Geography

KNU named after J.Balasagyn is implementing the following objectives in the field of teaching and education of students in the direction of Masters 520400 "Geography"

Training of specialists who possess the fundamental scientific base, methodology of scientific creativity, modern geoinformation technologies, methods of obtaining, processing, and storage of scientific information, ready for research and design and industrial work, as well as for pedagogical activity.

Master's students in the direction "Geography" at admission can choose one of the available profiles for their study:

- Physical Geography;

- Economic, social, and political geography.

Areas of professional activity of graduates are:

- scientific and research;

- design and production;

- control and expert;

- administrative;

- pedagogical work related to knowledge about the Earth and society.

Master's degree in the direction of training "Geography" studies the following disciplines of the professional cycle:

- History, theory, and methodology of geography

- Modern problems of geography

- Geographical forecasts

- Philosophy and methodology of science

- Modern methods of research in geography

- Geo-ecological concepts of geography

- State territories formation and solution of border problems

- Geographical expertise

- Pedagogy and psychology in higher education

- Elective disciplines

The objects of professional activity of graduates are:

- natural, anthropogenic, natural-economical, ecological-economic, industrial, social, recreational, public territorial systems and structures at global, national, regional and local levels,

- state planning and regulation, territorial planning, design and forecasting at different territorial levels,

- geographical expertise of all forms of economic activity, ecological audit;

- demographic processes, sustainable development programs at all territorial levels, migration and ethnocultural processes;

- natural and cultural heritage objects, tourism; education, enlightenment, public health.

Types of professional activities of Master's students:

- scientific and research;

- project, industrial and technological;

- administrative;

- control and expert;

- pedagogical.

Master's students in the direction 520400 "Geography" should solve the following tasks:

1) In scientific research activity:

- formulate problems, tasks, and methods of scientific research;

- obtain new reliable facts based on observations, experiments, scientific analysis of empirical data, abstract scientific works, make analytical reviews of the accumulated information in the world science and industrial activity;

- summarize the obtained results in the context of previously accumulated knowledge in science; formulate conclusions and practical recommendations based on representative and original research results, deeply understand and creatively use in scientific industrial, and technological activities the knowledge of fundamental and applied sections of special disciplines of the Master's program;  

- know the basics of design, expert analytical activity, and research using modern approaches and methods, equipment, and computing complexes (following the master's specialization);

- use modern methods of processing and interpretation of geographical information in conducting scientific and applied research;

- know the history of geographical science, methodological foundations, and theoretical problems of geography and approaches to their solution in historical retrospect, understand modern problems of geographical science and use fundamental geographical concepts in the sphere of professional activity;

2) In project and industrial activities:

- independently perform expeditionary, laboratory, and calculating research in the field of geographical sciences in the process of solving design and industrial tasks with the use of modern equipment and calculating means;

- know the normative documents regulating the organization and methodology of industrial-technological geographical works (following the Master's degree program);

3) In control and expert activity:

- be able to diagnose problems of nature protection, develop practical recommendations for nature protection and sustainable development;

- develop strategies and programs for ecological and economic optimization of economic activity in cities and regions, develop measures to reduce environmental risks;

- to carry out complex regional socio-economic diagnostics of countries, regions, and cities;

4) In administrative activities:

- To carry out organization and management of scientific research, scientific industrial, expert and analytical works (under the profile of the Master's program);

5) In pedagogical activity:

- possess theoretical knowledge and practical skills for pedagogical work in higher education institutions; be able to competently carry out teaching and methodological activities in planning geographical education and education for sustainable development.

The duration of higher professional education for a Master's degree in the direction 520400 "Geography" is full-time 2 years, and part-time - 2 years 6 months.