Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Degree

Mono-bachelor, Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) or Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), depending on the study component (science, humanities or social sciences). Also have a look at the combined bachelor’s course in Geography as well as the ‘Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes at HU’ FAQ.

Standard time for completing course

6 semesters

Start of study

Cf. course catalogue

Course structure

In total 180 credit points (CP*) are required

Mandatory Modules: 90 CP (including bachelor’s thesis)
Mandatory Elective Modules: 70 CP
General Elective Modules: 20 CP

*One credit point (CP) equals a workload of 25 - 30 hours for preparation, follow-up and attendance at classes.

Course objectives

The bachelor’s course in Geography is an integrated, balanced study of the foundations of Physical Geography and Human Geography, followed by specialisation in one of the two sub-disciplines. The course teaches theory along with a broad spectrum of processes and empirical working methods in lectures and accompanying seminars. The subject-based studies are intended to equip students with the following competencies:

• appreciation of current attitudes to the understanding of Geography and its role today’s society; essential issues in the history of Geography; fundamental geographical subject matter and processes; current hot topics in research in the sub-disciplines of Physical Geography, Human Geography and the overlapping areas of the two; fundamentals of the spatial fields of application of Geography; the interdisciplinary relationships of Geography; the development, interconnection and problems of geographical spaces of different scales; and fundamental subject-specific methods and working techniques.
• The ability to: acquire, process, analyse, evaluate and present information and data; produce structured, media-based argumentation and presentation based on sound specialist terminology; reflect on social and personal values and their relationship to one another; think in alternatives and consider different points of view; to arrive at your own opinion; communicate and cooperate.

Why study Geography at HU?

Geography is the ideal subject if you don’t want to study a pure humanities subject or a pure science subject. It also appeals to people who are interested in understanding, analysing and finding solutions for complex relationships between people and their environment. Geographers spend their time concentrating on the components of nature - soils, climate, the water cycle, flora and fauna. At the same time they are also interested in population development in Germany and across the world, economic networks in different spatial contexts, mega cities with more than 10 million inhabitants and human consumption behaviour. Global questions like: ‘Will we be able to feed 9 billion people soon?’ or "How can we use natural resources more sparingly, both as individuals and at the global level? How can we switch to alternative energy sources in an age of climate change?’, ‘Where will cities grow in the future? Which ones will shrink?’ are questions that interest geographers around the world.

Because of the diversity of the subject of Geography and its interdisciplinary nature, your state-of-the-art education at HU will include student projects in teams, internships, special courses on technical methods in geomatics and computer modelling and field trips.

Content of studies

The best place to find information about course content is the annotated university calendar. It is online at u.hu-berlin.de/vorlesungsverzeichnis. The Course Advisory Service is also available to help you (see below). You’ll find module descriptions, the course curriculum and other details in the course and examination regulations, available online at www.amb.hu-berlin.de, Nr. 69/2014.

Mono-bachelor's course Geography with 180 CP

Mandatory Modules (90 CP)

Mandatory elective modules (70 CP)

General elective modules (20 CP)

In addition to specialised study, Students acquire subject-specific, non-specialist and interdisciplinary key qualifications of 20 CP. The general elective modules can be chosen from the module catalogues of other subjects or central institutions (see: http://agnes.hu-berlin.de/).

General elective course offerings for students coming from other courses of studies

Master’s degrees

You can apply for the following master’s courses at Humboldt-Universität:

- Geography of the City - Human Geography
- Geography of the City - Physical Geography, Environment and Nature
- Arid Land Studies (ATLANTIS)
- Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture
- Horticultural Science
- Integrated Natural Resource Management
- Modern South and South-East Asian Studies
- Rural Development

You’ll find other programmes in the current ‘Post-graduate degree courses’ course catalogue, available at http://studium.hu-berlin.de/beratung/sa.

Important addresses

Department of Geography: Rudower Chaussee 16, www.geographie.hu-berlin.de, Tel. +49 30 2093-9301
Course Advisory Service:  Mr. Schuster, Tel. +49 30/2093-6880, studienfachberatung.mono-bachelor.geo@hu-berlin.de
Approval/classification: Prof. Bagoly-Simó, Tel. +49 30/2093-6871, peter.bagoly-simo@geo.hu-berlin.de
Applications: http://studium.hu-berlin.de/bewerbung, see also ‘course catalogue’
Links to job market: careers information centre (http://www.arbeitsagentur.de/web/content/DE/BuergerinnenUndBuerger/ArbeitundBeruf/Berufswahl/Berufsinformationszentren/index.htm) , employment market reports (http://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de/Navigation/Statistik/Arbeitsmarktberichte/Akademiker/Akademiker-Nav.html), Federal Employment Office Berufenet (http://berufenet.arbeitsagentur.de/berufe/), Hochschulteam calendar of events (http://www.arbeitsagentur.de/web/content/DE/dienststellen/rdbb/berlinmitte/Agentur/BuergerinnenundBuerger/Akademiker/index.htm)

Version: January 2023
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Contact for questions or feedback regarding this page: studienberatung@uv.hu-berlin.de