Geography Careers
Key information
Your future career
Geography graduates find work in a wide range of careers including:
- Geographic Information Systems
- Urban Planning
- Teaching (Professional Master of Education required)
- Tourism
- Heritage organisations)
- Civil service
- Non-governmental Organisations (NGO)
- Regional and local community development
- Academic research
Follow-on study:
- MSc. Sustainability and Climate Futures
- Masters/PhD in Geography
- Professional Diploma in Climate Adaption and Sustainability
Student profiles
Marc Moser, Bachelor of Arts
I looked at universities for years, trying to find the best fit for what I wanted to do and what I wanted to experience. For most of that time, I looked exclusively in the United States, which is where I am from. However, I could not find a school that would give me an education quite like the University of Limerick. Within the Bachelor of Arts program, I am required to not only study abroad and experience life in a different university, but I am also required to participate in a six-month work internship. Both the study abroad and the work internship provides me with an opportunity that I would struggle to obtain in any other university.
Within my course itself, the Bachelor of Arts, I was afforded a large amount of flexibility in choosing my subjects which helped me discover my love for both Geography and Politics. I chose Geography due to the growing importance of environmental protection and sustainable development, as well as attempting to understand our role in improving our relationship with the Earth’s systems. In order to achieve these things, the UL Geography department teaches students to use different software that is being used to make important decisions regarding environmental policies, infrastructure design, and more.
Another benefit of studying the Bachelor of Arts at UL is that all students are given the opportunity to study two subjects. I took full advantage of the opportunity, which I recommend all prospective students to do, and picked Politics as my second choice. The Politics course at UL has a plethora of different pathways and modules, for me, my studies involve in depth studies about the relationships between international governments and the effectiveness of those governments. Combining this with my Geography course will give me the ability to understand how governments can enact far reaching environmental policies.
Choosing to study at UL is a decision I have yet to regret, and one that I probably will never regret. If you are interested in how the Earth operates and in how humanity operates, I fully recommend taking on this program.
James White
Being from Limerick, choosing UL was a natural choice for me and the Bachelor of Arts was suggested to me because I always wanted to be a primary school teacher.
I picked Geography because it was my favourite subject in school and I study it with Digital Culture. Geography is much more hands-on at university than it was in secondary school. I enjoy the group work and the fact that it is relevant to so many aspects of life. We cover topics that I hadn’t been exposed to before, like historical geography modules and mapping with Geographic Information Systems. Geography lecturers in UL are very supportive and approachable. I plan to go on and complete a Professional Masters of Education and then work as a teacher.
Coop and Erasmus were definite highlights for me. For my coop, I went back to my old primary school. I loved every minute of it and it cemented the fact that I want to be a teacher. I then went to Malta for my Erasmus. I had lectures that were outdoors, I met people from all over the world and got to experience living overseas, it was an amazing experience.
My advice to new students is to come in with an open mind, especially for group projects.
Niamh Ryan, Bachelor of Arts
Geography was always a passion of mine in school. It was the subject I naturally excelled in, not because I had to, but because I loved it. A brilliant Geography teacher also encouraged me, so choosing Geography as one of my subjects on the Bachelor of Arts felt like the right path.
In first year, I studied Geography, Irish, Linguistics and Digital Culture & Communications. As a fluent Irish speaker who attended Gaelscoil and Gaelcholáiste, Irish made sense, especially since it would later give me two teaching subjects. I also really enjoyed Digital Culture & Communications, something I hadn’t known about before college.
One of the biggest highlights of my degree was my Erasmus in Malta. It opened my eyes to areas of Geography we don’t see as much in Ireland, like oceanography and marine biology. Malta’s work with the UN on ocean protection was incredible to learn about, and we had amazing field trips around the island.
I now teach Geography through Irish, and I’m nearly finished my PME. My project work, lab experience, digital skills and fieldwork all feed into my teaching. My favourite Geography modules were on natural hazards, volcanoes, earthquakes and more. Websites and tools I learned in UL, like QGIS and real-time earthquake maps, are resources I still use in my classroom today.
Arts opens more doors than people realise. My advice is to explore everything, stay open to new subjects, and definitely take opportunities like Erasmus, you learn so much and meet incredible people.
