Geography

Careers | Streams | Undergraduate Study & Papers | Graduate Study & Papers

Geography matters because it is about basic human relationships between people and the environment and between people and other people. A clearer grasp of Geography can provide insight into environmental problems and help us manage our resources more effectively. It also helps make us more human, in understanding the similarities between ourselves and others, and respecting the differences.

Careers

As a Geography graduate you will readily find a career in business, local government, the public service, teaching or the international market place. Because Geography students are taught to understand processes that make and change places, their skills are valued in consultancy, marketing, publishing, journalism and tourism promotion.

Employers also value the ability of Geography graduates to use their practical skills and process a wide range of information. Geographers learn the practical use of computers for such tasks as the interpretation of images of the earth from space, drawing of maps and diagrams, and analysis of economic data. Other job-related skills include environmental planning, conducting questionnaire surveys and studies of the impact of major construction works, such as power stations, on a town. Changes to legislation on our management of resources and the environment have enhanced employment opportunities for geographers.

Some of the jobs in which Geography graduates may be found include: dairy company research, environmental management, foreign affairs, forest research, private consultancy, regional councils, teaching, union organising, urban and regional planning, immigration policy analysis, health planning, and transport network development. A wide range of government departments and ministries employ geographers.

Streams

Five streams have been identified for papers at advanced undergraduate level. The streams are recommended, not required, and a major in Geography may be constructed from any eight papers that meet the degree regulations. The Geography streams are:

Māori and Indigenous Geographies
GEOG219, GEOG323

Society, Culture and Place (including Feminist Geography, 'New' Cultural Geography, and Geography and Music)
GEOG209, GEOG309

Environmental Planning (EP)
ENVP106, ENVP206, ENVP306, GEOG306

Technology in Geography (including Geographic Information Systems (GIS))
GEOG228, GEOG328

Tourism
TOST201, TOST300, TOST306

Population, Urban and Rural Geography (including Migration Studies)
GEOG209, GEOG210

Development Studies (particularly in the context of South East Asia and the Pacific Islands)
GEOG210, GEOG219

Undergraduate Study & Papers

Qualifications Available

Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSocSc)
Certificate (Cert(Arts) or (Cert(SocSc))
Diploma (Dip(Arts)) or (Dip(SocSc))

Geography is available as a first or second major, or supporting subject for both the BA and the BSocSc degrees, or as elective/interest papers toward any qualification at the University of Waikato (assuming any required pre-requisites have been met).

Most Geography papers include practical work in the laboratory and/or fieldwork. Fieldwork is carried out in weekends or in the teaching recesses. A number of papers require and encourage the use of computer laboratories.

Subject Regulations

To complete a major in Geography, students must gain at least 120 points above 100 level, including at least 60 points above 200 level.

Recommended in programme of study
* both papers are prerequisites for a number of 200 level Geography papers
GEOG101 People and Place: Introduction to Social and Cultural Geography
GEOG103 Resources and Environmental Sustainability

To complete a supporting subject in Geography, students must gain 70 points, of which at least 40 points must be above 100 level.

Note: Candidates must gain at least 60 points at 100 level in any subject(s) before enrolling in Geography papers above 100 level, and at least 90 points at 100 and 200 level before enrolling in Geography papers above 200 level.

Papers

Undergraduate Geography Papers (Catalogue of Papers)

Graduate Study & Papers

Contact the Graduate Adviser

Qualifications Available

Graduate Certificate (GradCert(Geog))
Graduate Diploma (GradDip(Geog))
Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons))
Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours (BSocSc(Hons))
Master of Arts (MA)
Master of Social Sciences (MSocSc)
Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert(Geog))
Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip(Geog))

See http://www.waikato.ac.nz/study/qualifications/ for details of the qualifications listed above.

BA(Hons) and BSocSc(Hons) in Geography, PGCert(Geog) and PGDip(Geog)

To be eligible to be considered for enrolment in the BA(Hons) or BSocSc(Hons), a student should normally have a minimum B average over their undergraduate Geography papers, or should have at least a B average in the best three of their 300 level Geography papers.

Following are some common Honours programmes of study for the various graduate specialisations in Geography:

Contemporary Geographic Perspectives: GEOG501, GEOG504, GEOG519, GEOG520, GEOG590;

Development Studies: GEOG501, GEOG516, GEOG520, GEOG590;

Geographic Information Systems (GIS): GEOG518, GEOG538, GEOG548, GEOG558, GEOG568, GEOG590, GEOG591;

Māori Geographies: GEOG515, GEOG590, two other graduate papers, one in Geography and one in the Māori Department;

Environmental Planning (EP): ENVS521, GEOG505, GEOG512, GEOG515, GEOG520, GEOG590.

The MA and MSocSc in Geography

Students for the MA and MSocSc in Geography must take either a 120 point thesis, a 90 point thesis and 30 points from approved 500 level papers, or a 60 point dissertation and 60 points from approved 500 level papers.

GradCert(Geog) and GradDip(Geog)

A Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma is available in Geography for graduates who have not included the subject at an advanced level in their first degree.

Papers

Graduate Geography Papers (Catalogue of Papers)