Geography

MISSION:
The mission of the Geography program is to educate students to think critically, analytically and creatively in the geographical sciences.  Ethical and civic responsibilities will be stressed to promote students’ understanding and awareness of the diversity of the world.  Students will be technologically and intellectually prepared for higher and/or professional education and to have a successful career.

Park's low student-to-faculty ratio translates to small class sizes that promote personalized attention--an important aid in helping students learn and succeed.

Upon first reaction, you might think Geography has little to do with your day-to-day life and even less in regard to what you intend to do for your future career plans. You might think that studying geography is nothing more than memorizing state capitals or learning to plot points on a map. But geography, as an academic field, is about much more than that!

Professional geographers explore and analyze the multitude of connections and relationships between virturally every facet of the places and spaces over the Earth's surface. Therefore, geography is actually the original spatial science. Some geographers have even described the field simply (yet appropriately) as the study of the "why of where?" (Note: Not just the "where?")

Therefore, Geography is truly interdisciplinary and integrative by its very nature. It explores a wide spectrum of topics and issues, and it is the only discipline at Park University to span both the social and natural sciences. Due to this broad range, the Geography program has been designed to allow students the flexibility to be able to select coursework that best suites their individual interests.

• Geography as an academic discipline studies the spatial dimensions of, and links between, culture, society and Earth's processes.
• Combining a thorough foundation in geographic and spatial analysis principles with a framework that bridges the humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences; we aim to help develop future leaders for society.
• Those who study geography are well-prepared to understand and explain global political issues that occur between countries, cultures, cities, and between regions within countries.
• Because of the broad selection of specialty areas, geography is a discipline that can lead to a large number of career options in almost every industry.

"Geography for its own sake offers a fascinating realm of knowledge that can enrich our lives. Conversely, a lack of geographic understanding can diminish us as individuals, blunt the success of our international economic and political ventures, and dilute our strength as a nation."-- from Geography: Making Sense of Where We Are, by the National Geographic Society (1988).

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