Bachelor of Science (BSc) majoring in Geography

Your BSc programme will consist of a number of courses worth 15 points each, totalling 360 points.

You must complete the following courses plus a capstone course in your final year of study. The capstone course is a student-led project where you integrate and apply your learning to a real-world problem in your chosen major or specialisation. For Geography we recommend the capstone course, GEOG 399. For other capstone options, see our Capstone courses page.

30 points required from:

• GEOG 101 Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (S1 and S2)
• GEOG 102 Geography of the Human Environment (S1 and S2)

Additional courses include:

• GEOG 103 Mapping Our World (S1)
• GEOG 104 Cities and Urbanism (S2)
• EARTHSCI 105 Earth’s Natural Hazards (S1 and S2)

At 200-level you should take GEOG 250 plus at least two others, one of which must be either GEOG 202, 205, 261 or 262:

• GEOG 250 Geographical Research in Practice (S1)
• GEOG 202 Cities, Regions and Communities (S1)
• GEOG 205 Environment and Society (S2)
• GEOG 261 Climate and Society (S1)
• GEOG 262 Geomorphology (S2)
• GISCI 241 Remote Sensing (S2)
• GISCI 242 Spatial Analysis for Human Environments (S1)

45 points from:

• GEOG 305 Population, Health and Society (S1)
• GEOG 307 Urban Geography (not offered in 2023)
• GEOG 308 Geopolitics and Indigenous Rights (not offered in 2023)
• GEOG 320 Resources and Environmental Management (S1)
• GEOG 325 The Human Dimension of Disasters (S2)
• GEOG 327 Politics, Markets and Economies (S2)
• GEOG 335 Applied Physical Geography (S2)
• GEOG 351 Coastal and Marine Studies (S1)
• GEOG 352 Landscape, Environment and Heritage (S1)
• GISCI 341 Advanced Remote Sensing (S2)
• GISCI 343 GIScience Programming and Development (S2)

You can use our degree planners to help you plan the courses you need to take for your BSc. To find the most up to date Geography degree planner, go to the Science degree planners page.

If you began your degree prior to 2019 we recommend you seek advice to make sure you are taking the correct courses.

Visit your online help and support centre, AskAuckland.

Doing a double major with Geography

If you choose to do a double major in your BSc, we recommend the following subjects to complement Geography: Anthropological Science, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Geographic Information Science, Geophysics, Psychology and Statistics.

Preparing for your Geography major

Some students will feel more prepared for our Geography courses if they have already studied some science subjects in high school.

Find out which school subjects will help you feel prepared by reading our Subject guide for school students.

Help and advice

Student Hubs

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The Student Hubs services are available seven days a week at the City, Grafton, Epsom and Tai Tonga campuses and six days a week at Tai Tokerau, with friendly staff available to provide you with advice on any aspect of your studies and life at the University.

Undergraduate programmes