What Do You Learn In A Geography Degree
Modules may include topics on rivers, sustainability, environmental modelling, the physical environment, the politics of climate change, the making of the modern city, political geography and geopolitics, economic geography, coastal and estuarine environments, environmental hazards and energy resources.
Geography degrees often include field trips, with institutions offering fieldwork in a range of different countries to immerse students in local environments so they can apply knowledge learned in class. Trips may also enhance independent research and group skills. Many units are based on assessments carried out as part of a field trip, while lots of universities have links with overseas institutions in order to widen the range of potential fieldwork destinations.
The study of geography hones observational and analytical skills, the ability to take in vast quantities of information and also think critically, and the capacity to understand continuity and change in a range of contexts based on a broad knowledge base.
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Environmental Policy And Management
The Environmental Policy and Management specialization emphasizes proficiency in analytical and evaluative skills in relation to environmental management. Decision-making regarding future use of renewable and non-renewable resources requires an interdisciplinary approach that engages with the physical, economic, and political processes that govern human interactions with the natural world. This specialization will strengthen the job prospects of by emphasizing analytical and evaluative skills that are necessary for employment in a variety of environmental management forums.
Course In Geography Topic
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What Is The Difference Between Bsc Geology And Bsc Geography
The main dissimilarity among Geography and Geology is that Geography typically encounter with physical overall form of the land. Geology on the other hand deals with how the earth obtained the shape it currently possess. Geology is generally regarding what the ground is made-up of on a natural perspective.
What Can I Do With A Geography Degree
With its opportunities for hands-on learning, as well as its interdisciplinary and holistic approach that spans the natural and social sciences, a degree in Geography will prepare you for many types of careers in private industry, government, non-profits, research, and higher education. For example, a geography degree will prepare you to become an environmental consultant, work in industry, join or start a non-profit, start a career in international development, or put your education to work in the US Geological Survey or US Forest Service, among many others. Because few geography jobs have the job title geographer, these resources describe some of the job titles and career paths for geographers.
- Account Manager
- Managing editor, series on geography and world cultures
- Municipal government professional
- Project Manager, commercial remote sensing
- Project Scientist, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency
- Real Estate Appraiser
- Senior Manager in Information Technology
- Social Work
- Air/Water Quality Control Manager
- International Development Project Officer, Facilitator
- Journalist
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How To Switch Your Career To Geography
Geography professionals seeking a career change to a different job within the same field do not typically need to earn another degree unless their new job requires more advanced education. In most cases, professionals changing careers within geography only need specialized training or certification for their new job.
Professionals coming from other fields may need to earn another degree. These individuals should especially consider going back to school if their new job requires a graduate degree. Professionals coming from other fields should also strongly consider earning certification from a geography-related professional organization.
Training and courses in practical skills, such as GIS, can also be helpful.
Five Themes Of Geography
The Five Geography Themes began as a framework for making geography accessible to children from kindergarten to high school. They describe a simple, effective method for parents and educators to teach children about geography and how it relates to nature, civilization, and other topics. More: Five Themes of Geography Explained
Though the National Geographical Standards replaced these themes in 1994, they remain a simple and effective way to teach children about geography.
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Geography Careers In Town Planning
As a town planning professional, you may deal with the management and development not only of towns, but also cities, villages and rural areas. You will put your geography skills and knowledge into use to improve existing infrastructure and find solutions to environmental issues, as well as ensuring new developments are in line with various policies and regulations. A part of your job will be to satisfy the needs of businesses and local communities, ensuring that development is sustainable and natural environments are maximally preserved.
Highly Desirable Transferable Skills
Alongside the varied knowledge you will learn, you will also develop a range of transferable skills that are highly desirable by potential employers. Many degrees help you develop transferable skills, but geography gives you a broad range of skills that will help you in any career path you choose to follow. Some examples of the skills you will develop with a geography degree include:
- Teamwork
- Report writing and data presentation
- Adaptability
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Gain Practical Experience With Fieldwork
Geography degrees give you the opportunity to put what you learn into practice before you graduate. You’ll have the opportunity to take part in fieldwork to enhance your studies as well as conducting your own, related to what you’re interested in. Fieldwork is an excellent tool that allows you to gain practical real-world experiences, develop new skills and immerse yourself in your studies.
What Do People Who Study Geography Go On To Do
Geography students graduate with a combination of transferrable skills including problem-solving and critical thinking.
Nearly one-fifth of geography graduates find work in business, finance and human resources, and more than ten per cent go into marketing, public relations and sales.
Slightly more are employed in clerical work, while more and more are going into education, engineering and building.
Anna Rees graduated with a degree in geography from Cardiff University in 2021 and now works as a marketing executive at Loud Llama.
I gained a lot of transferable skills from my degree, including writing press releases, communicating with the press, researching and, of course, writing, she says.Human geography is such a broad discipline, and Ive been able to use my knowledge across these topics to help manage client accounts in varying industries. I think my degree was great at giving me an expansive knowledge to apply for a range of jobs, rather than limiting me to one specialism.
Other graduates go on to work as town planners, cartographers, surveyors, environmental consultants and campaigners, travel agents, emergency planners, landscape architects and meteorologists.
Graduates with degrees which include quantitative training are also particularly sought after among the social sciences or in policy research, development, poverty and climate change.
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Systemic Or Topical Geography
Systematic or topical geography considers systematic studies of climate, landforms, economics, and culture among others. Geographers may specialise and call themselves, for example, urban geographers, climatologists, biogeographers, geomorphologist, political geographers and historical geographers. One thing in common to all of them is their focus on the spatial perspective in their studies. They see their subject matter in terms of locational characteristics and seek answers to certain patterns of place or the interactions between places.
Entry Requirements For Geography Degrees
Again reflecting the diversity of geography topics, entry requirements for geography degrees can vary, and are often relatively flexible in terms of the academic background required. Applicants will typically be expected to have studied some aspects of geography and achieved good grades at secondary level. Related science and social science subjects may also be an asset, including physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, sociology, economics, politics and history. Youll need to be able to explain why you want to study geography, perhaps with reference to potential future geography careers or topics youre especially passionate about. You may be asked to attend an admissions interview, while international students may need to submit proof of proficiency in the language used to teach the course.
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Upper Division Course Requirements
There are core upper-division requirements that usually include:
- Geographic techniques and methods (learning about geography journals, the use of the library, research, using computers for cartography and GIS, using other software platforms, and learning how to think geographically
- Cartography and/or Geographic Information Systems Laboratory
- History of geographic thought
- Quantitative geography
- One upper-division course in physical geography
- One upper-division course in cultural or human geography
- One regional geography course to learn about a specific region of the world
- Senior project or capstone project or advanced seminar
- Fieldwork or internship
Climate Water And Ecosystems
The climate, water and ecosystems specialization provides students with an understanding of the climate and climate change, ecological processes, water management, the interactions between water, climate and life, human impacts on these systems, and their influence on society. Students obtaining the climate, water, and ecosystems emphasis will understand the climate system, the environment and human activities. This emphasis is recommended for students interested in employment in environmental consulting firms, planning agencies, numerous government agencies and non-governmental organizations.
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A Brief History Of Geography As A Field Of Study
The Greeks are the first known culture to actively explore geography as a science and philosophy, with major contributors including Thales of Miletus, Herodotus, Eratosthenes, Hipparchus, Aristotle, Dicaearchus of Messana, Strabo, and Ptolemy. Mapping by the Romans as they explored new lands added new techniques.
During the Middle Ages, Arabs such as Idrisi, Ibn Battuta, and Ibn Khaldun built on and maintained the Greek and Roman learnings. Following the journeys of Marco Polo, interest in geography spread throughout Europe.
During the Renaissance and into the 16th and 17th centuries the great voyages of exploration revived a desire for solid theoretical foundations and accurate detail. The Geographia Generalis by Bernhardus Varenius and Gerardus Mercators world map are prime examples.
Other Qualifications From Inside The Uk
BTEC
DDM-DMM in a BTEC Extended Diploma in Animal Science, Applied Science, Health Science, ICT, or Sports and Exercise Science.
T level
Acceptance of T Levels for this programme will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Academic School. Consideration will be given to the T Level grade/subject and grades/subjects achieved at GCSE/Level 2.
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Shape The Direction Of Your Degree
Geography degrees, such as those at Durham University, typically offer a variety of optional modules for you to choose from, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level. From the first year of your undergraduate geography degree, you will be able to start personalising your degree and what areas you want to specialise in, whether you want to learn more about the pressures on the planet or earths principles, the choice is yours.
Postgraduate degrees also offer optional modules, but you will typically already be following a specialism from the course you choose to study.
Geography: Definitions Of Geography By Different Scholars
There are different definitions of geography and many misconceptions many people have a vague knowledge of what geography is, it was thought to be about names of towns and rivers and population of people all over the world. Geographers where thought to be people who know how to draw maps. Geography is not just the memorization of places, names and it is not just a map-making, though both of these activities most certainly are important. Students often try to grasp at the definition using familiar stem, geography is the study of and insert such descriptors as landscapes, mountains, climates, rivers, and people among others. While a definition of this field of study no doubt includes such subject matter, it is essential for students to understand geographys unique way of studying the world.
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Definition Of Degree In Geography
Keep reading to learn more about Definition Of Degree In Geography and other contents in this article. Ever seen a strange rock formation and wondered how it got that way? Or watched a documentary about an overcrowded slum and wanted to understand why people were living in such poor conditions? If you choose to study geography at university, youll have a chance to explore these types of question, and much, much more. Indeed, geography degrees are some of the most varied out there its more apt to consider this as a broad academic field, rather than a single subject.
In general, geography is considered a science which attempts to explain the world around us and the impact of both natural and manmade factors and events. Those who choose to study geography will typically opt to focus either on physical geography or human geography . The first of these strands is closely related to Earth sciences, and the second to social sciences such as sociology, anthropology and politics.
Reflecting the broad scope of geography degrees, youll find them titled either as a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science , or at postgraduate level, a Master of Arts or Master of Science . Often the BA and MA options correspond to a human geography focus while BSc/MSc are in the physical geography field but this isnt always the case, so always check the course details.
Geography As A Science
Geography in the past used to be strictly descriptive and taxonomic and therefore hardly stated and tested any hypothesis. Consequently, it was regarded as a non-scientific discipline no matter how exact it may be. Geography in the 19th century provided and even systematized data that was used by such sciences as geology, botany, sociology etc, but itself was considered a non-scientific or as a protoscience. Today, geography transcends its past descriptive outlook. It is a basic knowledge among geographers today that the discipline has shifted its emphasis from a basic concern with mere ordering of data to a major interest in scientific analysis. According to Boulding , geography is in a state of intellectual ferment, busy developing and absorbing new methods, especially quantitative methods, on all sides and quite consciously aware of its role as an integrator of many social sciences.
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What Is Studied In Geography
Therefore, Geography is the science that deals with the description of the Earths surface. Geography is a multi disciplinary fields that studies spatial patterns and phenomenon.
Geography is much more than cartography, the study of maps or simply knowing the capitals of every country. The field of geography not only investigates what is where on the Earth, but also why its there and not somewhere else, sometimes referred to as location in space.
Geography studies this whether the cause is natural or human. It also studies the consequences of those differences.
A Move Toward Regional Science
In the 1950s the regional science movement arose, led by Walter Isard to provide a more quantitative and analytical base to geographical questions, in contrast to the more qualitative tendencies of traditional geography programs. Regional Science comprises the body of knowledge in which the spatial dimension plays a fundamental role, such as regional economics, resource management, location theory, urban and regional planning, transportation and communication, human geography, population distribution and environmental quality.
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Fieldwork And International Opportunities
The School of Geography and the Environment emphasizes the importance of fieldwork since we believe there is no substitute for teaching subjects first-hand. In the first year, all students take part in a four-day physical geography field trip in the first term, as well as local skills-related field days. Second-year students will undertake a week-long overseas residential field course . Independent research, whether field-based, employing geocomputational tools, remote sensed data, in laboratories, or archives, is also a key element of the dissertation. Around 30% of our undergraduates choose to do their dissertation overseas in a typical year.
Scholarships For Outstanding Applicants
The School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciencesscholarship scheme recognises and rewards students joining our degree courses who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement.
Scholarships of £1,000 will be awarded to the two applicantsin geography who achieve the highest grades in their A level or equivalentexams. The scholarship will be awarded during their first year of study at theUniversity of Plymouth.
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Geography Careers In Cartography
Careers in cartography involve developing and producing different types of maps, as well as producing related diagrams, charts, spreadsheets and travel guides. Your role as a cartographer may also include restoration of old maps and historical documents. Cartographers work within a variety of areas, including publishing, government, surveying and conservation. Today the field draws on an array of advanced technologies, such as geographical information systems and digital-mapping techniques.