Schmieder studied geography at the University of Bonn, University of Königsberg, and the University of Heidelberg. His dissertation on the Sierra de Gredos was supervised by Alfred Hettner. Although focusing on physical geography, the final conclusions of his dissertation already include a certain notion of the social and cultural-historical forces that are decisive for the genesis of the landscape (later known as the cultural-genetic method); a point of view influenced by Hettner. In 1914 he undertook his first private field trip to Peru, but cancelled his trip in Chile to participate in the First World War.Bähr, J., Stewig, R. (1981): Beiträge zur Theorie und Methode der Länderkunde: Oskar Schmieder zum Gedenken. Universität Kiel.
