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related majors, minors, graduate degrees and certificate programs

66%

of Maxwell faculty conduct international research

8

topical research clusters provide vast academic and experiential opportunities

Undergraduate Studies


Our dynamic major and minor programs provide a solid foundation in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities.

Geography, B.A.

Environment, sustainability and policy integrated learning major (double major program), B.A. or B.S depending on base major

Minor in geography

Minor in environment and society

Graduate Studies


Graduate students are part of a vibrant intellectual community and work closely with faculty members in research and teaching. Advanced degree options include:

Geography, M.A.

Geography, Ph.D.

Joint degree program with the master of public administration (M.P.A.)

Certificate of Advanced Study in GIS and spatial analysis (concurrent with graduate studies)

There's a world of possibilities waiting for you.

View of Syracuse University Campus with Onondaga Lake in the background

Syracuse, N.Y. - A Learning Laboratory


Syracuse University’s location in Central New York serves as a learning laboratory, where students gain real-world experience through research, internships and more.

Students interested in environmental processes and management have easy access to the Finger Lakes and the region’s other extensive groundwater resources; ecological restoration projects in Onondaga Lake; environmental justice issues in Syracuse, N.Y.; or conservation challenges in the nearby Adirondack mountains.

Syracuse is also located within the first-in-the-nation unmanned vehicle traffic management corridor. This 50-mile stretch of land has become the most advanced drone testing corridor in the U.S., generating data that will inform future drone applications.

A Capital Experience

Many students of geography and the environment choose to study in Washington, D.C.; Albany; and New York City, key centers of state, national and international environmental and sustainability policy.

Visit Maxwell-in-Washington

Learn About the NYS Assembly Internship

Applied and Scholarly Research

Faculty members within the Geography and the Environment Department represent wide-ranging interests and sub-specialties, providing students with the opportunity to address real-world problems through multiple lenses.

Map of "food deserts" in Central New York

This unique partnership offers students with interests in urban studies, public health, environmental justice or community development opportunities to work on participatory research projects with local and regional community organizations.

Professor Ethan Coffel

Professor Ethan Coffel is principal investigator on a three-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant project exploring the link between climate and agricultural change. He is one of many faculty in our department whose research focuses on energy and natural resources.

Professor Jane Read in GIS laboratory

Watch this video interview with Professor Jane Read and learn about the tools and procedures for collecting, analyzing, visualizing, disseminating and understanding information about the earth, its inhabitants and physical processes using satellite imagery and other information technologies.

Map to represent historic geography in the city of Syracuse

This research area links historical geography with the growing interdisciplinary field of the geohumanities, including historical GIS, digital humanities, spatial history and the environmental humanities.


Geography and the Environment Events

We continue to follow the advice of local public health officials in regards to in-person events. Please check Syracuse University’s Stay Safe website for the latest safety protocols before coming to campus or other in-person venues.

Geography professor John Western--panelist in campus symposium on equality, privilege, justice in South Africa and Syracuse

Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium, Newhouse 3

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“No Innocence This Side of the Womb,” hosted by the Newhouse Center for Global Engagement, will bring together Syracuse and South African artists, academics, activists and journalists.


The event begins at 5 p.m. in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium, Newhouse 3. The event is free and open to the public.


The event will consist of three panel discussions with a rotating open panel chair, allowing audience members to participate.

 

South Africa to Syracuse – A Common Struggle, 5 p.m.

How segregation and class affect us, regardless of geography. How we got here and where we are going.

Panelists:

Yusuf Abdul-Qadir '11, chapter director, New York Civil Liberties Union, Syracuse

Ellen Blalock G'84, artist, Syracuse Zuko Gqadavama, resource development coordinator, Inkululeko, South Africa

Charisse L’Pree, assistant professor, Newhouse School, Syracuse University

Michelle Schenandoah, CEO and editor-in-chief, Rematriation Magazine, Oneida Nation

John Western, professor, Maxwell School, Syracuse University


The Arts – Ordinary Acts, Extraordinary Promise, 6:40 p.m.

Art’s role in unpacking and pushing back against injustice.

Panelists:

Jaleel Campbell, artist, Syracuse

Gabrielle Goliath, artist, South Africa

Simon Gush, artist, South Africa

Neelika Jayawardane, associate professor, SUNY Oswego



Communication – No Easy Walk to Freedom, 8:10 p.m.

The role of a free press in providing a reflection of our societies and a method of holding the powerful to account.

Panelists:

Paul Botes, photographer and picture editor, Mail & Guardian, South Africa

Ken Harper, associate professor and director, Newhouse Center for Global Engagement, Newhouse School, Syracuse University Joe Lee, general manager, WAER, Syracuse

Khadija Patel, editor-in-chief, Mail & Guardian, South Africa

Niren Tolsi, journalist, South Africa


Open to

Public

Contact

Accessibility

Contact to request accommodations

Geography and the Environment Department
144 Eggers Hall