UNIVEN Geography Department, The Department of Geography and Geo-Information Sciences is one of the five departments in the School of Environmental Sciences. The other departments of the School are: Hydrology and Water Resources; Mining and Environmental Geology; Ecology and Resource Management and Urban and Regional Planning.
Within the School, the niche of the Department is its emphasis on the analysis of spatial organisation of both the human and the physical environments. The processes that influence this organisation are analysed as the basis of understanding major issues in the environment in all the disciplines relevant to the School.
The Department’s major focus is spatial science providing mapping services, education and training in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS), Surveying and Geomatics. The Department serves the School, the University and the northern region (Vhembe District) of the Limpopo province and South Africa as a whole.
Three-year undergraduate, Honours, Master’s and Ph.D. degree programmes are offered. The main objective of the undergraduate programme is to provide students with a strong background to work as environmental and geo-information scientists.
The structure of the modules that constitute the programme provide for a broad based introduction to major world environments and associated techniques in the first year. In the second year students are introduced to theoretical thrusts and methodology. In the third year students begin to specialize. Masters and doctoral programmes are mainly geared towards research and applied work.
Students are also prepared to pursue career areas in line with the South African education policy that puts emphasis on career-oriented training and one that combines knowledge with skills training. Tourism Geography, Rural Development Planning, Population and Demography, Industrial and Settlement Studies, Applied Geomorphology, Climatology, Biogeography, Geography and Geo-Information Science are specific fields of study.
For more information contact the Head of Department:
Mission
To offer training & tertiary education in Physical & Human geography, & Geographical Information Sciences, while actively engaging in research & community work in order to respond to the development needs of the region, nation & southern Africa.
Vision
To be a centre of excellence in tertiary education in Geography & Geo-information Sciences in South Africa & to contribute to sustainable rural & regional development of southern Africa.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Programmes” tab_id=”1473337278684-1e55c073-e404″][vc_column_text](with Geo as major)
B.EnvSc
B.EnvScH(GEO)
M.EnvSc
PhD (GEO)
Programmes under Development: Bachelor in Disaster Risk Science; Diploma in GIS & Remote sensing
Undergraduate Modules
| CODE | MODULE TITLE | PREREQUISITE(S) |
| GEO 1541* | Integrated study of major world environments 1 | |
| GEO1520 | introduction to cartography, mapanalysis and aerial photograph interpretation | . |
| GEO 1641 | Intergrated study of major world environmental 2 | |
| GEO 1620 | Element of remote sensing and geomatics | |
| GEO 2541 | Spatial organisation of society | GEO 1641 |
| GEO 2542 | Quantitative and Qualitative | GEO 1520 |
| GEO 2641 | Patterns and processes in physical geography | GEO 1541 |
| GEO 2642 | Themes on the geography of Africa | |
| GEO 3541 | Geography of South Africa | GEO 2642 |
| GEO 3542 | Geomorphology | GEO2641 |
| GEO 3543 | Biogeography | GEO 2641 |
| GEO 3544 | Population and Demography | GEO 2541 |
| GEO 3545 | Settlement and Industrial Development | GEO 2541 |
| GEO 3641 | Remote sensing and Geographic Information System A | GEO 1620 |
| GEO 3642 | Climatology | GEO 2641 |
| GEO 3643 | Geography of Tourism | GEO 2541 |
| GEO 3644 | Rural Geography and Development | GEO 2541 |
| GEO 5520 | General Research Methodology : GEO 5520 | |
| GEO 5521 | Geographic Thought and Methodology | |
| GEO 5522 | Advanced Quantitative and Qualitative Research techniques: GEO 5520 | |
| GEO 5720 | Research project and Report/ Dissertatio (both semesters) | |
| GEO 5620 | Applied Geomoorphology | GEO 3542 |
| GEO 5621 | Applied Climatology | GEO 3542 |
| GEO 5622 | Applied Biogeography | GEO 3543 |
| GEO 5623 | Sustainable Tourism, Tuorism policy and management: GEO 5623 | GEO 3543 |
| GEO 5624 | Land tenure and Rural land Use | GEO 3644 |
| GEO 5625 | Advanced Population dynamics And Demography: GEO 5625 | GEO 3644 |
| GEO 5626 | Urbanisation and Rural studies | GEO 3542 |
| GEO 5627 | Geographic Infirmation system and Remote Sensing | GEO 3641 |
| GEO 6990 | Research and Dissertation | |
| GEO 7990 | Research and Thesis | |
| *all GEO modules are compulsory for studens who are taking geography as a major. Student who are taking GEO as an additional should take two continuous modules at each level. |
Research Interests: Applications of PGIS/GIS/RS in Flood Risk; Gully extraction; Modelling Soil Erosion; Cross-border Trade & Green economy.
Tel: +27 15 962 8593
Email: [email protected]
Office: F026, School of Environmental Science Building[/persons]
[persons photo=”3744″ name=”Professor B.D.O. Odhiambo” job=”Professor”]Qualifications: PHD (geography): University of Waterloo Ontario, Canada; MSc (Geology): University of Nairobi; Postgraduate Diploma (geomorphology) I.T.C Netherlands; Bachelor of Science (Hon): University of Nairobi, Kenya; Certificate of Achievement in remote sensing, Toulouse, France.
Research interests: Environmental Biogeochemistry, GIS and Remote Sensing, Exploration of economic mineral deposits using biogeochemical and geobotanical techniques.