International Undergraduate Program (IUP) in Environmental Geography

To start with the program, students are directed to join a preparation program equal to 1 Credit (45 hours – 5 days) at one of the living laboratories in Yogyakarta. The preparation program is aimed to provide local insights to understand local culture, to have community awareness, and to strengthen students’ social engagement during the program. During the preparation program, the students are assigned to join a 6-day campus orientation program. The main objective of the program is to introduce academic procedures, strengthen soft skills, and bring closer the value of Universitas Gadjah Mada, and general information about students’ facilities.

Environmental Geography offers four options of specializations, namely 1) Hydrology; 2) Geomorphology; 3) Population and Employment; and 4) Settlements and Resources. These four specializations represent the scientific competencies developed through the undergraduate thesis. Students should take the generic courses in the first five semesters and the specialized skill courses in the last three semesters. To accommodate the learning process, UGM serves students with Simaster, an online platform academic system. The Simaster Platform allows students, parents, and lecturers to establish active academic communication through online platforms.

The courses are designed to produce a coherent program. Courses in Semester I and Semester II of the first year consist of character development and comprehension of basic sciences, which is provided in one package of compulsory courses. Semesters III, IV, and V of the second and third year include courses that provide practical skills and interest development. Semester VI of the third year and Semester VII of the fourth-year courses are emphasized scientific understanding and the ability to conduct scientific works. Finally, Semester VIII of the fourth year is designed as knowledge and skills implementation, where students are required to submit the final research proposal and write a thesis.

On the whole, the courses in Environmental Geography are classified into compulsory and elective courses, which are provided during the 4 years of study period. The compulsory courses comprise university compulsory courses, faculty and department. University compulsory courses consist of four courses, including Pancasila Education, Civic Education, Religion, and Success Skills. These courses are embedded in the course structure to integrate the national cultural values and the national ideology, of Pancasila into the education system. The compulsory courses of the faculty cover all aspects that has been mandated by the Indonesian Geographer Association to ensure that all geography-related programs under the association deliver the same materials and maintain similar quality. On the other hand, elective courses provide complementary comprehension that helps students choose their specialization for the undergraduate thesis topics.

In general, the courses in Environmental Geography are classified into three more specific groups, including character development and basic science, expertise science and major specification, and expertise science and practical skill, which integrate the vision of Environmental Geography and Universitas Gadjah Mada. The first group includes courses on character development and basic science. The second group refers to expertise in science and major specification courses. The third group are expertise science and practical skill courses. The first group of courses consist of 23 credits for each semester in the first year. All courses are compulsory and designed as a course package. The second group of courses are offered in Semesters III, IV, and V. Starting in the second year, the students are required to take the rest of the credits, comprising compulsory and elective courses. This design provides opportunities for students to develop their specialization through the elective courses of their interest. In spite of taking compulsory and elective 21 courses, the students are encouraged to be involved in extra-curricular activities. The extra-curricular activities include various programs to support learning outcomes. The extracurricular is only offered in the second year.

The third group of courses that provide further scientific understanding and ability to conduct scientific works are taught in Semesters VI and VII. Most of the courses are compulsory, which develops the student’s capacity to conduct scientific work. The courses are delivered in a block system using a problem-based learning method. Each course has 5 or 4 credits with a ratio of theory to practicum: 3/2 credits or 2/2 credits. Environmental Geography is the only study program in the Faculty of Geography that applies the block system.

The block system consists of a series of lectures conducted continuously for five consecutive weeks. The students are obliged to take only one course of the block system and are not allowed to take other courses outside the block courses. The requirements to take the block system are as follows:

• Having passed the compulsory courses offered from semester 1 to semester 6
• Having passed a minimum of 109 credits of the compulsory and elective courses

The four specializations offered by Environmental Geography are attached to each laboratory under the Environmental Geography Department which also manages the courses that support this specialization. To ensure that each module maintains the quality and the requirements of the degree program, each module should provide learning materials, a module handbook and a course portfolio in each semester as planned by the Head of Environmental Geography.

Our Expected Learning Outcomes ensure students gain comprehensive knowledge and skills across four competency areas: knowledge and understanding, intellectual skills, practical skills, and managerial skills. Graduates are equipped to apply their knowledge to interdisciplinary problems, conduct research using geospatial technologies, and demonstrate ethical behaviour and lifelong learning. Through national and international cooperation, our program expands its network, enhancing educational quality and research impact. We collaborate with esteemed institutions such as universities in Japan and the Netherlands, striving to solve environmental problems and improve institutional governance.