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Geography instructor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a geography instructor. Geography instructors usually study geography, history, or elementary education. 63% of geography instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 141 real geography instructor resumes to see exactly what geography instructor education sections show.
The most common colleges for geography instructors are the University of Houston and the University of Houston.
There are also many online geography instructor courses to help get the education required to be a geography instructor.
What education do you need to become a geography instructor?
What degree do you need to be a geography instructor?
- Bachelor's, 63%
- Master's, 27%
- Doctorate, 5%
- Associate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a geography instructor?
Most common colleges for geography instructors
| Geography instructor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Houston | 6.45% |
| University of Florida | 6.45% |
| Ohio State University | 6.45% |
| Eastern Oregon University | 6.45% |
| University of Texas at Austin | 6.45% |
Best majors for geography instructors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geography | 41.0% |
| 2 | History | 12.0% |
| 3 | Elementary Education | 9.0% |
| 4 | General Education, Specific Areas | 5.0% |
| 5 | Education | 3.0% |
Best colleges for geography instructors
The best colleges for geography instructors are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Washington University in St Louis.
A geography instructor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for geography instructors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become geography instructors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
5. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
7. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
8. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
9. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
10. Colgate University
Hamilton, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,870
Enrollment
2,934
20 best online courses for geography instructors
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Advance your strategic analysis skills in this follow-up to Foundations of Business Strategy. In this course, developed at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, you'll learn the tools to analyze strategy across time (competitive dynamics), industries (corporate strategy), geographies (international strategy), and institutions (non-market strategy). Top-ranked faculty will introduce the tools you need to complete a comprehensive evaluation and understand the strategy...
3. Statistical Problem Solving in Geography
A college level course on how to apply statistics in geography, GIS and environmental science...
4. Travel Management Course (Skill-Based)
#1 Travel Management Course in the Industry .All you need to know to step into the Travel & Tourism Sector...
5. Financial Management Capstone
The Financial Management capstone will provide a learning experience that integrates across all the courses within this specialization. You will analyze a situation taking the vantage point of a company and develop a financial management plan (for instance, a global company working in a specific geography chosen by students’ region or country of residence, or other consideration). You will design a deliverable to create value from the perspective of potential employers while achieving...
6. Strategic Management - Capstone Project
In this capstone project course, we revisit the strategy controversy at e-Types, introduced in the first course in this specialization, Strategic Management, and further analysed in each of the subsequent courses, Strategy Formulation and Strategy Implementation. After revealing, examining, and analyzing what happened at e-Types, we turn to a new set of strategy cases that range in terms of company size, geography, and focus. For your final project, we ask YOU to apply everything you have...
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Top 10 most affordable universities for geography instructors
The most affordable schools for geography instructors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for geography instructors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for geography instructors.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
10. USF St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,821
Cost of attendance
19,849
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for geography instructors
The hardest universities for geography instructors to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Washington University in St Louis.
Some great schools for geography instructors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for geography instructors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. Colgate University
Hamilton, NY • Private
Admissions rate
25%
SAT average
1,443
7. Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,439
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
10. Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA • Private
Admissions rate
33%
SAT average
1,353
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for geography instructors
The easiest schools for geography instructors to get into are William Paterson University of New Jersey, gwynedd mercy university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a geography instructor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for geography instructors.
1. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
2. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
5. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
6. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
7. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
9. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
10. California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,007
Average geography instructor salary by education level
| Geography instructor education level | Geography instructor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $54,098 |
| Doctorate Degree | $66,781 |
Geography instructor education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025