Would you consider a B.S. in Geography to be a STEM degree? (degrees, psychology)

[mhans123]

I'm just curious as to what the consensus is whether Geography is considered "STEM" or not. I know many people tend to think of geography as a hybrid between a physical science and social science, which it probably is. However, my university offers a B.A. in Geography as well but I am choosing to pursue a B.S. My focus is on GIS/Spatial Analysis. STEM degree or not?

[jobaba]

I think they can straddle.

I consider it more aligned with social sciences. GIS, urban planning, anthropology, and even public policy.

I've met quite a few geographers. Some of them do that, are working with community, urban, and even third world development. Some of them also work in an environmentally related capacity.

If you're thinking about it like "Is it a STEM degree because STEM degrees are better" that's dumb thinking.

[L210]

STEM and the liberal arts aren't mutually exclusive. Physics, chemistry, and biology are liberal arts and STEM subjects. What a lot of people don't know is that the behavioral sciences, which fall under the broader category of social sciences, are often classified as STEM. The behavioral sciences are psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Physical or biological anthropology is one of the most STEM-like fields out of the social sciences. Everyone thinks that economics is the most STEM-like of the social sciences, but physical anthropology and physical geography are much more scientific than economics. I guess economics would most resemble the "M" part of STEM, but it is dependent upon human behavior. The behavioral sciences are the "S" part of STEM. As with anthropology, there are two main types of geography: physical and cultural. Cultural geography, like cultural anthropology, is a mix of social science and humanities. Physical geography would be the more STEM of the two, but it still has some social science aspects, again, like physical anthropology.

If your degree were in GIS, alone, then there would be a better argument for it being STEM. GIS, like statistics, is a tool that's used a lot by different fields. A statistics major, alone, would be STEM. Statistics used heavily in the social sciences does not automatically make them STEM. There are environmental criminologists who heavily depend on GIS, but it doesn't automatically make criminology a STEM field unless you look at it as a sub-field of sociology, thus, a behavioral science.

[golfgal]

Geography is technically a social science. Whether it's a STEM degree is really irrelevant though. Why does it matter?

[L210]

There are a few lists of STEM fields. In my opinion, ICE has the best list. I see GIS, but I don't see geography. I might have glanced over it; however, I do see the behavioral sciences.
http://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/stem-list.pdf

O-NET has a list of STEM jobs. Again, I see psychology fields, but I don't see geography. As a matter of fact, they explicitly exclude geography from the geosciences.
All STEM Disciplines

This is NSF's list. Again, geography is not listed.
https://www.lsamp.org/help/help_stem_cip_2010.cfm

I think it was NSF that used to have a more extensive list including all of the social sciences except history, which is more like humanities anyway. I didn't like that list, however. I can't see political science as a STEM field.

[marigolds6]

Have to be careful with terms here too.
There is Geographic Information Systems, which is strongly a technology degree (but also pretty much a vocational degree and not very employable), and Geographic Information Science, which is a liberal arts degree that is only marginally a STEM degree and far far more employable than a Geographic Information Systems degree.

[L210]

By the way, I think that O-NET list I posted a link to above is terrible.

I'm with the others. Does it really matter if geography is not STEM? What's most important is employability. Accounting, finance, and the various healthcare fields aren't STEM either. Yes, I said healthcare is not STEM. It is an applied professional field. I would only put medical researchers/scientists in the science category.

[le roi]

Originally Posted by mhans123

I'm just curious as to what the consensus is whether Geography is considered "STEM" or not. I know many people tend to think of geography as a hybrid between a physical science and social science, which it probably is. However, my university offers a B.A. in Geography as well but I am choosing to pursue a B.S. My focus is on GIS/Spatial Analysis. STEM degree or not?

there is no right or wrong answer here.

and i don't say this to be flippant, but rather, as someone with a great deal of experience in this topic.

Originally Posted by L210

Does it really matter if geography is not STEM?

insofar as perception is reality, yes, it matters.

[le roi]

Originally Posted by marigolds6

Have to be careful with terms here too.
There is Geographic Information Systems, which is strongly a technology degree (but also pretty much a vocational degree and not very employable), and Geographic Information Science, which is a liberal arts degree that is only marginally a STEM degree and far far more employable than a Geographic Information Systems degree.

IME,
a. Geographic Information Systems
b. Geographic Information Science
c. a B.S. in Geography

are all interchangable terms, with no difference in employability

[le roi]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Geography is technically a social science.

i disagree with that as a general statement. social sciences deal with people and their relationships to one another.

certain types of Geography degrees (usually a B.A. ) would definitely qualify as a social science ... while other types of Geography degrees (usually a B.S.) would not qualify, as the vast majority of your work is in geographic techniques (like geodetics and geospatial analysis) and earth sciences.