Programme Structure

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Earth Observations (EO) play a significant role in the Geoinformatics specialisation. You'll get a deeper understanding of the theory and concepts behind GIS and EO and their use in fields like environmental monitoring and modelling on both local and global scales.

This enables you to perform advanced GIS/EO-based spatial analysis and to communicate the results both visually, orally, and in writing. You learn to select the appropriate EO data and methodology. Thus, you can assess the interaction between environmental resources, the dynamics and management of global and local land use, as well as global climate change.

This also allows you to evaluate data quality in order to understand and describe the limitations of current EO and GIS technology.

Among other things, you'll get the skills and competences to:

• understand the theories and practice of GIS and EO tools for applications within both human and physical geography.
• perform programming, customization and automation in GIS.
• use and apply a wide range of GIS/EO technologies and software.
• use state-of-the-art environmental monitoring algorithms within optical and thermal infrared remote sensing.
• process data from registers and digital maps.
• gain new insights into novel application of geoinformatics, including how to work with big data.

See the full description of the knowledge, competencies and skills you obtain with this specialisation in the curriculum for Geography and Geoinformatics.

The specialisation can be structured in two ways, depending on the size of your thesis:

Programme Overview, Thesis 45 ECTS

Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 45 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Thesis: 45 ECTS

One block equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS.

Programme Overview, Thesis 60 ECTS

Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 30 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Thesis: 60 ECTS

One block equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS.

Restricted Elective Courses

Choose your restricted elective courses from the lists below. Click on each course for a detailed description.

You must choose at least two courses from this list:

• Applied GIS and Geoinformatics for Urban Spatial Analysis
• Spatial and Temporal Pattern Analysis
• Remote Sensing in Land Science Studies
• Programming, Customization and Automation in GIS
• Satellite image processing and analysis in the big data era

Choose your remaining courses from this list:

• Environment, Society and Development in the global south
• Land Use Transitions in the Global South
• The Dynamics of City Regions: Social and Economic Change
• Ecosystems, Climate and Climate Change
• Coastal Geoscience
• Urban and Rural Transformation: Uneven Geographies in the Global North
• Glacial Geoscience
• Globalisation and Dynamics in Global Value Chains
• Rural Landscapes: Transformation and Governance
• Videregående fagdidaktik I Naturvidenskabelige Fag
• Environmental Soil Science
• Field and Methods Course in Geography and Geoinformatics (block 1+2 or block 3+4)
• Numerical Modelling in Fluvial, Coastal, Estuarine and Marine Environment
• Surface Hydrology
• International Migration – Flows, Networks and Diasporas
• Project Management
• Planlægning i det åbne land
• Thematic Course: Interdisciplinary Land Use and Natural Resource Management
• Aerial and Near-field Remote Sensing
• Rural-Urban Transformations in the Global South
• Ecological Modelling
• Human Adaptation to Climate Change and Variability
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• VVM i praksis
• Carbon Storage and Biological Interactions in Soil
• Project Course in Geography and Geoinformatics
• Project in Practice

In Physical Geography you focus your studies on geomorphology, terrestrial ecosystems, and global climate systems. You will get a thorough understanding of the physical processes of Arctic, Danish, and tropical ecosystems with a focus on soils, vegetation, and changing land use.

You will also learn about the interplay between atmospheric circulation and radiation/energy balance and its correlation with the global climate and hydrology. On a larger scale, you'll be able to assess the relationship between terrestrial ecosystems and climate systems in a historical and present-day context and across a range of temporal and spatial scales.

When you graduate, you have the skills and competences to:

• understand ecosystem changes in temperate, tropical, and arctic areas, including Earth's CO₂ emissions and sequestration related to global warming.
• use models at different scales and databases to understand present and historical climate and predict future development in climatic trends.
• design and carry out studies and research projects within the fields of geomorphology, sediment transport, and landscape processes.
• understand sediment transportation and deposits of heavy metals in areas like the Wadden Sea with regards to responsible coastal management – for example, in the context of sea level rise.
• understand linkages between biogeochemical processes related to soil, water, and climate for better management of natural resources.
• explain the relationship between climate, ecosystems, and land-use in different climate zones.

See the full description of the knowledge, competencies, and skills you obtain with this specialisation in the curriculum for Geography and Geoinformatics.

The programme can be structured in two ways, depending on the size of your thesis (45 or 60 ECTS):

Programme Structure (Thesis: 45 ECTS)

Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 45 ECTS – see list of courses below
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Thesis: 45 ECTS

Programme Structure (Thesis: 60 ECTS)

Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 30 ECTS – see list of courses below
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Thesis: 60 ECTS

One block equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS.

Restricted Elective Courses

Choose your restricted elective courses from the lists below. Click on each course for a detailed description.

You must choose at least two courses from this list:

• Coastal Geoscience
• Environmental Soil Science
• Numerical Modelling in Fluvial, Coastal, Estuarine and Marine Environment
• Surface Hydrology
• Ecological Modelling
• Marine Geoscience

Choose your remaining courses from this list:

• Remote Sensing of the Bio-Geosphere
• Applied GIS and Geoinformatics for Urban Spatial Analysis
• Environment, Society and Development in the global south
• Land Use Transitions in the Global South
• Climate Change and Water Resources
• Advanced Geoinformatics
• Spatial and Temporal Pattern Analysis
• Geopolitics of Climate Change
• Videregående fagdidaktik I Naturvidenskabelige Fag
• Field and Methods Course in Geography and Geoinformatics (block 1+2, block 3+4 or block 5+1)
• Remote Sensing in Land Science Studies
• Project Management
• Aerial and Near-field Remote Sensing
• Programming, Customization and Automation in GIS
• Human Adaptation to Climate Change and Variability
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• VVM i praksis
• Satellite image processing and analysis in the big data era
• Carbon Storage and Biological Interactions in Soil
• Project Course in Geography and Geoinformatics
• Project in Practice

The study of human geography centers around social, economic, and development geography, as well as human environment interactions and spatial planning.

You focus on globalisation processes and their geographical implications – for instance, the dynamics of global value chains, transformation of cities, regions and landscapes, migration, urbanisation, and land use change in both the Global North and South.

Thus, you'll get a deeper understanding of what globalisation means for the labour market, regional business, agriculture, as well as urban and industrial development.

You will also get insight into the social, political, and economic processes and drivers of the location, distribution, and growth of human activity, as well as the role of uneven geographical development and its implications. You can choose to focus on the Global North or Global South – or both.

As a graduate, you'll have the skills and competences to:

• understand and analyse complex relationships between human and environmental systems; for example, rural and urban transformations and their linkages to socioeconomic development and environmental planning.
• apply theoretical concepts of social, economic, development and environmental geography to real-world problems such as inequality and environmental degradation.
• understand the relationships between climate change, land use, and social processes in relation to assessing natural resource management.
• compile and analyse complex interdisciplinary data from a variety of sources to understand human geographical processes and their impacts, as well as spatial aspects at different scales.
• select and apply appropriate quantitative and qualitative methodologies for problem-based research, both in the form of desk- and field-based approaches.
• work in and understand the implications of cross-cultural contexts.

See the full description of the knowledge, competencies, and skills you obtain with this specialisation in the curriculum for Geography and Geoinformatics.

The programme can be structured in two ways, depending on the size of your thesis:

Programme Overview, Thesis 45 ECTS

Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 45 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Thesis: 45 ECTS

One block equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS.

Programme Overview, Thesis 60 ECTS

Compulsory courses: 15 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 30 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Thesis: 60 ECTS

One block equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS.

Restricted Elective Courses

Choose your restricted elective courses from the lists below. Click on each course for a detailed description.

You must choose at least two courses from this list:

• Land Use Transitions in the Global South
• The Dynamics of City Regions: Social and Economic Change
• Globalisation and Dynamics in Global Value Chains
• Rural Landscapes: Transformation and Governance
• International Migration - Flows, Networks and Diasporas
• Rural-Urban Transformations in the Global South

Choose your remaining courses from this list:

• Remote Sensing of the Bio-Geosphere
• Applied GIS and Geoinformatics for Urban Spatial Analysis
• Ecosystems, Climate and Climate Change
• Advanced Geoinformatics
• Spatial and Temporal Pattern Analysis
• Geopolitics of Climate Change
• Videregående fagdidaktik I Naturvidenskabelige Fag
• Field and Methods Course in Geography and Geoinformatics (block 1+2 or block 3+4)
• Remote Sensing in Land Science Studies
• Project Management
• Thematic Course: Interdisciplinary Land Use and Natural Resource Management
• Planlægning i det åbne land
• Aerial and Near-field Remote Sensing
• Programming, Customization and Automation in GIS
• Human Adaptation to Climate Change and Variability
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• VVM i praksis
• Satellite image processing and analysis in the big data era
• Field and Methods Course in Geography and Geoinformatics
• Project Course in Geography and Geoinformatics
• Project in Practice

You can study geography with a minor subject if you want to acquire the competences to teach or disseminate both subjects. This enables you to teach in Danish upper secondary schools.

You will also be able to communicate geographical topics and solution models to users and collaboration partners, for instance in connection with complex tasks and projects. In addition, you get the prerequisites for further studies e.g., a PhD programme.

See the full description of the admission requirements, as well as the knowledge, competences, and skills you obtain in the curriculum for Geography and Geoinformatics with a Minor Subject.

The programme can be structured in different ways depending on whether your minor subject is within or outside the field of science. The tables below show the recommended academic progression in both cases:

Programme Overview, Minor Subject Within the Field of Science

Compulsory courses: 7.5 ECTS
Elective courses: 37.5 ECTS
Minor subject: 45 ECTS
Master's thesis: 30 ECTS

One block each year equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS.

Programme Overview, Minor Subject Outside the Field of Science

Compulsory courses: 7.5 ECTS
Elective courses: 37.5 ECTS
Minor subject: 75 ECTS
Master's thesis: 30 ECTS

One block each year equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS.

Restricted Elective Courses

Choose your restricted elective courses from the lists below. Click on each course for a detailed description.

• Environment, Society and Development in the Global South
• Land Use Transitions in the Global South
• The Dynamics of City Regions: Social and Economic Change
• Applied GIS and Geoinformatics for Urban Spatial Analysis
• Remote Sensing of the Bio-Geosphere
• Coastal Geoscience
• Ecosystems, Climate and Climate Change
• Field and Methods Course in Geography and Geoinformatics (15 ECTS; block 1+2 or block 3+4 or block 5+1)
• Urban and Rural Transformation: Uneven Geographies in the Global North
• Glacial Geoscience
• Globalisation and Dynamics in Global Value Chains
• Environmental Soil Science
• Advanced Geoinformatics
• Spatial and Temporal Pattern Analysis
• Rural Landscapes: Transforation and Governance
• Videregående fagdidaktik I Naturvidenskabelige Fag
• International Migration – Flows, Networks and Diasporas
• Project Management
• Numerical Modelling in Fluvial, Coastal, Estuarine and Marine Environment
• Surface Hydrology
• Remote Sensing in Land Science Studies
• Planlægning i det åbne land
• Rural-Urban Transformations in the Global South
• Ecological Modelling
• Advanced Soil Science and Isotope Geochemistry
• VVM i praksis
• Aerial and Near-field Remote Sensing
• Programming, Customization and Automation in GIS
• Satellite Image Processing and Analysis In the Big Data Era
• Project Course in Geography and Geoinformatics
• Project in Practice