Uniben Department of Geography and Regional Planning

In July 1979, the Department of Social Sciences comprising Geography, Political Science, and Sociology was established in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. This was later-restructured into two Faculties: Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Social Sciences. The Department of Geography and Regional Planning is one of the six academic Departments in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

The other Departments are Political Science and Public Administration and Sociology and Anthropology among others. The basic aim of the Department is to provide vigorous training in both empirical and theoretical issues involved in understanding, analyzing and interpreting spatial patterns of human natural processes operating on the earth's surface. The impacts which, these processes generate on both the human natural environments, the understanding which is fundamental to national and international development, constitute major part of our research focus.

1. TEACHING AND RESEARCH FACILITIES

The Cartographic Unit and the Meteorological Section of the Geography and Regional Planning Department contain specialized equipment and research facilities for the use of students and staff. The work room in the Cartography Unit also has a large collection of maps, charts, atlases, and aerial photographs covering most parts of Nigeria. The Department has a specialized Printing Press from which several Professional Publications have been produced.

The Departmental Library contains a working collection of books in Geography and Planning, the collection is continuously updated by the addition of new publications in the field of Geography and Planning plus subscriptions to major Scientific Journals.

Other teaching facilities include complete sets of land surveying equipments such as theodolites, ranging poles, leveling tables, gunter chains, etc. Accessible to our students are the main computer facilities. Engineering Facilities and Educational Resource Centre-facilities located outside the Department.

The research activities of lecturers in the Department are mainly in the field of Urban and Regional Planning, Hydrology and Water Resources, Population and Resource Analysis, Transportation and Development, Geomorphology and Land Evaluation, Rural Development and Planning, Man - Environment System, Humanistic Geography, Philosophy of Geography, Remote Sensing, Cartography, Photogrammetry, Geographic Information System, Climatology and Biography.

2. STUDENTS ORGANIZATION AND PUBLICATIONS

All Single Honours and Education Students in the Department are expected to register as Members of Students of Geographical Association of the Undergraduate Students in the Department.

Among its objectives are the encouragement of social activities among geographers, between geographers and other students on campus, publicizing the content and purpose of modem geography, encouraging pupils in schools to study Geography and generally, to project the discipline of Geography worldwide. The Association publishes annually a Journal containing scholarly articles from both students and staff of the Department. The Journal is edited by the students and supervised by a Senior Academic Staff.

3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE DEGREE PROGRAMME

The undergraduate courses of the Department are structured to lay a thorough foundation in all the major branches of Geography and Regional Planning. Students are trained also in the applied aspects of the subject to equip them for the wide range of professions which are open to Geographers and Regional Planners in Nigeria. Training is also given to the student in the philosophy and techniques of the subject to initiate them into methods of research which will equip them for further specialization at the postgraduate level.

4. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

A. FOUR-YEAR DEGREE PROGRAMME

Admission into the Four-Year Degree Programme is through the Joint Matriculation Examination (JME). To be eligible for admission to this Four-Year B.Sc Degree Programme in Geography and Regional

Planning, a student must obtain;

1. A Senior Secondary Certificate or General Certificate of Education or their equivalent with at least five Credit Passes which must include English Language and Geography at not more than two sittings.
2. An acceptable pass in the JME in the following subjects.

Use of English, Geography any other two subjects.

B. THREE YEAR B.SC. DEGREE PROGRAMME

Admission into Three - Year B.Sc Degree Programme in Geography and Regional Planning is through Direct Entry. To be eligible for Admissions into this Programme, a student must obtain.

1. At least five Credit Passes in the General Certificate of Education or its equivalent of which at least two shall be at the Advanced Level, or five Credit Passes of which at least three shall be at the Advanced level, provided that such passes are not counted at both Levels of the examination. Two A Level subjects must include Geography and any other Social Science or Science subject(s) while the "O" Level subject must include English Language and Maths.
2. A Merit Pass in the N.C.E English Language or a pass in the General Paper at the H.S.C is acceptable as fulfilling the English

Language requirement for Direct Entry only, and

3. At least a Credit in Mathematics

6. DEGREE PROGRAMME AND REQUIREMENTS

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

In order to obtain a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) Degree in Geography and Regional Planning a student is required to complete a minimum of 154 Units of courses of which at least 128 Units are Geography and Regional Planning courses must be passed at the 300 and 400 levels. To graduate, all compulsory and required courses must be passed. This is in addition to completing courses in General Studies. Faculty course in Computer and other approved subsidiary course from among the following Departments. Agriculture. Business Administration, Botany, Chemistry Computer, Engineering, Economics, Geology, Physics, Mathematics, Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology. Fieldwork organized by the Department is required of all students and students are expected to pay part of its cost.