Geography: Human Geography

University of British Columbia

Canada, Vancouver

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Home/Canada/Vancouver /University of British Columbia/Geography: Human Geography

University of British Columbia

Canada , Vancouver

Key Facts

Program Level

Bachelor

Study Type

Full Time

Delivery

On Campus

Application Fee

CAD 125

Campuses

Vancouver

Okanagan

Program Language

English

Start & Deadlines

Next Intake Deadlines15-May-2023

Apply to this program

Go to the official application for the university

Duration 4 year(s)

Tuition Fee

CAD 44,942 / year

Next Intake 15-May-2023

Geography: Human Geography

About

You can study intense specialization in a single field.

Human Geography covers a wide set of sub-disciplines that share in common the study of the human use and experience of the world. It covers such broad territory as the relations between nature and society, place and human identity, and the spatial basis of economies and societies. Human Geographers make contributions to the private and public sectors in such professional fields as education, physical and social planning, urban development, environmental and resource fields, industrial location, economic development, tourism, regional specialties, cartography, and Geographical Information Science (GIS).

You will explore four main study areas: Culture and places; cities and globalization; nature and society; and research and methods.

Campus features

The Department of Geography is housed in the Geography Building, a hub for researching, teaching, learning, and community. The Geography Building includes multiple study spaces, an undergraduate lounge, and two state-of-the art geomatics computer labs, for you to work on Geography laboratory assignments and projects. The Department also houses the Geographic Information Centre (GIC), which is a library, reading room, and research space. Holdings include maps specializing in BC and Canada, atlases, books, and journals with geographical content, videos, course reserves, and BC's largest aerial photo collection.

The Department of Geography also includes labs and research spaces in the Geography Building, around UBC, and beyond. The Geography building houses the Lab for Advanced Spatial Analytics, the Surfaces Processes Lab, and the Urban Studies Research Commons, to name a few. As an undergraduate student, you can experience these spaces through your Geography and Geographical Sciences coursework, or even through individual directed studies research projects with Geography faculty.

Human Geography covers a wide set of sub-disciplines that share in common the study of the human use and experience of the world. You'll study such broad territory as the relations between nature and society, place and human identity, and the spatial basis of economies and societies.

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4

GEOG 121 - Geography, Environment and Globalization
Human geography of the modern world with particular attention to human-environment relationships, urbanization, and regional growth; trade and communications; environment and war; environmental governance and sustainability.
GEOG 122 - Geography, Modernity and Globalization
The human geography of the modern world since 1945: global interdependence in economic geography, geopolitics, and cultural geography; consequences of modernization, including demography, urbanization and environmental effects; regional case studies; reactions to modernization.
GEOB 102 - Our Changing Environment: Climate and Ecosystems
Energy and water in the Earth-Atmosphere system, global climates and climate change, ecosystem properties and processes, human impacts. Please consult the Faculty of Science Credit Exclusion Lists: www.students.ubc.ca/calendar/index.cfm?tree=12,215,410,414.
GEOB 103 - Our Changing Environment: Water and Landscapes
Physical processes acting at the Earth's surface; water cycle; landforms; human impacts. Please consult the Faculty of Science Credit Exclusion Lists: www.students.ubc.ca/calendar/index.cfm?tree=12,215,410,414.

GEOG 220 - Geopolitics
Political geographic perspectives on todays interdependent world through three themes: borders, regions, and flows.
GEOG 211 - The State of the Earth
The demographic, economic, ecological, and technological factors that underlie current environmental challenges, considering their effects to date and their possible impact in the future.
GEOB 270 - Geographic Information Science
Computer-based graphical methods of data input and analysis. Emphasis on data visualization techniques such as cartographic modelling and exploratory data analysis. Preclusion: Not available to those who completed GEOG 370 before September 2005.
GEOB 200 - Atmospheric Environments
Physical principles underlying weather and climates. Thermal, moisture and wind climates at scales from valleys to the globe. Daily weather, air pollution, global change.
GEOB 207 - Introduction to Biogeography
Geographical ecology emphasizing plant distributions, abiotic-biotic interactions, effects of disturbance, succession, and human impacts across scales. Labs and field trips examine a local site.

GEOG 321 - Historical Geography of Urbanization: Cities, Space, and Power
From the origins of urbanism to the modern era.
GEOG 352 - Urbanization in the Global South
Urbanization in the developing countries of Latin America, Africa, and Asia; the role of cities in the development process and the features and problems of rapid urbanization.
GEOG 350 - Urban Worlds
City systems and theories of urban location; internal spatial structure of the city; commercial and industrial location; social areas; neighbourhood and land use change; urban trends and public policy.
GEOG 316 - Geography of Natural Hazards
The role of geophysical events, human ecology, environmental perception, world social and political order in explaining the risk of natural disasters. Assessment of acceptable risk, disaster relief and reconstruction and contrasts between developed and developing nations.

GEOG 419 - Research in Environmental Geography
Details available from Geography Undergraduate Advisor. Not necessarily offered each year.
GEOG 429 - Research in Historical Geography
Details available from Geography Undergraduate Advisor. Not necessarily offered each year.
GEOG 456 - Film and the City
The complex interrelations between film and the city; dominant urban theories, film technologies and viewing practices and the intersections between them.
GEOG 493 - Contemporary Europe: Identity and Geopolitics
Political, economic, and social geographies of post Cold War Europe with a special emphasis on east-central Europe: societal transformations in the formerly socialist states; European Union and NATO enlargement; the external relations of these two organizations.
GEOG 446 - Topics in Geography
See the departmental undergraduate adviser for details.

Disciplines

Faculty of Arts

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Graduation from a university-preparatory program at a senior secondary school: General Secondary Education Certificate (Tawjihi). Certificates must be official. Photocopies are acceptable if certified by school principal, head, or counsellor. Notarized copies are not acceptable.

Career

Human Geographers are everywhere " in government, policy groups, consultancies, academia, NGOs, and beyond. By exploring the intricacies of humanity's place in a global context, Human Geography students frequently tackle complex, multifaceted questions that have unpredictable, long-term results. By engaging in coursework across a wide spectrum of geographic topics, graduates are prepared to engage with these interrelated concerns.

Program graduates

Analyst, HR&A Advisors
Residential Land Development, Transportation and Community Planning, StreetSide Developments.
Assistant Planner, Urban Regeneration, Christchurch City Council, New Zealand
Research Assistant, Global Reporting Centre
Marketing and communications specialist, Aritzia
Junior policy analyst, Nunavut Housing Corporation

UBC stories

Double major Cecilia talks about her UBC highlights, chasing her goals, and plans for the future
Cecilia Montauban, Environmental Science and Human Geography Read the full story

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Fee Information

Tuition Fee

CAD 44,942

Application Fee

CAD 125

How to Apply

As you complete the online application, keep the following tips in mind:

Start early and take your time. Once you begin the application, you will be able to save it and return to it later – but only up until the deadline. Once you have submitted your application to UBC, you will not be able to edit it. Since the online application can sometimes time out if left open for too long, we recommend working on your personal profile questions outside of the application (where you can run them through a spell-checker) then copy and paste them into your application.
Let the online application guide you. You’ll be asked to provide only the information we need based on your degree choice(s), your previous education, and other factors.
Tell us your full academic history. It’s important to include all of the high schools, colleges, and/or universities you have attended. Don’t leave anything out!
Be accurate. UBC has a number of methods in place to authenticate information provided in the application. These methods include, but are not limited to, contacting references, verifying academic records, and requesting additional documentation to verify your personal profile. If an application is found to contain untrue or incomplete information, UBC may, at its discretion: withdraw an offer of admission; require you to withdraw from UBC; subject you to academic discipline; or share the information provided with other post-secondary institutions, law enforcement agencies, or other third parties.
Use an email address you check frequently. Once you have submitted your application, UBC will communicate with you primarily by email.
Note your UBC student number. Write down your UBC student number somewhere safe. You’ll need it in future correspondence with UBC.