Study at the Department of Geography
If you study geography in Bergen, you will work with current topics such as climate change, food security, and the green transition, and see how nature and society are connected in practice. If you study system dynamics, you will work with methods and tools to analyse the dynamics of social systems. The Department of Geography is a place for those who want to use knowledge and insight to understand and influence the world around them.
What do you do in your studies?
You learn through fieldwork, analysis and collaboration
Geography is both a theoretical and practical discipline. Early in your studies, you will take part in field courses where you collect data in cities, small communities, and natural landscapes. You will work in groups, make observations, conduct interviews, and test theories in practice. Fieldwork is combined with lectures, seminars, and project-based learning.
You work with digital tools and spatial data
Geographic information systems (GIS) are a central part of geography studies. You will learn to analyse and visualise spatial data, for example in relation to land use, natural hazards or population development. These tools are used in several of the courses and provide specific skills that are in demand in working life.
Explore geography from multiple perspectives before choosing your path
During the bachelor's programme, you will study human geography, physical geography and environmental geography, giving you a broad understanding of the field. As your interests develop, you can tailor your studies and specialise in the areas that suit you best. The programme offers a varied learning experience through methodology and thematic courses, active-teaching methods, independent research and collaborative projects. With elective credits, you can also go on exchange or take courses from other diciplines at UiB. The degree qualifies you for all master's programmes at the department, opening the door to further specialisation.
You develop simulation models
System Dynamics provides you with expertise in model-based social planning. You learn systems thinking and gain methods for understanding and analysing complex systems over time. Through the development of simulation models (and scenarios), you can understand complex relationships and feedback mechanisms in a system and test different strategies before they are implemented. System dynamics is particularly useful for analysing challenges related to resource management, public health issues and food systems. Most bachelor's degrees qualify for the master's programme in system dynamics.
Three disciplines – one common perspective
The Department of Geography's study programmes cover physical and environmental geography, human geography and sustainable development, and system dynamics. Research and teaching are aimed at major societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, natural resources management, and global inequality. For you as a student, this means that the teaching is research-oriented, problem-oriented, and closely linked to current issues.
Fieldwork and project work
You will gain a lot of practical experience through fieldwork. You will gain valuable group collaboration experience, useful competencies for working life, and a contribution to a good student environment. In the master's programmes, you will gain valuable experience in the development and implementation of an independent research project.
Proposed New Master's Projects
As a master's student, you will work on your own research project and be assigned an academic supervisor from the department. Are you wondering what topic to choose for your master's thesis and who might supervise you? Here, our academic staff present their research interests and suggest potential new master's projects.
Human Geography and Sustainable Development
Physical and Environmental Geography
System Dynamics
- Birgit Kopainsky
- Saeed Langarudi
- Ali Saysel
Ongoing master's projects in geography
Class of 2025
Amanc Aff
Strategisk planlegging for befolkningsvekst i Osloregionen: En komparativ studie av samspillet mellom Oslo og Bærum kommune
Supervisor: Knut Hidle
Celina Risa Asmervik
Bre- og klimahistorie under den Lille Istid ved Greinbreen i Breheimen, sentrale Sør-Norge
Supervisor: Svein Olaf Dahl
Bi-veileder: Kristian Vasskog
Eirik Brandsdal
Forhold mellom Bergen og byfjellene fra et turistperspektiv
Supervisor: Odd Inge Steen
Jakub Fercak
Glacier Hydrology and Ice-cored Moraines in Jotunheimen and Dovrefjell, Southern Norway
Veileder: Rannveig Øvrevik Skoglund
Supervisor: Svein Olaf Dahl
Vetle Fossan
Groundwater Influence on Streambed Temperature and Thermal Regimes in the Suldalslågen River
Supervisor: Rannveig Øvrevik Skoglund
Co supervisor: Helge Skoglund
Johan L. H. Furre
Quaternary geological mapping and age of early- to mid-Holoceneglacier advances in the Vesterdalen (Glomdalen) area, Svartisen, northern Norway
Supervisor: Svein Olaf Dahl
Co supervisor: Henriette Linge, Kristian Vasskog
Veronika Gorbenko
Land Degradation Trends during Wartime: A Practical Case Study
Supervisor: Gidske Leknæs Andersen
Co supervisor: Olena Dubovyk
Mathias Myrmel Herdlevær
Occurrence and provenance of «exotic» erratic boulders at Herdlevær in Øygarden, western Norway; implications for the Norwegian Channel Ice Stream, glacier extent in western Norway, and palaeoclimate
Supervisor: Svein Olaf Dahl
Co supervisor: Henriette Linge, Kristian Vasskog
Lena Haugland Herheim
Korleis påverker stad unge sine planar om å få barn?
Supervisor: Knut Hidle
Eskil Løvås Hjelm
Land-use conflicts in Laikipia County
Supervisor: Connor Joseph Cavanagh
Pål Hjelm
Fuelwood for fish smoking in Ghana
Supervisor: Ragnhild Overå
Clara Holtzer
Pervious cities and blue green infrastructure strategies: A case study in Lyon
Supervisor: Håvard Haarstad
Eskil Egilsønn Killie
Case-studie av to kommuner med befolkningsnedgang
Supervisor: Knut Hidle
Jan Kopečný
Assessment of Snøhetta and Nautgardstind glacier changes by photogrammetric and remote sensing
Supervisor: Rannveig Skoglund
Co supervisor: Benjamin Robson
Heidi Mohrsen
Fra caatinga til vindkraft og solcellepark – Statkrafts «Santa Eugênia»
Supervisor: Connor Joseph Cavanagh
Endre B Nesse
Industriell symbiose i Årdal
Supervisor: Grete Rusten
Anna Skarstein Olsen
Planlegging for befolkningsvekst i Lillestrøm
Supervisor: Knut Hidle
Tobias Olav Chatwin Olsen
Historisk-geografisk materialistisk analyse av Bergen
Supervisor: Håvard Haarstad
Johanne Rasmussen
Demokratiske rom: bibliotekansatte sin praksis på Dokk1
Supervisor: Knut Hidle
Barttosz Feliks Raszkowski
The interaction between local communities and business parkdevelopment on Askøy. Challenges and opportunities.
Supervisor: Grete Rusten
Sigrid Bru Reigstad
Bre- og klimavariasjoner ved Greinbreen i Breheimen bastert på innsjøsedimenter og kvartærgeologisk kartlegging tidlig- og midt Holosen
Supervisor: Kristian Vasskog
Co supervisor: Svein Olaf Dahl
Mathias Ringkjøb
Small fish in Ghana school meals – the caterers’ perceptions
Supervisor: Ragnhild Overå
Henrik Netland Rolland
Tidlig- og midt-Holocene bre- og klima variasjoner knyttet til Austerdalsisen i Stillelvdalen og Bjørn Vassdalen, Svartisen i Nordland
Supervisor: Svein Olaf Dahl
Co supervisor: Kristian Vasskog
Ingvild Dahl Rust
Utviklingsstrategier og utfordringer for matprodusenter i jordbruket i Kongsberg kommune
Supervisor: Odd Inge Steen
Robert David Sheath
Planleggerens rolle i implementering av bildeling i bærekraftige mobilitetssystemer
Supervisor: Håvard Haarstad
André Carrillo Simonsen
Investigations of the Ømmertjønn cave system: active karst hydrology and relict caves
Supervisor: Rannveig Skoglund
Jørgen Hjellestad Sæthre
Endringer i lokalt havnivå rundt Jektvik
Supervisor: Kristian Vasskog
Ida Marie Moberg Trøen
Overturisme i Bergen og Flåm
Supervisor: Odd Inge Steen
Isayes Abebe Urge
Konflikter ved sykkelplanlegging
Supervisor: Håvard Haarstad
Class of 2024
Anni-Reetta Kristiina Häkkilä
Conservation-induced human migration in Narok County, Kenya
Supervisor: Connor Cavanagh
Ingunn Kyllingstad
Primærsuksesjon i breforland, fasilitert av nitrogenfikserende tiriltunge
Supervisor: Ole Reidar Vetaas
Katarzyna Marta Sikorska
Wine grapes in Norwegian agriculture: an exploratory study of Norway's potential for wine grape cultivation due to climate change
Supervisor: Peter Andersen
Co supervisor: Darius Kviklys, NIBIO
Andreas Heian Slettevold
Cars and Karst in Bonnå Valley
Supervisor: Rannveig Øvrevik Skoglund
Class of 2021
Polyxeni Fragkiadaki
The effects of sea-level rise in coastal areas of Norway - GIS based approach for vulnerability assessment in coastal areas from sea level rise in the Norwegian coast
Supervisor: Gidske L. Andersen
Students presents their projects
Christina Achieng Ngoje
Current trends in the Availability and access for consumers of Omena vs. farmed tilapia in Kisumu markets
Katarzyna Marta Sikorska
Wine grapes in Norwegian agriculture: an exploratory study of Norway's potential for wine grape cultivation due to climate change
Daniel Tveit
Holocene glacier fluctuations at Svartisheibreen, Nordland, and links to sea level and climate
Student projects in system dynamics
Here you will find an overview of completed student projects and master's theses in system dynamics:
Student projects in System Dynamics
Student life
Terra is the student association for geography students at UiB. At UiB, you will also find student organizations covering a wide range of interests, providing a great opportunity to meet other students who share your passions and hobbies.