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Study Geography at Otago

• Overview
• Qualifications
• Papers
• Major Subject and Programme Requirements
• Minor Subject Requirements
• Further Information

Overview

Geographers seek to understand the web of interactions and interconnections which link people and the environment. To succeed in that they require a firm grounding in a number of study areas.

In the undergraduate Bachelor of Arts (BA) programme students focus on: regions of uneven development; geographies of social categories like ethnicity and gender; urban and rural change; geopolitical conflict; the human use of natural resources; the process and implications of economic restructuring.

Bachelor of Science (BSc) students focus on topics which are at the core of physical geography. These include landforming processes and their expression in the landscape, the earth's weather systems and climates, factors which lead to geographic variations in the distribution and growth of living things, and environmental controls on the availability and quality of water.

Students are also introduced to the basics of social and environmental science through fieldwork and practical courses in research methods.

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Qualifications

• Bachelor of Arts (BA)
• Bachelor of Science (BSc)
• Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons))
• Bachelor of Science with Honours (BSc(Hons))
• Diploma for Graduates (DipGrad)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Science (PGDipSci)
• Master of Arts (MA)
• Master of Science (MSc)
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Papers

See the full list of Geography (GEOG) papers.

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Programme Requirements

Bachelor of Arts (BA) majoring in Geography

Level	Papers	Points
100-level	GEOG 101 GEOG 102	18 18
200-level	GEOG 280 Two further 200-level GEOG papers (excluding GEOG 290)	18 36
300-level	GEOG 380 Three further 300-level GEOG papers	18 54
Plus	198 further points; must include 54 points at 200-level or above. Up to 90 points may be taken from outside Arts	198
Total		360

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Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons)) in Geography

Stage	Papers	Points
1st stage	GEOG 101 GEOG 102 90 further points	18 18 90
2nd stage	GEOG 280 Three further 200-level GEOG papers 54 further points	18 54 54
3rd stage	GEOG 380 GEOG 396 * Three further 300-level GEOG papers 36 further points * GEOG 396 is not available in 2012; students must enrol for one further 300-level GEOG paper instead	18 18 54 36
4th stage	GEOG 490 Three further 400-level GEOG papers	48 72

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Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts) in Geography

The Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts) programme in Geography is the same as the fourth stage course for the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours.

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Bachelor of Science (BSc) majoring in Geography

Level	Papers	Points
100-level	GEOG 101 GEOG 102 STAT 110	18 18 18
200-level	GEOG 290 One of GEOG 281, GEOG 282, GEOG 284, GEOG 286, GEOG 287, GEOG 288, GEOG 289, GEOG 298, GEOG 299, One further 200-level GEOG paper (excluding GEOG 280)	18 18   18
300-level	GEOG 380 Two of GEOG 387, GEOG 388, GEOG 390, GEOG 392, GEOG 393, GEOG 394, GEOG 395, GEOG 398, GEOG 399 One further 300-level GEOG paper	18 36 18
Plus	180 further points; must include 54 points at 200-level or above. Up to 90 points may be taken from outside Science	180
Total		360

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Bachelor of Science with Honours (BSc(Hons)) in Geography

Stage	Papers	Points
1st stage	GEOG 101 GEOG 102 STAT 110 72 further 100-level points	18 18 18 72
2nd stage	GEOG 290 Two of GEOG 281, GEOG 282, GEOG 284, GEOG 286, GEOG 287, GEOG 288, GEOG 289, GEOG 298, GEOG 299 Two further 200-level GEOG papers 36 further points	18 36   36 36
3rd stage	GEOG 380 GEOG 396 * Two of GEOG 387, GEOG 388, GEOG 390, GEOG 392, GEOG 393, GEOG 394, GEOG 395, GEOG 398, GEOG 399 One further 300-level GEOG paper 36 further points * GEOG 396 is not available in 2012: Students must enrol for one further 300-level GEOG paper instead	18 18 36   18 36
4th stage	GEOG 490 Four further 400-level GEOG papers	48 96

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Postgraduate Diploma in Science (PGDipSci) in Geography

Papers
GEOG 470 Four further 400-level GEOG papers
Note: With the approval of the Head of Department or Programme Director concerned, a 48 point dissertation or project may be substituted for any project of fewer points prescribed in the table above.

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Master of Science (MSc) in Geography

Papers
GEOG 495, and 400-level GEOG papers worth 96 points. Thesis: GEOG 5

 

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Minor Subject Requirements

Geography as a minor subject for a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), Bachelor of Arts (BA), or Bachelor of Theology (BTheol) degree

Level	Papers	Points
100-level	GEOG 101 GEOG 102	18 18
200-level	Two 200-level GEOG papers (excluding GEOG 290)	36
300-level	One 300-level GEOG paper (excluding GEOG 380 and GEOG 396)	18
Total		90

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Geography as a minor subject for a Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Bachelor of Applied Science (BAppSc) degree

Level	Papers	Points
100-level	GEOG 101 GEOG 102	18 18
200-level	Two of GEOG 216, GEOG 281, GEOG 282, GEOG 284, GEOG 286, GEOG 287, GEOG 288, GEOG 289, GEOG 290, GEOG 298, GEOG 299	36
300-level	One of GEOG 387, GEOG 388, GEOG 390, GEOG 392, GEOG 393, GEOG 394, GEOG 395, GEOG 397, GEOG 398, GEOG 399,	18
Total		90

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Further Information

Email us at geography@otago.ac.nz or visit our home page http://www.otago.ac.nz/geography