What Do Geography Professors Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Geography Professors teach courses in geography. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research. They also prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.

Other tasks include:

• Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as urbanization, environmental systems, and cultural geography.
• Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
• Evaluate and grade students’ class work, assignments, and papers.
• Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
• Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
• Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.

We asked Geography Professors how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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83% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 83% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Geography Professors maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records. They prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as urbanization, environmental systems, and cultural geography.

A typical day for a Postsecondary Geography Teacher will also include:

• Evaluate and grade students’ class work, assignments, and papers.
• Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
• Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
• Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
• Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.

We asked some Geography Professors a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	37% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	13% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	61% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	10% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	6% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	47% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Geography Professors also maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students. They may also serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Geography Professors Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues. They might also Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.

In addition, they Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Evaluate and grade students’ class work, assignments, and papers.

To some Geography Professors, it is also their responsibility to Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Postsecondary Geography Teacher, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/education-training-and-library/postsecondary-teachers.htm

http://www.cgsnet.org/

https://www.acteonline.org/

http://www.teach.org/