Department Introduction

Geography is a science that analyzes the relationship between physical and human systems, the changes and developments that occur in both ecosystems and social living spaces as a result of these relationships, within the framework of the principles of distribution, relationship establishment, comparison, and causality, by asking the questions "what, where, why, how" and revealing the geoscientific, ecological, and social outputs of these changes and developments in a cause-effect relationship, both temporally and spatially.

Due to the wide scope of its field of study, geography, which has close contact with many different disciplines, has the ability to create awareness about many of today's problems, produce academic knowledge about the sources of problems, and gain the ability to provide solutions. Today, changes in earth processes encountered almost everywhere in the world, natural disasters, global warming, pollution (water, air, and soil), changes in vegetation, ecological degradations, desertification, etc. physical problems; political problems on national and international scales, social and economic problems arising from globalization and rapid urbanization can be shown as a few examples of many issues that geography science directly seeks solutions for. As a result of this diversity, many different fields of study and application have emerged under the main headings of physical and human geography, such as geomorphology, climatology, paleogeography, plant geography, soil geography, population and settlement geography, tourism geography, historical geography, cultural geography, political geography, transportation geography, industrial geography, agricultural geography, health geography.

Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which are used and applied in the fields of study of all sciences related to nature, humans, and space, have become indispensable in today's geographical research and analyses. While theories and applications are being produced in many fields such as geomorphology, climatology, energy, agriculture, urban planning, trade, tourism, health, insurance sector, forestry, and many more that can be counted, RS and GIS are utilized.

History

The Geography Department Undergraduate Program was established within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 2012. The department, located in the MAKÜ İstiklal Campus, started its educational activities by accepting its first students in the 2015-2016 academic year.

The department's graduate education activities are carried out within the Institute of Social Sciences, with the Master's program continuing since 2015 and the Doctorate program since 2020.

Mission and Vision

The Department of Geography aims to train geographers who, in line with the definition and objectives of the science of geography, can use current techniques and methods in examining and presenting the relationships between physical and human events and phenomena on the earth, the developments and changes caused by these relationships, the spatial distributions of physical and human objects, and the main factors causing this distribution. These geographers will have gained the ability to observe and interpret their environment with a geographical perspective, transform these gains into academic knowledge on national and international platforms, and evaluate geological, natural, social, cultural, economic, and political problems from a geographical perspective.

It aims to be a department that meets all the physical, technological infrastructure, and equipment needs necessary for today's education and research, is interested in all local and global problems related to nature and humans, can produce solution proposals for these problems within the cause-effect relationship, contributes to the development of geographical knowledge, and has established coordination with the national and international representatives of relevant scientific branches and public and private institutions and organizations with suitable fields of work.

Employment Areas

Every student who graduates from the program, provided that they meet the conditions determined by regulations and laws, can work as a researcher and reporter with the titles of “geographer, geomorphologist, climatologist, GIS Specialist” in studies to be carried out within the scope of geography in the central and provincial organizations of relevant official institutions within many ministries (General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration, General Directorate of Meteorology, General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works, General Directorate of Forestry, General Directorate of Highways, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Geographic Information Systems, General Directorate of Combating Desertification and Erosion, General Directorate of Spatial Planning, Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), Turkish Statistical Institute, etc.). In addition, graduates of the Geography department can work in regional planning studies and the planning activities of municipalities. They can also enroll in relevant master's and doctoral programs at universities in Turkey and abroad and continue their education to pursue an academic career.

Graduates of the Department of Geography can work as teachers in primary and secondary education institutions and private tutoring centers in the public and private sectors, provided they meet the conditions stipulated by the Ministry of National Education.

Students who take Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) courses can find job opportunities in many public institutions and private organizations, especially in the General Directorate of Geographic Information Systems and the General Directorate of Spatial Planning of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change.