Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Geography Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Geogebra	Analytical or scientific software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Geography Education graduates include:

• Educator
• College Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Instructor
• Lecturer
• Professor
• Associate Professor
• Literacy Education Professor
• Secondary Education Professor
• Counselor Education Professor
• Continuing Education Instructor
• Education Faculty Member
• Science Education Professor
• Education Adjunct Professor
• Primary Education Professor

What Can You Do With a Geography Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Geography Education commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	2.4%	$98,329	$80,157–$116,500
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary	-3.5%	$47,034	$39,769–$54,300

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Geography Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	51.9%
Bachelor’s degree	29.3%
Master’s degree	6.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	6.2%
Post-master’s certificate	2.8%
Less than a high school diploma	2.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.7%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

How Much Do Geography Education Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Geography Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Geography Education Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Geography Education graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	39,881
Secondary Education and Teaching	10,594
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels	8,732
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching	6,964
Reading Teacher Education	5,986
Music Teacher Education	4,544
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	3,018
Mathematics Teacher Education	2,993
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	2,976
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other	2,352
Social Studies Teacher Education	1,963
Art Teacher Education	1,860

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.