Academic Calendar 2024/25

Geography

ufv.ca/geoscience

Physical Geography major (for BSc students)

Note: This program is unavailable until further notice.

This section specifies the Physical Geography major requirements only. Please refer to the Bachelor of Science section for information on additional requirements.

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.

Declaration requirements

Students admitted to the Bachelor of Science may formally declare a science major or minor if they have a minimum CGPA of 2.00 and meet the declaration requirements for the subject discipline. BSc students are expected to declare a major or minor by the time they have completed 60 credits.

Bachelor of Science students wishing to declare a Physical Geography major must complete the following prior to their formal declaration:

  • One of GEOG 101 (discontinued), GEOG 102 (discontinued), GEOG 103, or GEOG 116
  • One of BIO 111, CHEM 113, MATH 111, PHYS 101, PHYS 105, PHYS 111, STAT 104, STAT 106, or STAT 270/MATH 270

Program outline

Lower-level requirements: 45 credits

Course Title Credits
One of: 4
GEOG 103 The Physical Environment
GEOG 116 Earth Rocks
One of: 3
GDS 100/ GEOG 109 A World of Development  
GEOG 111 Environmental Issues and Strategies
GEOG 140 Human Geography
Two of: 8
GEOG 201 Climate and People
GEOG 202 Understanding Your Earth: Landforms and Processes
GEOG 219/ BIO 219 Biogeography
Plus:  
GEOG 252 Explanation in Geography: Quantitative Methods 4
GEOG 253 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 4
GEOG 257/CMNS 257 Environment: Science and Communications 3
One pair of: 10
BIO 111 Introductory Biology I
and BIO 112 Introductory Biology II
or CHEM 113 Principles of Chemistry I
and CHEM 114 Principles of Chemistry II
One of: 5
PHYS 101 Introductory General Physics: Mechanics and Fluids
PHYS 105 Heat, Waves, and Optics
PHYS 111 Mechanics
One of: 4
STAT 104 Introductory Statistics
STAT 106 Statistics I
STAT 270/ MATH 270 Introduction to Probability and Statistics

Upper-level requirements: 32–34 credits

Course Title Credits
GEOG 353 GIS Applications 4
GEOG 433 Advanced Geography of a Selected Region 4
Five of (including at least one 400-level course): (see Note 2) 20
GEOG 302 River Geomorphology  
GEOG 303 Environmental Hydrology  
GEOG 304 Coasts and Climate Change  
GEOG 307 Climates of Cities  
GEOG 308 Climate Change and Variability  
GEOG 315 Soilscapes  
GEOG 318 Water Resources Management  
GEOG 319/BIO 319 Swamps and Bogs  
GEOG 335/ BIO 335 Freshwater Ecology  
GEOG 402 Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology  
GEOG 410 Plant Ecology  
GEOG 419/BIO 419 Paleoecology  
GEOG 453 Remote Sensing of the Environment  
GEOG 454 Geospatial Data Analysis Modeling  
GEOG 458 GIS Project  
One of (professional competency in geography): 0–6
GEOG 396/GDS 310/SOC 396 Canada Internship  
GEOG 398/GDS 311/SOC 398 International Internship
GEOG 412 Environmental Geography Practicum  
GEOG 460 Practicum in Planning
GEOG 470 Field Studies in Geography  
COOP 120 Co-op Work Term II  
At least 60 volunteer or work experience hours in a related geography field (see Notes 2 and 3)  

Note 1: No more than eight credits may be in Directed Studies/Directed Readings courses (GEOG 480, GEOG 481, GEOG 482, GEOG 483, GEOG 484).

Note 2: Students who use 60 volunteer or work experience hours to fulfill the professional competency requirement will require 24 credits (six courses) chosen from this list.

Note 3: Students planning to complete this option should contact the program coordinator for information and the process for demonstrating their learning.

Co-operative Education option

The Co-operative Education option offers students the opportunity to obtain paid, career-related work experience in their field of study during their education at UFV. After completing their first year of study, Co-op students alternate between study-related full-time employment and full-time study.

Physical Geography students are encouraged to consider pursuing a Co-operative Education designation within their degree. Interested students will need to apply at least one semester in advance of applying for employment opportunities through the program. Applicants must meet the requirements of the Co-operative Education program. Students should speak with a Co-operative Education Coordinator for placement possibilities in the Arts and/or Sciences.

Students who successfully complete three Co-op work terms will receive a Co-op designation on their transcript. Each work term is for four or eight months, and many of these are in the summer. In order to take full advantage of these work opportunities, students should consider applying by their second year of study. Students should see the Co-operative Education section of the calendar for further details, and should contact the Career Centre for further information, or visit ufv.ca/jobs/co-op-education/.

 

Physical Geography minor (for BSc students)

Note: This program is unavailable until further notice.

This section specifies the Physical Geography minor requirements only. Please refer to the Bachelor of Science section for information on additional requirements.

Declaration requirements

Students admitted to the Bachelor of Science may formally declare a science major or minor if they have a minimum CGPA of 2.00 and meet the declaration requirements for the subject discipline. BSc students are expected to declare a major or minor by the time they have completed 60 credits.

Bachelor of Science students wishing to declare a Physical Geography minor must complete the following prior to their formal declaration:

  • One of GEOG 101 (discontinued), GEOG 102 (discontinued), GEOG 103, or GEOG 116
  • One of BIO 111, CHEM 113, MATH 111, PHYS 101, PHYS 105, PHYS 111, STAT 104, STAT 106, or STAT 270/MATH 270

Program outline

Lower-level requirements: 20 credits

Course Title Credits
One of: 4
GEOG 103 The Physical Environment
GEOG 116 Earth Rocks
Two of: 8
GEOG 201 Climate and People
GEOG 202 Understanding Your Earth: Landforms and Processes
GEOG 219/ BIO 219 Biogeography
Plus:  
GEOG 252 Explanation in Geography: Quantitative Methods 4
GEOG 253 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 4

Note: Students must also complete all the general Bachelor of Science requirements to satisfy the degree.

Upper-level requirements: 16 credits

Course Title Credits
GEOG 353 GIS Applications 4
Two of: 8
GEOG 302 River Geomorphology
GEOG 303 Environmental Hydrology
GEOG 304 Coasts and Climate Change
GEOG 307 Climates of Cities
GEOG 308 Climate Change and Variability
GEOG 315 Soilscapes
GEOG 318 Water Resources Management
GEOG 319/BIO 319 Swamps and Bogs
GEOG 335/BIO 335 Methods in Freshwater Ecology
One of: 4
GEOG 402 Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology
GEOG 410 Plant Ecology
GEOG 419/BIO 419 Paleoecology
GEOG 453 Remote Sensing of the Environment  
GEOG 454 Geospatial Data Analysis Modeling  
GEOG 458 GIS Project  

Note: No more than eight credits may be in Directed Studies/Directed Readings courses (GEOG 480, GEOG 481, GEOG 482, GEOG 483, GEOG 484).

Course listings

For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.


Current Students