The Department of Geography

Let’s get to know the 3rd Rock From the Sun together.

INTRODUCTION

At the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor, you can study Geography during the first, second, and third cycle.

The first cycle of study trains students in the basics of the geography profession, i.e., independent learning and interpreting a specific geographical environment or landscape. The first-cycle programme provides an internationally comparable and fundamental comprehensive university geography education. After the first study cycle, students receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography.

The study of Geography is furthered throughout two second-cycle study programmes – one pedagogical and the other non-pedagogical. The pedagogical programme focuses on preparation for teaching Geography at different educational levels (Master of Arts in Geography), while the non-pedagogical programme focuses on research/applied Geography that is directly applicable to the sustainable development of local and global habitats (Master of Arts in Geography). Both of these programmes can be combined with other subjects within the combined course framework.

The third study cycle, or the doctoral study of Geography, trains students to create new knowledge in the field of Education and Applied Geography.

Geography graduates acquire a fundamental understanding of how natural and social elements are linked in a particular landscape. They can participate in the sustainable planning of the development of economic activities that are directly embedded in and dependent on a particular landscape, or they can actively take part in the assessment of the interdependence of social, economic, and natural factors of the environment. By portraying the spatial dimensions of geographical phenomena and processes on maps, students are able to draw attention to interactions in space that are useful in economic activities (tourism, transport, agriculture, industry, etc.) Prospective employment fields include administrative work, statistical data analysis, geoinformatics, tourism, environmental protection, media, and others. Students may also opt to become self-employed or to take part in individual project activities that support economic activities. Employment opportunities for students in the non-economy sector are also available in institutions where Geography forms one of the core activities or sources of information and knowledge about the environment (e.g., institutes for the protection of natural and cultural heritage, spatial planning institutes, statistical offices, municipal departments for the environment and spatial planning and social activities, development agencies, landscape park administrations, project work companies), in print and other media, as well as in the form of self-employment. The planned quality of the learning outcomes and competences ensures employability amongst the listed institutions. In recent years, there has been a growing demand for suitably-qualified staff to take part, for a limited period, in a wide range of projects in the field of spatial element analysis (research projects, etc.)

The Department of Geography coordinates the GEOREGNET University Network as part of the CEEPUS Central European Mobility Programme.

In all, the study of Geography prepares students to enter a diverse job market (education, GIS and cartography, environmental engineering, spatial planning, tourism, administration, media, natural and cultural heritage protection, and research).

MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT

STUDY PROGRAMMES

EVENTS

Ni dogodkov.

Past Departmental Events

PROJECTS AND PROGRAMME GROUPS

Current Projects

Ni projektov.

Completed Projects

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Members of the Department of Geography collaborate with several geographical institutions at universities abroad. The most intensive cooperation takes place with universities in Central and Eastern Europe, but recently we have also been working with various universities in Asia and Africa. This cooperation includes staff mobility, as well as involvement in research work in project groups, participation in editorial boards, conferences and seminars, summer schools, etc.

Within the framework of international cooperation, we strongly encourage the mobility of both students and staff. In the Erasmus+ international mobility programme, we cooperate with 23 partner institutions at the universities of Brno, Ostrava, Olomouc, Plzeň, Prague, Bayreuth, Marburg, Passau, Leioa, Bordeaux, Zagreb, Zadar, Pécs, Amsterdam, Faro, Lisbon, Krakow, Poznań, Toruń, Banska Bystrica, Prešov, Antakya, and Karabük.

Within the Central European Mobility Programme CEEPUS, we actively participate in the GEOREGNET International University Network. The Network includes 19 geography departments and institutes at universities in Maribor, Ljubljana, Koper, Graz, Krakow, Prague, Olomouc, Oradea, Pécs, Prešov, Nitra, Sarajevo, Mostar, Skopje, Pristina, Novi Sad, Zagreb, and Zadar.

Between the Academic Years 2017/18 – 2019/20, 38 Geography students participated in international mobilities in Maribor, 27 of them under the Erasmus+ programme and 11 under the CEEPUS programme. Erasmus+ student mobility was spread over two thirds of the abovementioned partner institutions, while CEEPUS mobility mainly involved Zagreb and Skopje.

STUDENT AND EXTACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Student Research and Professional Activities:

  • participation in PKP (Creative Path to Knowledge) and SIPK (Student Innovative Projects for Social Benefit) projects;
  • participation in other local, regional, national, and international projects linked to the Department of Geography and the International Centre for Ecoremediation;
  • participation in scientific and professional research in the framework of study courses and the International Centre for Ecoremediation;
  • independent or co-authored submission of professional and scientific journalistic articles;
  • tutoring activities;
  • participation in the Association of Geography Students Maribor (DŠGM/EGEA Maribor), which is affiliated with the Association of Geographers of Slovenia (ZGS) – participation in congresses, motivational weekends, and exchanges;
  • publishing of the student geographical newspaper GeoUm;
  • participation in the Slovenian Geography Night within the framework of the Association of European Geographical Societies (EUGEO);
  • international student exchanges;
  • fieldwork and excursions;
  • networking and active cooperation with local, regional, and other schools of different educational levels and organisations employing geographers, or potential employers;
  • assistance and active cooperation with the Slovenian National Education Institute in school geography competitions at different levels;
  • organising and co-organising Slovenian and international symposia and professional events;
  • providing educational assistance on the Razlagamo.si platform;
  • professional further education (for work with the youth, outdoor classroom activities, and for guiding in nature…).

Extracurricular Social and Professional Activities:

  • a traditional GEO Day at the Faculty of Arts in Maribor;
  • student travel lectures;
  • traditional departmental Christmas and New Year gatherings;
  • traditional geography first-years party;
  • excursions, picnics, etc.

SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND PUBLISHING

Since 2006, the Department of Geography has been publishing a scientific periodical publication, the Journal for Geography, twice a year. The international Editorial Board is composed of renowned geographers from Slovenia and foreign universities. The articles provide new scientific insights into the field of geography and related scientific disciplines. All articles are fully available here.

The Department of Geography also publishes scientific monographs in the book series Spaces. The series comprises two types of book publications: author’s works, which aim to affirm, popularise and document the research achievements of individuals, and in particular geographers, and book publications in the field of Geography and related sciences. It includes original and translated scientific monographs, project reports, dissertations, study materials, and university textbooks – in short, anything that is the result of research work. The series is also a form of affirmation of the research work of the Department of Geography’s members, and is open to authors whose research work is worthy of publication in terms of its content and methodology. In spatial terms, the journal is aimed at providing information about the local environment, Maribor, and the North-Eastern part of Slovenia, thus contributing to a better knowledge of the area and raising awareness of its natural, cultural, and development potentials. Book editions are usually available in print and digital form, and can be accessed free of charge here.

RG Journal for Geography Scientific Monographs

Links

Library Materials Cartographic Materials Data materials (The Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia) Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, Ljubljana Anton Melik Geographical Institute Department of Geography, Faculty of Humanities, University of Primorska Association of Slovenian Geographers Geography Teachers Society Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport National Education Institute, geography subject field National Examinations Centre – RIC Eurydice Slovenija Slovenian Environment Agency ARSO Geographical Museum GIAM ZRC SAZU Association of Municipalities and Towns in Slovenia Service for Environment Protection – City Municipality of Maribor Maribor Development Agency
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