Bachelor of Science in Teaching Geography (4 years, 240 ECTS)

Name and the Goals of the Study Programme

Title of the study programme and study cycle is Bachelor Academic Studies – Bachelor with Honours in Geography Teaching.

The aim of the study programme is mastering the content of the branches of Geography such as Physical Geography and Human Geography, inter-related branches like Regional Geography, as well as didactic-methodical content in the field of Geography which which synthesize the state-of-the-art achievements in Geography, especially those reflecting and solving the problems of the modern society. Nature and type of achievements in geographical research are reflected in the names of study subjects comprised by this study programme.

Type of the Study and the Outcome of the Education Process

Academic studies are conducted depending on the number of students enrolled, their interest and academic achievements during the course of studies. This influences the choice of teaching method: direct, indirect or other. The applied teaching methods are traditional ex cathedra teaching, interactive dialogue (mainly heuristic), graphic, experimental, fieldwork, writing of the seminar papers and their oral presentation, etc.

Professional Title, Academic, or Scientific Title

Upon completion of studies, candidates acquire the title of Bachelor with Honours in Geography Teaching.

The Time Allotted for the Realization of Particular Study Forms

Studies last for four years. Every course has a defined number and type of lectures depending on the approach applied, teaching method and the overall educational technology.

Credit Values of Particular Courses

The overall credit score of the study programme is 240 ECTS (60 ECTS per study year).

Way of Choosing Courses from the Other Study Programmes

Courses are grouped in four categories:

1. Academic-general education (14,0%)

2. Theoretical-methodical (20,3%)

3. Scientific (34,9%) and

4. Professional-applied courses (30,8%).

Teaching is conducted through active methods and comprises lectures, exercises, practical work, fieldwork, seminar papers, and consultative work.

Transferring from Another Study Programme

Conditions for transfer from other study programmes within the related fields are defined in accordance with the valid study programmes at the Faculty of Sciences in Novi Sad.

The purpose of the study programme is to educate specialists in the field of Geography with special competencies for work in primary and secondary education sector. Structure of the study programme is designed to provide basic knowledge in natural sciences through the general-academic and theoretical-methodical courses, which will be upgraded in further course of studies through the group of scientific and professional-applied courses within the scientific field of Geography. In the fourth year of studies, students are enabled to fully master the challenges of modern Geography teaching through a group of obligatory and elective courses belonging to pedagogical and methodical field. The concept of this study programme enables creating experts in the field of Geography teaching who possess all the necessary competences. Acquired skills and competences at this study level represent a solid base of fundamental knowledge, which is to be further upgraded through academic graduate master studies in Geography and related profiles.

The purpose of the study programme is in line with the main tasks and goals of the Faculty of Sciences and Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management or Geography studies in particular.

Goal of the study programme of Bachelor with Honours in Geography Teaching is educating subject teachers – professors of Geography, competent to work in primary, secondary vocational schools and grammar schools. This study programme provides broad and up-to-date academic education in the field of geographical sciences thus creating the competencies needed by future Bachelors with Honours in Geography Teaching. In addition, the modern concept of methodical and pedagogical-psychological courses enables development of pedagogical, didactic, methodical and communication competencies.

Future graduates, Bachelors with Honours in Geography Teaching, are encouraged to continue their professional development.

General and course-specific competencies of students

Learning outcomes

 By mastering the study programme, students acquire the following general competencies:

• analysis, synthesis and solution and consequences forecast;
• applying knowledge in practice;
• mastering methods, procedures and processes in research;
• developing critical and self-critical thinking and approach;
• developing communication skills and collaboration with immediate social and international environment;
• professional ethics.

By mastering the study programme, students acquire the following course-specific skills and competences:

• application and development of professional knowledge: specialist (geographical, with all other disciplines included), didactic-methodical and psychological, necessary for successful implementation of Geography curricula in primary and secondary schools and in line with up-to-date requirements of the teaching and learning processes;
• planning, programming and managing Geography teaching in primary and secondary schools;
• communication and interaction with students (evaluation and development of students in order to be informed and with the aim to develop, motivate and evaluate their work), parents, school management, colleagues and local community;
• interdisciplinary and inter-competitive skills (knowledge in new educational and information technologies and their application in Geography teaching), knowledge in other sciences, in the first place, natural sciences;
• planning and self-evaluation of own continual professional development;
• being aware of importance of continual professional development;
• development of skills of knowledge application in the certain field; application of information-communication technologies in mastering the knowledge on geographic layer and its spheres (lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, pedosphere, sociosphere) which are interrelated and mutually interactive.

Upon completion of the Bachelor with Honours in Geography Teaching study programme, graduated students are fully competent to work as Geography subject teachers in primary, secondary, vocational and general secondary education sector, for work on professional development and education in all aspects of informal Geography education, for work in educational-scientific institutions which require legally recognized professional titles, and for work in specialist, developmental and supervisory pedagogical services within managing authorities.

 Students who complete bachelor academic studies of Geography, have a wide range of possibilities to find employment in institutions which deal with nature protection, in centres for demographic research, urban planning institutes, statistical demographic institutes, various municipal services, cadastres, geodetic institutes, tourism, scientific institutions dealing with geographical research, various cultural institutions (museums, galleries), geographical information centres.