VIU’s Geography program can be taken as a major or minor with options that allow you to specialize in sustainable resource management or urban and social sustainability, as well as a general option.

The Geography (BA) Program

Geography is the study of earth spaces and places. 

Geographers are concerned with the distribution and patterning of physical and human phenomena in earth space, including the nature and magnitude of human impact on natural environments.

Protecting sustainable environments and managing the earth’s valued resources – land, water and air – are of vital interest to geographers. 

The geographic concepts of place and landscape provide a framework for understanding the role of culture in the evolution and development of urban and rural landscapes. 

When examined from a spatial (geographic) and temporal (historical) perspective, political, social and economic processes enable students to appreciate and understand the dynamic processes associated with the development of local and regional landscapes.

The B.A. Major in Geography features two areas of specialization – Sustainable Resource Management or Urban and Social Sustainability – and a General stream designed to broaden an understanding of physical and human geography. 

Theoretical and applied coursework in each stream is designed to strengthen communication skills in oral, written and visual presentations and to provide a range of transferable skills, notably in spatial analysis, remote sensing, and geographic information systems (GIS). 

Students will be challenged to think critically, analyze problems, and seek resolutions to conflicts, particularly in natural resource management and urban and social management.

The B.A. Minor in Geography provides the flexibility to tailor a program that best suits educational and/or career goals. Geography is a teachable subject in the British Columbia secondary system.

VIU’s dedicated, industry-standard GIS lab features the most up-to-date software packages, and the program provides ample opportunity to apply these computer-based tools and techniques. 

Small class sizes and active student-faculty interaction strengthen each student’s learning experience.

• Official transcripts
• Proof of English language proficiency
• Certified English translation of any documents issued in a language other than English
• A copy of your passport (photo page)
• Copy of High School Graduation Diploma (if available)

All students must:

• have completed Grade 9, or equivalent;
• turn 15 years of age by December 31 following a September enrollment;
• be under 19 years of age.