This certificate prepares students for careers in community and economic development, urban design, politics, and travel and tourism through the study of human geography. Global understandings of population growth and international migration; the consequences of economic development; and the impacts of technological innovation are some of the topics covered in the courses that comprise this certificate. Additionally, students gain proficiency in identifying how political power and control of culture can impact human rights, and race and gender equality.
Human geographers examine human societies and how their cultures, economies and politics develop within the context of their environment. A geographic lens allows human geographers to critically examine the intersections of these social processes and how they shape the lived and built environment. Human geographers examine topics like how race shapes the way we interact in public spaces, how gender conditions where and how people find jobs, what the links are between global finance and community activism, how immigration is shaped by family connections, and why gerrymandering political districts can change the way we think about our neighbors. Human geographers look at how these social processes construct the contexts we live in and how these contexts vary in our increasingly globalized world.
Students earning the Human Geography certificate learn a wide range of critical thinking, research, and analytical skills that are highly valued by employers. Students with backgrounds in human geography find jobs in all levels of government, nonprofit organizations, and in industry.
