Geography, Enviromenment and Territory

The Bachelor's degree programme in Geography, Environment and Territory aims to provide students with thorough knowledge and skills in physical and human geography, and the applications thereof, with a view to equip them for the challenges posed by the sustainability goals of the UN Agenda 2030.
At the end of the three-year programme, graduates will have developed a solid theoretical and practical knowledge base, including proficiency in using advanced analytical methods and tools, allowing for a critical understanding of the complex processes regulating the Earth system. Thanks to this expertise, they will be able to thoroughly investigate the many factors influencing an area, in order to interpret environmental, social and cultural dynamics, and to provide solutions based on a trans-scalar approach, taking into account the correlations between those factors. During the programme, students are also taught to the theoretical and methodological foundations of physical geography, psychology, urban planning, anthropology, law, economics, sociology, history, philosophy and literature, becoming fully equipped to assess the multiple elements of human-nature interactions within a certain environment, territory or landscape, and how they have evolved over time and in different contexts. Lastly, graduates in Geography, Environment and Territory are proficient in the use of tools for the scientific analysis and representation of complex territorial systems.
During the first programme year, students learn the theoretical and methodological fundamentals of geography, which are essential to understand environmental and territorial processes. They gain knowledge and skills regarding cultural anthropology (i.e. the study of cultural diversity and the different views of the world) and contemporary history, acquiring a set of tools to critically understand its political, economic, social, cultural and religious aspects. They can also further their knowledge of Italian literature, its milestones, and the related aesthetics of landscape and environment. By the end of the first year, students are expected to pass a 3-credit language assessment attesting proficiency in English at level B1. To this end, they can either submit a valid certificate recognised by the University (if they have one), or attend the language courses organised by the University Language Centre. During the second year, students have the opportunity to further develop their English competence, acquire knowledge and skills regarding environmental psychology and the cultural elements of landscape, and approach other fundamental subjects which variously intersect the topics of environment and territory, with a stronger focus on ecology and environmental-awareness. Furthermore, second-year students can delve deeper in the topics, theories and analytical methods of specific branches of geography. In line with a more profession-oriented approach, during the third year students have to choose between two curricula (even though a number of courses remain compulsory for both). The first curriculum focuses on environment and sustainable development, investigating topics and issues linked to utilisation and transformation processes, political instances at the local and regional level, legal instruments and climate dynamics. The second curriculum is devoted to territorial valorisation and focuses on local development processes in the Global North and Global South, local marketing tools, community regeneration initiatives involving urban and peri-urban areas, and tourism activities with their trends and criticalities.
Additionally, students have to earn 3 university credits for other activities (workshops offered within the degree programme in Geography, Environment and Territory, workshops offered within other degree programmes but consistent with the study plan, language certificates), and another 3 credits for an internship at a company or public entity (research activities conducted under the lead of the thesis supervisor are also eligible). Lastly, students have to earn 12 credits for elective activities to be chosen from all the courses/workshops offered by the University (also as part of other degree programmes), provided that the courses/workshops chosen are consistent with the study plan. The degree programme offers a wide variety of in-person workshops, particularly on experimental methods, data collection and data processing.
Students wishing to participate in the Erasmus+ programme will be assisted by a professor acting as Erasmus+ coordinator, who will guide them in choosing the most suitable partner university and assist them in completing the Learning Agreement.
In accordance with European harmonisation principles, this first-cycle degree can be awarded to students who, having developed the necessary expertise in geography and other human and natural sciences, and having adopted a comprehensive and synthetic approach to their studies, are able to use the analytical tools of geography and the humanities to interpret, represent and communicate phenomena pertaining to the creation and evolution of environments, territories, landscape, cultures and societies. Additionally, graduates are expected to be proficient in at least one language of the European Union besides Italian, as well as in the use of IT tools to collect documents, process and manage information, produce cartographic representations and communicate with the public. All the above-mentioned skills are tested through written and/or oral exams, as well as during workshops and the internship, and students will have a chance to showcase them when writing and defending their final thesis (9 credits). Students are allowed to sit for exams only if they have properly registered for the exam date in question using the dedicated online service. Failure to register for an exam date will result in exclusion from the exam date in question. Students with certified specific learning disorders (SLD) are entitled to additional time and accommodations when taking exams, provided that they have duly communicated their condition to the competent office of the University, the SLD tutor for the degree programme, and the course lead instructor.