The Department of Geography and GIS at DePaul has a strong commitment to social justice and community-centered, public scholarship, and provides a rich undergraduate experience for those who are passionate about exploring our world and understanding the social and spatial processes that shape it. With curricular and faculty strengths in the areas of urban development and planning, Geographic Information Systems and geotechnologies, globalization and environmental change, the Department of Geography and GIS
offers fields of study especially ideal for students whose interests span the social sciences, natural sciences, computer sciences, and the humanities.
Our nationally-recognized undergraduate program offers a variety of concentrations including the Standard Concentration, Urban Development & Planning, GIS & Geotechnology, and Environment & Society and offers undergraduate and graduate certification in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The department hosts minors in
Urban Geography & Planning,
Chicago Studies,
Food Studies, and
Architecture & Urbanism. The department also offers opportunities to combine fields of study, including two combined bachelor’s + master’s degree programs. Geography majors may pursue combined degrees in Computer Science (
CS+GEO; Bachelor of Science), Law (
GEO+JD), or enroll in the
TEACH program, in which they combine geography courses with those necessary for specialization in secondary education. The department offers day and night courses on the Lincoln Park and Loop campuses.
The geography major offers a foundation for any number of career paths. Recent graduates have joined MA or PhD programs in geography, urban planning, urban studies, natural resource management, and international relations at universities such as the University of Michigan, NYU, Syracuse University, the University of Toronto, the University of Edinburgh, University College - Dublin, Rutgers University, University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Chicago, Tufts University, and the Ohio State University to name only a few. Many remain at DePaul to pursue graduate education in
Sustainable Urban Development,
Public Policy, or other closely aligned graduate programs. Most of our alums, however, have taken the skills honed and the concepts learned in Geography to successful careers as planners, cartographers and GIS technicians, geospatial engineers, policy analysts, activists, and advisors in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.