Geography’s Position in Education Today

The objective of this article is to assess the position of geography in the United States by examining the educational organizations that serve geography. Specifically, I detail four pieces of evidence: (1) the number and distribution of higher education institutions that offer geography; (2) trends in the number and diversity of geography majors; (3) state geography requirements for middle and high schools; and (4) the growth in Advanced Placement Human Geography and its distribution by states. Retaining a strong institutional presence in geography is vital given the precarious status of the discipline. I call for a more systematic approach to collecting and disseminating data on the health of our discipline to ensure its long-term survival. These steps are currently being taken by the American Association of Geographers and will result in a more robust data infrastructure.