School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
The University of Melbourne is a global leader in higher education. Across our campuses, we convene brilliant minds from different disciplines and sectors to come together to address important questions and tackle the grand challenges. In a disrupted world, that capacity has never been more important. Our vision is to equip our students with a distinctive, future-facing education, personalised around their ambitions and needs, enriched by global perspectives and embedded in a richly collaborative research culture. As active citizens and future leaders, our students represent our greatest contribution to the world, and are at the heart of everything we do.
The School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (SGEAS) brings together discipline strengths in human and physical geography, meteorology and atmospheric science, and earth sciences. It is dedicated to achieving a better future for our students, societies and the environment.
Study and research in geography, within SGEAS, focuses on: climate change; landscape processes; environmental hazards; Indigenous knowledge; resource futures; space, place and social change; cities; and social and environmental change in the global north and global south. A geography major can be taken in undergraduate degrees in both Science and Arts.
Our geography graduates work in diverse roles across industry, at all levels of government and in not-for-profit organisations, in fields such as environmental resource management, international development, climate impacts and adaptation, sustainable futures, and urban policy and planning.
School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences
School of Humanities and Languages
The relationship between people, our societies and the environment underpins many of our great global challenges. Through studying geography at UNSW, you will learn to analyse these dynamics by drawing insights from social and physical sciences. We aim to equip graduates with the skills to analyse and synthesise environmental, economic, social and political information to find solutions for our complex problems.
Geography in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences is particularly focused on physical geography, natural hazards, human impact, and the technologies to consider these including remote sensing and geographical information science.
Geographical studies within the School of Humanities and Languages focuses on the ways physical, social, cultural, economic and political factors shape places, and, in turn, how geographical factors impact on people and their wellbeing, ecosystems, urban places and economic activity.
A geography major can be taken in a range of undergraduate degrees. It will enable you to develop transferable skills that can be applied to a range of industries. Graduates work in diverse roles across business, industry, government and not-for-profit organisations, in fields such as natural resource management, international development, environmental assessment and regional planning.
School of Social Sciences
School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment
Geography is the study of earth’s places, and of how humans interact with their environments. The discipline comprises both human geography and physical geography. At Monash, these two strands of the discipline are called Human Geography and Geographical Science. Human geography studies the complex relationships between physical environments and human societies. Geographical science investigates the evolving character of the Earth’s biophysical and constructed environment in the past, present and future.
Together, human geography and geographical science grapple with some of the most complex global challenges that face society today including climate change, food and water security, deepening poverty, uneven global development, rising socio-economic inequality, demographic change, rapid urbanisation, international migration, declining natural resources, and environmental degradation and rehabilitation.
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
The Geographical Sciences major in the Bachelor of Science will prepare you for a career which could take you from the ice caps of Antarctica to the bustling cities of Asia, and from the upper atmosphere to the bottom of the ocean.
How can we predict extreme weather events? Which parts of the Great Barrier Reef are being most affected by climate and land-use change? How many people will live in Queensland in the future and what will they need? Geographical scientists answer these questions by investigating the spatial patterns of physical and human phenomena, how they change over time and how they interact.
Roles for graduates include areas like natural resource management, wildlife conservation, ecotourism, transport and planning. Our programs prepare you for your first job and beyond. Here are some of the careers you could be on your way to: Biodiversity project officer, environment and sustainability consultant, wildlife management officer, park ranger, geography teacher, national parks and wildlife conservator, conservation researcher, climate change adviser.
For more information see uq.edu.au/study and search Geographical Sciences.
The Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR) is the National Institute for disaster risk reduction and resilience. AIDR works to strengthen the resilience of Australian communities to disasters by sharing knowledge and collaborating across a broad range of sectors taking action to reduce disaster risk.
AIDR’s Education for Young People program promotes the development of disaster resilience education (DRE) as a vital component in children and young people’s learning. DRE is learning about natural hazards in the local environment and ways to keep communities safe from harm before, during and after an emergency or disaster, and equips young Australians with the skills and confidence to take protective action.
AIDR recognises children and young people as active citizens whose perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and participation can contribute meaningfully before, during, and after disasters. Children and young people have unique capabilities to help protect themselves and their communities from the impacts of natural hazards. With knowledge, skills, and opportunities to share their learning and take action, children and young people can contribute positively to the safety and resilience of people, places and the natural environment.
To contribute to skilled and resilient communities, young people need to understand natural hazard risks in their local environment and their role in reducing exposure and vulnerability to harm.
School of Design and the Built Environment
Curtin’s School of Design and the Built Environment provides teaching that values design, sustainability and community development; encourages individual approaches to visual ideas; and celebrates future possibilities.
The Department of Education contributes to Australia’s economic prosperity and social wellbeing by creating opportunities and driving better outcomes through access to quality education and learning. This includes access to quality schooling to provide the knowledge, skills and values for every child to achieve their potential.
Geography’s Big Week Out and Australia’s participation in the International Geography Olympiads are supported by the Australian Government.
The Royal Geographical Society of Queensland (RGSQ) is a non-profit organization that promotes the study of geography. Since its establishment in 1885, the Society has brought together people from all walks of life who share an interest in geography. The Society stimulates interest in geography through a regular programme of lectures and trips, and through actively supporting geographical education and research.
RGSQ is one of the two organisations responsible for the Competition and looks after its day-to-day administration.
The Australian Geography Teachers’ Association (AGTA) is the national organisation of Australia’s state geography teachers’ associations. AGTA seeks to: foster the teaching and learning of geography in Australian schools and enhance awareness of its applications in society; promote and circulate the results of research into geography education; maintain a professional network through which teachers of geography in Australia may express opinions on educational matters; represent the interests of its member affiliates on national education decision making bodies.
AGTA is one of the two organisations responsible for the Competition.