The 15 Best Undergraduate Geography Dissertation Topics

Coming up with a good topic is often one of the hardest parts of writing any paper. This is especially true for an undergraduate dissertation. When choosing a topic you want to be sure to pick one that you can find enough sources about, that fits the requirements of your course assignment, and that you find interesting. Especially for this kind of paper, that you’ll likely be working on for close to a year, it is important to choose one that you’re personally interested in, so that you don’t get bored with it easily. It is also important to choose a topic that you think will serve you well in the future. For example, if you are considering go to graduate school, or working in a specific field, when you finish your undergraduate degree, it is a good idea to pick a topic that is relevant to what you want to do in the future.

Use these topics as jumping off points for your undergraduate geography dissertation:

1. How did the geography of Vietnam influence the outcome of the Vietnam war?
2. How did the geography of Iraq influence the outcome of the American invasion of Iraq?
3. How did the geography of Afghanistan influence the United States military’s tactical decision there?
4. How has the geography of Southeast Asia lead to the marginalization of ethnic minority communities there?
5. How did the geography of Southeast Asia affect how it was colonized by Europeans?
6. What were the most influential geographical features that determined European colonization of other countries?
7. How has geography influenced the deforestation of the Amazon basin?
8. Write a natural history paper about the area that is now Times Square in New York City.
9. What role did the Rocky and Sierra Nevada mountains play in the American political concept of manifest destiny?
10. What are the major geographical factors that influence weather in the different regions of the United States?
11. How have coastal erosion patterns shaped the settling of the United States east coast, and how do they continue to affect those communities?
12. How might the outcome of the endeavors of European explorers in the 1400s and 1500s been different with modern navigational systems?
13. How are spiritual practices tied to different kinds of geographical features in different parts of the world?
14. Research and describe Urban Geography, and consider how it is different from Rural Geography.
15. How will geography become increasingly important with climate change in the United States?