2023 Best Geography & Cartography Schools
Finding the Best Geography & Cartography School for You
Geography & Cartography is the #103 most popular major in the country with 8,526 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Geography & Cartography Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 282 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Geography & Cartography Schools in the United States
Check out the geography programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 25 Top Schools in Geography & Cartography
Our analysis found Dartmouth College to be the best school for geography and cartography students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the remote town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
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The excellent programs at Park University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best geography and cartography schools in the United States. Located in the suburb of Parkville, Park University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northwestern University is a great place for geography and cartography students. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
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Out of the 282 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the # 4 spot on the list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
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The excellent programs at Johns Hopkins University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best geography and cartography schools in the United States. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.
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University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for geography and cartography students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
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Colgate University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for geography and cartography students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the town of Hamilton, Colgate is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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Bucknell University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Geography & Cartography Schools list. Bucknell is a small private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Lewisburg.
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Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #9 on this year’s Best Geography & Cartography Schools list. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public school located in the midsize city of College Station.
On average, geography graduates from Texas A&M College Station take out $21,843 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Illinois State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best geography and cartography programs. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the suburb of Normal.
The average amount in student loans that geography majors at Illinois State take out is $19,017.
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Front Range Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Geography & Cartography Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Westminster, FRCC is a public college with a large student population.
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North Carolina State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Geography & Cartography Schools ranking. Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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Tufts University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Geography & Cartography Schools list. Tufts is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Medford.
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University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Geography & Cartography Schools ranking. UW Seattle is a very large public school located in the city of Seattle.
After completing their degree, geography graduates from UW Seattle carry an average student debtload of $14,864.
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George Washington University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for geography and cartography students. It came in at #15 on the list. GWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.
Geography majors at GWU take out an average of $22,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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James Madison University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Geography & Cartography Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a very large student population.
Geography majors at JMU take out an average of $19,500 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $283.
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With a ranking of #17, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on this year’s best schools for geography and cartography students. UMCP is a very large public school located in the large suburb of College Park.
After completing their degree, geography graduates from UMCP carry an average student debtload of $22,500.
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With a ranking of #18, Gustavus Adolphus College did quite well on this year’s best schools for geography and cartography students. Gustavus Adolphus is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Saint Peter.
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University of California - Los Angeles landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best geography and cartography programs. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that geography majors at UCLA take out is $13,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $167.
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Middlebury College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best geography and cartography programs. Middlebury is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Middlebury.
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George Mason University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for geography and cartography students. It came in at #21 on the list. GMU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax.
On average, geography graduates from GMU take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #22, Villanova University did quite well on this year’s best schools for geography and cartography students. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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University of Northern Iowa landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best geography and cartography programs. UNI is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Cedar Falls.
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The University of Texas at Austin landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best geography and cartography programs. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, geography majors at UT Austin accumulate an average of around $21,171 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $249, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best geography and cartography programs. Located in the town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
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Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Geography & Cartography students that almost earned our Best Geography & Cartography Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 43 | Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus | Atlanta, GA |
| 44 | Elmhurst University | Elmhurst, IL |
| 45 | University of Missouri - Columbia | Columbia, MO |
| 46 | University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 47 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
| 48 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 49 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 50 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
| 51 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 52 | Purdue University - Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN |
| 53 | Brandman University | Irvine, CA |
| 54 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 55 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 56 | Sonoma State University | Rohnert Park, CA |
Geography & Cartography by Region
View the Best Geography & Cartography Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Geography & Cartography Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Geography
One of 12 majors within the area of study, geography and cartography has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Geography
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Political Science & Government | 49,282 |
| Economics | 49,055 |
| Sociology | 38,475 |
| General Social Sciences | 18,997 |
| International Relations & National Security | 14,306 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Couleur.
More about our data sources and methodologies.