In 2009 the faculty of UA Fairbanks and UA Southeast (Juneau) forged Alaska’s first undergraduate cooperative inter-campus degree program in Geography and Environmental Studies. With a shared core of required courses and approved elective course lists, students can work on one degree and seamlessly transfer between Fairbanks and Juneau to take full advantage of the faculty, research, course offerings, and geographical settings of two very distinct regions of the state: the boreal forest and continental climate of interior Alaska, and the maritime environment, temperate rainforest, and active glaciers of Southeast.

UAF and UAS share degree tracks for both the BA and BS in Geography, with options in Environmental Studies(BA Southeast, BS Fairbanks) and Environmental Resources (BS Southeast) . The new Environmental Certificate offered at Dillingham also shares the core courses and is designed as a gateway for continued study in Geography-Environmental Studies at the larger University of Alaska campuses.

Also available is a Regents’ Semester ExchangeProgram in which students take a specific schedule of courses fall semester inFairbanks, and spring semester in Southeast, allowing students to gain the most from each campus. Future support for this program will include dedicated semester housing at the respective campuses, faculty exchanges, and joint field trips. UAGP continues to refine and expand options for cooperation and collaboration among campuses in the University of Alaska System.

Our students find work in such fields as mapping technology (GIS/Cartography), regional planning, international relations, state and federal resource management, transportation planning, environmental impact assessment, tourism, and K-12 teaching.   Many of our students go on to graduate study in geography, natural resources, environmental science, or urban/regional planning.

Student jobs and internships

While you’re working on your degree, opportunities for geography-related part-time and summer employment abound, and can build experience and working relationships that lead directly to full-time employment after graduation. Internships (paid and unpaid) are available with many state and federal government agencies in Alaska, as well as with local private businesses and non-profits. Such internships provide on-the-job training, and can also be set up to earn academic credit. Among the agencies where our students have found employment and internship opportunities are the National Park Service, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, National Weather Service, Alaska Satellite Facility, Alaska Division of Forestry, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, National Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Geological Survey.