Geography graduates trained in resource analysis, environmental conservation and sustainable development find jobs with local, state and federal governments, non-profit organizations, and for-profit agencies.
Organizations hire geographers to work in environmental and land use planning, resource management (including hydrology, forestry, wildlife and soil conservation, and recreation management), area or regional specialties, international business, community development, and development of human and natural resources in foreign countries. Many geography graduates move on to graduate degrees (M.A., M.S. and Ph.D.) and become educators in higher education (community colleges and universities) or obtain higher-level positions in both the private and public sector.
Private environmental organizations and consulting firms, as well as government agencies, hire students completing the environmental studies concentration at JMU. Principal employers include the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and non-profit organizations including the Nature Conservancy and Peace Corps.
