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- 2023 Archives
- Scientists dig deep and find a way to accurately predict snowmelt after droughts
- Cracking the Case of Missing Snowmelt After Drought
- 2023 Esri Canada GIS Scholarship for SFU
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Daniel Murphy
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Kyle Kusack
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Matthew Taylor
- Anke Baker Wins Staff Achievement Award
- Spring 2023 Virtual Geospeaker Event with Ginger Gosnell-Myers
- CAG Paper Presentation Award - Congratulations to Alysha van Duynhoven!
- Informing & Engaging Urban Youth on Public Hearings: GEOG 363 Final Showcase
- Research Talk: Modeling Urban Wetland Complexities
- Highlight Paper: Quantifying land carbon cycle feedbacks under negative CO2 emissions
- Bright Addae winner of the 2023 SFU ECCE GIS Scholarship Award
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Jonny Cripps
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Diandra Oliver
- 2023 Geospeaker Presentation with Dr. Pauline McGuirk
- Congratulations to Our Graduates - October 2023
- Evaluating the impact of educational goals at SFU
- The Belongings of Precariously Housed People - A Report
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Takuma Mihara
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Adrienne Arbor
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Claire Shapton
- 2023 Distinguished Speaker Presentation with Dr. Deb Cowen
- Cheers to Paul Degrace and his well-earned retirement!
- 2024 Archives
- Professor Nicholas Blomley Honored with the Community-Engaged Research Achievement Award
- Graduate Students Claire Shapton and Marina Chavez Honored with the Community-Engaged Graduate Scholar Award
- Applications now open: 2024 ESRI Canada GIS Scholarship for SFU
- Associate Professor Rosemary Collard achieves 13th place on SFU Altmetric List
- The PEAK feature: GSU hosts inaugural RANGE conference
- Gabrielle Wong wins First Prize in 2023 Student Learning Commons Writing Contest
- Gabrielle Wong receives Warren Gill Memorial Award
- Professor Nick Blomley receives Warren Gill Memorial Award for Community Impact
- Geography Student Union recipient of the FENV 2024 Changemaker Awards
- Senior Lecturer Tara Holland reveals the secret sauce of great teaching
- Senior Lecturer Tara Holland Receives SFU 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Bright Addae
- GIS undergraduate students participate in the Canada-wide 2024 AppChallenge competition
- Hallway Screens Slides
- 2023 Archives
- Alumni
As a student in the Physical Geography program you will choose from one of the following three streams. You can also choose to pursue professional accreditation as a Professional Geoscientist or Professional Agrologist* as part of completing this program. Please see our professional accreditation page for details on the accreditation process.
Biogeophysical Science
Offering a range of earth system science courses with a focus on earth system dynamics, this stream targets the courses needed for registration as a Professional Agrologist*.
Geoscience
The Geoscience stream investigates earth surface processes and targets the academic requirements for registration as a Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.) (Environmental Geoscience) within Canada.
Geosystems & GIScience
This stream focuses on the linkages between earth systems science and spatial information science. It also covers the requirements for the Certificate in Geographic Information Science.
*As of September 2022, all agrology services within BC must be provided by a registered professional agrologist.
Physical Geography Subdisciplines and Courses
Biogeography
Biogeography centres on the factors that control the distribution and functioning of the world’s ecosystems and the organisms of which they are made.
Climate Science
Climate Science is the study of the envelope of air that surrounds the Earth and is based on observation, description and explanation of the physical properties and processes of the atmosphere.
Geomorphology
Geomorphology is the scientific study of earth surface landforms and the processes that have led to their formation.
Hydrology
Hydrology is the science of water, its distribution, circulation, physical and chemical properties, and interaction with the environment.
Soil Science
Soil Science deals with soil as a natural surface layer capable of supporting living plants.