BACHELOR OF ARTS HONOURS IN GEOGRAPHY

The purpose of the Bachelor of Arts Honours in Geography is to provide advanced academic and research training in Geography, which will equip students to proceed with a Master’s degree in any of the structured professional fields of Geography, including: Water related issues- e.g. water managers, water scientists; Climatology and meteorology; Planning departments- e.g. in Municipalities; Policy development; Tourism industries and conservation; Educators, and Administrators. Students will develop knowledge and skills that will enable them to work in a variety of contexts and enable them to contribute to society. The need for quality trained Geographers, in all of the professional fields, is fundamental not only to the Mpumalanga Province but the entire country.

The core modules of Research Methodology (15 credits), Philosophy of Science and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (15 credits), and the independent (year-long) Research Project (30 credits) are common to all Honours programmes offered by the School of Biology and Environmental Sciences. Students will then select three specialist theory modules to bring their total credit count to 120 (Table 1). The theory modules will allow students to develop in depth and current knowledge and skills in important areas of Geography including remote sensing, climatology and integrated environmental management.

The research project and theory modules will be in the area of specialisation and will amount to 75% of the 120 credits. The modules on research methodology and on the philosophy of science and IKS represent essential foundational knowledge, albeit it at level 8, and amount to 25% of the 120 credits.