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).