Plan to Study Geography after 12th? Know Scope and Career Opportunities

UG Majors or specialisations

Usually for bachelors in Geography there is no particular specialisation.'

Colleges offering Bachelor's in Geography

Candidates can check the table below to know about bachelor's courses offered in Geography: 

Course	College
BSc (Hons) in Geography	Presidency University, Kolkata
BA (Hons) in Geography	Lovely Professional University (LPU)
BA (Hons) in Geography	Kirori Mal College, Delhi
BSc in Geography	Jadavpur University, Kolkata
BA (Hons) in Geography	Dyal Singh College
BA in Geography	Aligarh Muslim University
BA (Hons) in Geography	Nalanda Open University
BSc (Hons) in Geography	Asutosh College, Kolkata
BA (Hons) in Geography	Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Delhi
Integraded BSc + MSc in Geography	Central University of Karnataka

Careers after bachelor degree in Geography

The careers for bachelor’s degree holders in Geography can include Geography teacher, Research assistant/associate in projects related to environment, sustainability and social development, jobs related to Corporate Social Responsibility etc.

Master Degree in Geography

• Eligibility and preferred education background: Preferably Geography or any other related discipline like environmental science, geopolitics etc.

It is necessary for students to have a 1st class in their bachelor’s degree in order to get admission to a good master’s programme in Geography.

• Entrance exams, if any: Entrance exams are conducted by individual universities; popular entrance exams include Jamia Milia Islamia Geography Entrance Exam, JNU Entrance Exam to name a few.
• Course duration: The course duration is usually 1 to 2 years depending on the type of course and the university.
• Course structure in brief: Usually in a master’s course, the students choose from a wide range of subjects or modules based on their personal interest. The subjects can be broadly categorised into Physical Geography, Socio-Cultural Geography, Political Geography or Economic Geography. Apart from that, students have an option to take up courses from other related disciplines such as sociology, environmental studies, political science etc.

Colleges offering Master's in Geography

Course	College
MA in Geography	Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi
MA in Geography	Banarash Hindu University, Varanasi
MSc in Geography	Lovely Professional University (LPU)
MSc in Geography	Presidency University, Kolkata
MA in Geography	SAGE University, Indore
MSc in Geography	Netaji Subhas Open University
MA in Geography	Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata
MA in Geography	Sikkim University, Gangtok
MSc in Applied Geography and Geoinformatics	Central University of Karnataka
MA in Applied Geography	Ravenshaw University, Cuttack

PG Majors or specialisations

There are two variants in master’s degree, master’s by coursework and master’s by research. In master’s by coursework the students take courses in the university but do not engage in any substantial research, on the other hand in a master’s by research program students have to engage in research and submit a thesis to fulfil course requirement. Apart from that, in some universities there are master’s courses on GIS as well. Popular specializations and research work are found in areas related to Environmental Geography, Economic Geography; Historical Geography; Indigenous Geography; Feminist Geography; Political Geography; Urban Geography and Social & Cultural Geography.

Studies in Geography after Master’s Degree

After master’s degree, one can go for an MPhil in Geography or a PhD in Geography if they are interested in research and academics. One can also do a GIS masters in case they want to have a specialised degree.

Careers after master’s degree in Geography

Master’s degree holders in Geography can look forward for careers as Academicians, Cartographers, Urban Planners to name a few. They can also find policy related jobs, developmental jobs as a programme officer or research associate/fellow, corporate jobs in CSR and many more.

Scope of Geography in India

One of the most diverse nations in the world, India’s geography has everything mother nature could provide. From the Himalayas to the coastal areas to deserts, the geography is simply amazing and breathtaking. The scope of taking up a career in geography only builds from here on. Students who do their undergrad or postgrad, can take up jobs in travel and tourism, cartography, become an analyst. In the ever dynamic world that we live in, India’s diversity is unmatched. The scope of building a career in geography in India is booming, especially the travel and tourism industry as there is so much to explore in India.

Career Options in Geography in India

Popular careers in Geography includes academics (teacher/lecturer/professor), Researcher in organisations, Cartographers, Environmental Consultant, Urban Planner, Tourism Officer, GIS Specialist, Demographer, Hydrologist etc. The salary would differ from job to job and from country to country. In India top jobs would pay somewhere in between INR 40,000-80,000 per month.

Cartography	Survey
Urban and Regional Planner	Town Planning
Climate Change Analyst	Geospatial Analyst
Geomorphologist	GIS Specialist
Climatologist	Hydrologist
Location Analyst	Meteorologist
Pollution Analyst	Water Conservation Officer
Travel and Tourism Planner and Advisor	Soil Conservationist

Read More:

• Courses After 12th
• Courses After 12th Science
• Courses After 12th Commerce
• Courses After 12th Arts

About the Author:

Prerona Das is a PhD student at the Department of Geography, National University of Singapore. For her PhD thesis, she is working on Urban Geopolitics in the city of Guwahati. Before joining as a PhD student she worked as a research associate at the Northeast Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (NEDFi). She is also a Gold medalist from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati.