Geography and Cartographyat University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Graduates earn $42,454/yr in their first year — about 11.0% above the national Geography and Cartography average. Base-case 10-year earnings $490K; scenarios range from $462K to $489K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Your Geography and Cartography degree from UNC-Chapel Hill benefits from the university’s strong academic reputation and its location within the vibrant Research Triangle Park. The program likely emphasizes advanced GIS, remote sensing, and spatial analysis, providing you with highly marketable technical skills. This regional ecosystem, bustling with tech, biotech, and government agencies, creates significant demand for graduates who can manage and interpret complex spatial data for urban planning, environmental consulting, logistics, and market research firms. You'll find graduates leveraging their analytical expertise into diverse roles, often transitioning into broader management positions that value their data-driven insights. While some routine mapping tasks face automation, your ability to understand *why* spatial patterns exist and apply advanced analytical tools will be indispensable. Focus on internships that expose you to real-world applications in dynamic industries to ensure your expertise evolves beyond basic mapping into critical problem-solving.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Geography and Cartography
How University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Other highest-scoring programs offered at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Consider the trade route
Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Geography and Cartography offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.
Compare Geography and Cartography trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →Frequently asked about Geography and Cartography at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Geography and Cartography at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill?
A score of 48/100 indicates below-average financial outcomes for Geography and Cartography. Earnings, ROI, or AI risk factors are pulling the score down.
Will AI replace Geography and Cartography careers?
With 49% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $462,287 in decade earnings vs $489,306 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.