Overview of Programs

The Department offers undergraduate and master’s degrees in Geography, undergraduate minors in Geography, GIS, and Water Resources, a Graduate Certificate in GIS, and a joint Ph.D. in Earth, Environment, and Society through the School of the Environment. The Department houses two research centers (Center for Geography Education in Oregon and Center for Spatial Analysis and Research) and four research labs (Climate Science Lab, Geomorphology and Soils Lab, Global Environmental Change Lab, and Hydrology and Water Resources Lab) for quality instruction, research, and outreach.

Portland State’s location in downtown Portland, Oregon provides amenities of urban living in one of the greenest cities in America as well as easy access to the coast, mountains, and high desert with plenty of opportunities for field-based classes and research. Many federal, state, and local agencies plus a variety of environmental and social non-governmental agencies are located in Portland, providing an array of potential applied community-based scholarship for student involvement.