TSM Geography and German

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Why study Geography?

Geography is truly interdisciplinary as it spans a broad spectrum of the social, biological, informational and physical sciences. As the world becomes interconnected geographers are well placed to bring their understanding and skills to bear on social and environmental issues. An important attribute of geographers, and one that is highly regarded in the workplace, is their ability to combine multidisciplinary knowledge with a wide range of transferable skills, including critical thinking, report-writing, numeracy and IT-literacy. These can be applied to careers which directly incorporate a geographic dimension, such as environmental consultancy or urban planning, and to wider areas such as business and public service.

Course content

The Junior Freshman (first year) Geography course aims to provide a solid grounding in physical geography, focusing on materials that are dealt with in greater depth in later years.

All students take'Geography 1021' which considers the following themes:

• Climate change
• Global atmospheric and ocean systems
• Global geoecology
• Global geosystems
• Surface processes and landscape development

In addition, students may select to take'Geography 1022' which introduces key concepts relating to the interactions between humans and their environment by examining case studies from the fields of conservation, environmental degradation and environmental hazards.

In the first year, as students study geography in combination with other subjects, they attend an average of four lectures per module per week. The Senior Freshman (second year) geography modules cover issues relating to cultural, economic and historical geography, and to natural and human-modified environmental processes and systems. Research skills are developed further through a course on collection and analysis of geographical data which includes a fieldwork component.

The Sophister years

There are four compulsory modules (5 credits each) in Junior Sophister (third) year:

• Advanced research methods in geography I
• Advanced research methods in geography II (which includes an overseas fieldtrip)
• Geographic information systems
• History and philosophy of geography

There are also additional optional modules (5 credits each) covering a wide range of subjects that include:

• Coastal processes and management I and II
• Globalisation
• Hydrology and water resources I
• Quaternary environmental change and climate
• Quaternary geomorphology I
• The origins of humanity

For their Senior Sophister (fourth) year, students undertake a research dissertation and choose from optional modules that include:

• Climate change
• Environmental governance I and II
• Globalisation and African development
• Historical geography I and II
• Hydrology and water resources II
• Property development, urban planning and the state
• Quaternary geomorphology II
• Reconstructing environmental change
• Understanding environmental change

Several of the Sophister year options require field and laboratory work. Students may also opt to take a number of courses outside geography in their Sophister years.

Assessment

A combination of continuous assessment and end-of-year examination is used.

Study abroad

There are opportunities for students to spend all or part of the third year studying abroad at Exeter, Bordeaux, Paris, Utrecht or Stockholm universities.

Career opportunities

A wide range of career options is potentially available to geography graduates. The combination of a broad-based discipline and training in highly relevant transferable skills is valued in today's job market, where adaptability and flexibility are widely regarded as assets. Careers taken up by graduating geography students in recent years include urban and regional planning, environmental consultancy and research and teaching as well as positions in such areas as financial services (including insurance), foreign affairs, leisure and tourism and overseas development.

Did you know?

• In recent years, Sophister year geography students have been involved in academic staff-led fieldwork in Iceland, Mallorca and Zambia, and in making digital video documentaries as part of their assessed work.

Further information

Tel: +353 1 896 1576

Admission Requirements

For general admission requirements please click here