Abstract

STEM education plays a significant role in developing reasoning and technical skills among other benefits. Definitions of geography vary somewhat, but most of the sources define geography as a science. Geography relates to the STEM disciplines with application of geographical tools to solve problems. However, geography is not included as a STEM discipline by federal authorities in the United States (US). This paper presents evidence from US graduate and undergraduate geography programs demonstrating how geography qualifies as a STEM discipline, a qualification that could provide a variety of benefits for the programs and students alike. This research suggests that more than 50% of US colleges/universities confer Bachelor of Science (BS) or Master of Science (MS) degrees in geography and the distribution of these institutions occurs in most states. Therefore, geography has already been recognized as a STEM major by these US colleges/universities that offer STEM coursework including physical geography, Geographic Information System (GIS), remote sensing, natural resources, environmental science, and atmospheric science. Hence, it follows that government authorities should recognize geography as STEM.

 

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