Geographical Sciences major

Geography is the science of place and space, standing at the intersection of natural and social sciences. Geographers study the Earth's landscapes, peoples, places and environments, and how these interact. Understanding contemporary urban and environmental problems requires an appreciation of the interdependence between human activities and the natural and cultural environment. The Geographical Sciences major provides you with these insights, focusing on the major challenges facing our planet including population growth, urban expansion and megacities, natural disasters, environmental conservation and climate change. Your degree provides you with the opportunity to participate in exciting field trips to a range of domestic and international locations, with recent overseas destinations including Bali, Barcelona and Seattle.

Outcomes

Students are able to (1) understand the importance of spatial processes in shaping the nature of human and natural environments; (2) appreciate the complex relationships that exist between humans and the natural environment, and the ways in which these are manifested in spatial patterns and processes; (3) develop methods for the investigation and interpretation of spatial patterns and processes in natural and human environments; and (4) appreciate the policy, planning and management challenges associated with spatial patterns and processes.

Degree-specific major

Geographical Sciences can be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:

BP004 Bachelor of Science
BH005 Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours)

Overview of unit sequence

Geographical Sciences is a degree-specific single major comprising:

  • two Level 1 units
  • three Level 2 units
  • three Level 3 units
  • three Level 1 complementary units
  • one Level 2 complementary unit
Key to availability of units:
S1 = Semester 1; S2 = Semester 2; NS = non-standard teaching period

.

Level 1

Degree-specific major units
Take all units (12 points):
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 GEOG1103 Coastal Cities: Geographical Perspectives
S2 GEOG1104 Disasters!
Complementary units
Take all complementary units (18 points):
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 EART1105 Dynamic Planet
Incompatibility:
CIVL2121 Engineering Geology and Geomechanics
S2 SCIE1104 Science, Society and Data Analysis
Co-requisites:
MATH1721 Mathematics Foundations: Methods (only required if students haven't completed ATAR Mathematics Methods; WACE Mathematics: Specialist 3A/3B;
or
equivalent
or
higher.
Incompatibility:
STAT1520 Economic and Business Statistics
S1 SCOM1101 Communicating Science
Prerequisites:
ATAR Mathematics Applications
or
WACE Mathematics 2C/2D
or
TEE Discrete Mathematics
or
equivalent
or
higher
Co-requisites:
MATH1720 Mathematics Fundamentals (only required if students haven't completed Maths Applications
or
WACE Mathematics 2C/2D
or
TEE Discrete Mathematics
or
equivalent
or
higher). Please note that there will be a delay in validating your enrollment in SCOM1101 after you have enrolled in MATH 1720.

Level 2

Degree-specific major units
Take all units (18 points):
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S2 EART2204 Coastal Processes
Prerequisites:
EART1105 The Dynamic Planet
or
GEOG1103 Geographies of a Global City
Incompatibility:
EART3337 Coastal Environments; GEOG3307 Coastal Environments
S1, S2 GEOG2201 Geographic Information Systems
Prerequisites:
36 points of prior study
Incompatibility:
EART2201 Geographic Information Systems
NS GEOG2202 Reading Landscapes: People and Processes
Prerequisites:
GEOG1103 Coastal Cities: Geographical Perspectives
OR
GEOG1104 Disasters!
OR
GEOG1106 Climate Change: Environment and Society
OR
Approval of Unit Co-ordinator
Complementary units
Take complementary unit(s) to the value of 6 points:
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 ENVT2220 The Climate System
Prerequisites:
none;
for pre-2012 courses: none
S2 ENVT2251 Hydrology and Water Resource Management
Prerequisites:
EART1105 The Dynamic Planet
or
ENVT1104 Environmental Science and Technology
or
GEOG1103 Geographies of a Global City

Level 3

Degree-specific major units
Take all units (18 points):
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S2 GEOG3301 Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing
Prerequisites:
GEOG2201 Geographic Information Systems
S2 GEOG3302 Geographic, Environment and Planning Fieldwork
Prerequisites:
GEOG2202 Reading Landscapes: People and Processes
or
approval of the Unit Coordinator.
Incompatibility:
PLNG3304 Geographical and Planning Field Studies
S1 GEOG3304 Environmental Change
Prerequisites:
completion of 72 points
Incompatibility:
EART3320 Environmental Change

Choosing your degree-specific major

You must satisfy the requirements of a degree-specific major before you complete your course. The flexible structure of an undergraduate course allows you to try out a number of different subjects to see what interests you before nominating your degree-specific major. You have the choice to either nominate your degree-specific major when you first enrol in the course or delay nominating it until your second year.

To plan the first year of your study without nominating a degree-specific major, you are advised to choose units that will pave the way to two or more degree-specific majors that are of interest to you. For examples of the choice of units available in first year, search the first-year study plans .

To fully understand the structure of an undergraduate course, read the course structure information and the Undergraduate Degree Course Rules.

The following example illustrates how the Geographical Sciences degree-specific major can be included in the Bachelor of Science course.

Example: Course Study Plan: CSP004-GGRPY

There are more choices open to you. For more examples, search the study plans .

Choosing a second major

You also have the option to choose a second major from those available in the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Biomedical Science, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Design Only available to re-enrolling students. or Bachelor of Science course, giving you the opportunity to pursue your interests no matter how different they are.

The following example illustrates how the Geographical Sciences degree-specific major can be combined with a second major in the Bachelor of Science course.

Example: Course Study Plan: CSP004-GGRPY-Generic

For more examples of combinations of majors, search the study plans .

Geographical Sciences can also be taken as a second major.

Second major

Geographical Sciences can be taken as a second major in the following degree courses:

Overview of unit sequence

The Geographical Sciences second major is a single major comprising:

  • two Level 1 units
  • three Level 2 units
  • three Level 3 units
Key to availability of units:
S1 = Semester 1; S2 = Semester 2; NS = non-standard teaching period

.

Level 1

Second major units
Take all units (12 points):
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 GEOG1103 Coastal Cities: Geographical Perspectives
S2 GEOG1104 Disasters!

Level 2

Second major units
Take all units (18 points):
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S2 EART2204 Coastal Processes
Prerequisites:
EART1105 The Dynamic Planet
or
GEOG1103 Geographies of a Global City
Incompatibility:
EART3337 Coastal Environments; GEOG3307 Coastal Environments
S1, S2 GEOG2201 Geographic Information Systems
Prerequisites:
36 points of prior study
Incompatibility:
EART2201 Geographic Information Systems
NS GEOG2202 Reading Landscapes: People and Processes
Prerequisites:
GEOG1103 Coastal Cities: Geographical Perspectives
OR
GEOG1104 Disasters!
OR
GEOG1106 Climate Change: Environment and Society
OR
Approval of Unit Co-ordinator

Level 3

Second major units
Take all units (18 points):
Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S2 GEOG3301 Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing
Prerequisites:
GEOG2201 Geographic Information Systems
S2 GEOG3302 Geographic, Environment and Planning Fieldwork
Prerequisites:
GEOG2202 Reading Landscapes: People and Processes
or
approval of the Unit Coordinator.
Incompatibility:
PLNG3304 Geographical and Planning Field Studies
S1 GEOG3304 Environmental Change
Prerequisites:
completion of 72 points
Incompatibility:
EART3320 Environmental Change

Choosing a second major

The flexible structure of an undergraduate course allows you the option of including a second major. You have the choice to either nominate your second major when you first enrol in the course or delay it until your second year. For a major to be recorded on your academic record it must be nominated before the requirements of the course are completed.

To fully understand the structure of an undergraduate course, read the course structure information and the Undergraduate Degree Course Rules.

The following example illustrates how Geographical Sciences can be included as a second major in an undergraduate degree course.

Example: Course Study Plan: CSPGeneric-DSMGeneric-GGRPY

For more examples of combinations of majors, search the study plans .

Geographical Sciences can also be taken as a degree-specific major.