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Geography
www.ufv.ca/geography

Bachelor of Science, Physical Geography Honours

Entrance requirements

Once a student has completed 90 credits that apply to the Bachelor of Science, including at least 26 credits in geography, with a minimum 3.33 GPA in all courses required for program completion, they are eligible to apply for entry into the physical geography honours program.

Interested students are encouraged to seek out information and advice on the physical geography honours program from Geography faculty or a Science Advisor as early as possible in their coursework, and to apply to the physical geography honours program at the earliest possible entry date.

In order to submit an application, students will need to provide the following:

• A Physical Geography honours program application form (available from the department assistant).
• A completed checklist (available from the department assistant) demonstrating successful completion of coursework in geography.
• A copy of their transcripts (these do not need to be official transcripts).
• A portfolio that includes coursework (laboratory assignments, written papers, etc.) from their completed geography courses. Portfolio guidelines are available from the department.

The purpose of the portfolio is two-fold. First, it provides the student with exercise in developing a presentation of prior work, which may be useful in applying for employment or graduate school. Second, the portfolio is a tool to be used by the student, department's honours advisory committee, and potential faculty project advisor, to identify areas of improvement, potential project topics, as well as writing and research strengths and weaknesses.

Students should submit their application materials to the department assistant. The department's honours advisory committee (HAC) will then identify a potential project supervisor, if one has not already been selected. Students are encouraged to approach a departmental faculty member appropriate to their research interests by the end of the third year of their Geography program. This faculty member can in turn serve as their honours supervisor.

Other requirements

Course requirements

In addition to the Physical Geography honours requirements, candidates must complete an additional 23 upper-division credits, to be completed within and outside Geography. Four (4) of these credits will be obtained in completing an honours research project/dissertation; twelve (12) of these additional credits must be obtained in a single science field (biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics) outside Geography.

Review

Prior to enrolling in GEOG 492 (Honours Research Project), each honours candidate will need to meet with their honours supervisor to assess their progress in the honours program. At this time, the candidate should submit an updated transcript to their supervisor for review.

Successful completion of a research project is required prior to graduation. This project, which will be developed in consultation with a faculty supervisor, will demonstrate a student’s skill and knowledge in a given area of geographic study. 

Each honours applicant will then be required to present the findings of their research at a professional or university conference or in an existing geography course (in consultation with the instructor of that course). Alternative presentation arrangements may be made in consultation with the honours supervisor and the HAC.

Following project completion and presentation, the honours supervisor will recommend a letter grade. The HAC will choose whether or not to accept this grade based on further review of the student’s work in Geography 492.

GPA requirements

The student’s final CGPA must be at least 3.3 in the program, including the mark awarded for the final research project, in order for an honours designation to be awarded.

Concentrations

Students can choose to complete an honours designation in Geography with a selected concentration. Students seeking an honours designation will need to apply to the honours program and complete the requirements of the honours program in addition to those required for the selected concentration.

Program outline

This section specifies the honours requirements only. Please refer to the Bachelor of Science section for degree requirements.

Lower-level requirements: 45 credits

Course Title Credits
GEOG 101 Weather and Climate 4
GEOG 102 Evolution of the Earth’s Surface 4
GEOG 140 Introduction to Human Geography 3
GEOG 201 Introduction to Climatology 4
GEOG 202 Introduction to Geomorphology 4
GEOG 211 Environmental Science 3
GEOG 253 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 4
MATH 270 Introduction to Probability and Statistics 4
PHYS 101 Introductory General Physics: Mechanics and Fluids  
 or PHYS 111 Mechanics 5
One pair of:   10
BIO 111 & Introductory Biology I  
BIO 112 Introductory Biology II  
 or CHEM 113 & Principles of Chemistry I  
CHEM 114 Principles of Chemistry II

Upper-level requirements: 55-56 credits in Geography

Course Title Credits
  • GEOG 302
  • Fluvial Geomorphology 4
    or GEOG 304 Coastal Geomorphology  
  • One of:
  •   4
        GEOG 303 Principles of Hydrology  
        GEOG 307 Urban Climatology  
        GEOG 308 Climate Change and Variability  
  • GEOG 315
  • Soil Process or Function 4
    or GEOG 317 Biogeography  
  • GEOG 352
  • Explanation in Geography: Quantitative Methods 4
  • GEOG 353
  • GIS Applications 4
  • GEOG 354
  • Approaches in Human Geography 4
  • One of:
  •   4
        GEOG 402 Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology  
        GEOG 410 Plant Ecology  
        GEOG 417 Wetland Biogeography  
        GEOG 453 Remote Sensing  
  • GEOG 433
  • Geography of Selected Regions 4
  • GEOG 452
  • Field Methods and Techniques 4-5
    or GEOG 470 Field Studies in Geography  
  •  GEOG 492
  • Honours Research Project 4
  •  MATH 315
  • Applied Regression Analysis 3
  • Plus:
  •   12
        Electives Upper-level Sciences to be completed in a single discipline  
    (i.e. biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, physics)  

    Note the following:

    i)   Students choosing Math as their breadth requirement cannot include MATH 315 in the 12 credits.
    ii)   Students planning to apply for an Bachelor of Science, Physical Geography honours, should consult carefully with their honours    supervisor to ensure they satisfy any lower level prerequisites that might be required for the upper level courses they expect to take to satisfy the breadth requirements.
    iii) Students planning to apply for a Bachelor of Science, Physical Geography honours, with a view to pursuing graduate studies should expect, in consultation with their honours supervisor, to take any additional Math courses deemed applicable to their area of study.
    iv)  No more than eight credits may be in directed studies/directed readings (GEOG 480, 482, 483, 484)

     

    Fees and additional costs

    See the Fees and Other Costs section. Additional fees for course field trips and miscellaneous lab materials will apply to all students enrolled in Geography programs.

    Course listings

    For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.


    Return to main Geography page