The Department of Geography at Portland State University has faculty with interests in a variety of topics. Faculty research and teaching programs include local, regional, and international interests in hydrology, water resources, climate science, Geographic Information Science, biogeography, sustainable development, urban environments, land use analysis, cultural studies, and K-12 geographic education.

Many federal agencies plus a variety of environmental and social non-governmental agencies are located in Portland, providing an array of potential applied research problems for student involvement.