Faculty of Arts Geography

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Faculty of Arts

Table of Contents

1. Prerequisites
2. Requirements for a major
3. Entry to honours
4. Honours requirements
5. Career opportunities
6. For more information
Subject Lists
    First-year subjects
    Second/third-year subjects
    Third-year subjects
    Third/fourth-year subjects
    Fourth-year subjects

Geography at the University of Melbourne is one of the top-ranking programs of its kind in Australia and New Zealand. Our academic staff enjoy international reputations for their scholarship and engage in original research, including collaborative research with local and international colleagues.

Geography is about the relationship between society and the environment. It integrates both the physical and social sciences to provide students with the skills and conceptual frameworks needed to understand the processes that shape the world around us. Areas of research include social, cultural and economic geography, feminist geographies, urban geography, development studies, Asian studies, indigenous studies, environmental policy and management, plant and animal ecology, and geomorphology. Geography enables students to gain practical and relevant experience by working with staff who apply up-to-the-minute knowledge in a variety of real situations including practical laboratory classes, field trips, and group project work. These practical activities provide opportunities for students to develop transferable skills and to benefit from the leadership of peers, public responsibility and community participation, mentoring, and professional skill development, all of which are highly desirable attributes in the market place. A variety of prospective career pathways is available to students of geography that draw on the analytical and research knowledge gained in this area of study. Alternatively, students are able to expand on their interest and knowledge through an articulated structure of higher degree study at the University of Melbourne.

In addition to the major in geography, the School of Anthropology, Geography and Environmental Studies (SAGES) offers majors in Anthropology, Development, Environmental studies and a Specialist program in environmental studies. SAGES also offers pathways for students who wish to gain privileged entry into either a Master of Urban Planning or Master of Landscape Architecture: see the entry in this Handbook under Planning and design.

1. Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for first-year subjects in geography.

The prerequisite for a second/third-year subject in geography is usually two first-year subjects in geography (25 points). Students who have done suitable alternative first-year subjects are advised to consult with the school for permission to enrol. Exemptions may also be granted where second/third-year subjects are taken as part of an approved interdepartmental program with its own entry requirements.

The prerequisite for a third/fourth year geography subject is usually three second/third-year subjects in geography (37.5 points).

2. Requirements for a major

A major in geography usually consists of nine 12.5-point subjects, totalling, 112.5 points. It comprises:

• two first-year subjects in geography (25 points); and

• second/third-year subjects in geography totalling 87.5 points.

It is recommended that students take at least one 25-point subject in their third year of study since these subjects incorporate fields of study which are regarded as an important component of training in the discipline.

3. Entry to honours

The prerequisites for entry to fourth-year honours in geography are:

• completion of all the requirements for the BA; and

• completion of a major in geography; and

• an average grade of H2B or higher over the second/third-year subjects within the major.

Students should note that the department offers a pure honours program only.

4. Honours requirements

Students undertaking pure honours in geography must complete:

• 121-517 Geography Thesis (50 points); and

• 121-402 Geography Coursework (50 points).

or

• 121-518 Geography Thesis (MYE) (50 points); and

• 121-403 Geography Coursework (MYE) (50 points).

Part-time honours is only permitted under exceptional circumstances, subject to approval of the head of school.

5. Career opportunities

Geography provides students with information and skills relevant to thinking about the relationship between society and the environment. Few would doubt the contemporary relevance of this issue. Environmental considerations are an important and necessary component of doing business for almost all sectors of industry and government. This means that students who are skilled in this area are well equipped to enter the workforce.

Many students entering the workforce find little direct use for the particular knowledge they have acquired while doing their university degree. This is not the case for geography students. The knowledge and skills that students learn when studying geography are much sought after by employers of many kinds. About half of our graduates find their way into jobs which use the specific skills they learnt in geography.

The skills geography provides which are so attractive to prospective employers include analytical and technical skills (in both the physical and social sciences), survey skills (physical and social science), writing and information synthesis, communication and group work skills, computing skills, and knowledge of social and environmental interactions

Geography graduates have found themselves in many different careers, in government, the private sector, retail and marketing, computing, teaching, human resources and public relations.

6. For more information

Dr Wayne Stephenson, Undergraduate Coordinator
SAGES
Old Commerce Building
The University of Melbourne
Parkville Victoria 3010
Tel: +61 3 8344 6339
email: geog-head@unimelb.edu.au
Web: http://www.geography.unimelb.edu.au

First-year subjects

121-110 Famine in the Modern World
121-103 Australia in Asia
121-171 Environmental Change
121-172 Global Ecology and Biogeography

Second/third-year subjects

121-006 Urban Economic Geography
121-015 Development and the Third World
121-016 Landscapes of Power
121-017 Society and Environments
121-018 Geomorphology
121-019 Urbanisation and Urban Development
121-021 Environmental Politics and Management
121-022 Development and Urban Environments
121-023 China in Transition
121-024 GIS and Remote Sensing in Geography
121-025 Biodiversity
121-026 The Mobile World: Migration and Tourism
121-028 Sustainable Development
121-222 Field Class in Geography
121-224 Garma Fieldwork
121-225 Place and Possession
121-226 Native Title

Third-year subjects

121-029 Environmental Hydrology B
121-030 Applied Ecology
121-033 Environmental Hydrology A
121-071 Coastal Geomorphology
121-310 Fluvial Geomorphology
606-301 Applied Ecology (Theory)

Third/fourth-year subjects

121-433 China Field Class
121-434 Fieldwork Research Project
121-435 Environmental Management Systems
121-432 Environmental Field Class
121-458 Australian Quaternary Environments

Fourth-year subjects

121-517 Geography Thesis
121-518 Geography Thesis (MYE)
121-402 Geography Coursework
121-403 Geography Coursework (MYE)
121-454 Computer-aided Policymaking
121-503 Research Methods and Design
121-542 GIS for Environmental Policy Making

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