Because so many of these problems have a geographic dimension to them, training in geography provides the necissary and applicable skills. Consequently, obtaining university-level training in geography has become a crucial requirement for numerous jobs. Many of these careers are not directly associated with geographic training because they are not frequently designated as geography-specific positions. Stories of world hunger, environmental quality, hazardous-waste disposal, crime, urban housing, water management, transportation problems are found in the news each and every day. The growth market for geographers has grown tremendously in recent years.
Opportunities are many and diverse.
For example, students have found employment in urban and regional planning offices, with various agencies of the federal government and other levels of government from the United Nations to local municipalities as cartographers, statisticians, information systems specialists, international trade and location specialists, intelligence analysts, map curators, soil conservation officers, and transportation planners, among others. Opportunities within teaching are also tremendous at all levels of the educational system as well. The University at Buffalo Department of Geography commits itself to the training and education of future geographers. With one of the top departments in the country, the UB Department of Geography is at the forefront in geographic education. All of the faculty hold advanced degrees and are among the most respected academics in their fields of study.