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GEOGRAPHY AND REGIONAL PLANNING

Degree Type:
Bachelor of Science
Department:
Department of Geography and Regional Planning
Modes of Study:
Regular
About Programme:
Empower students to develop an affinity for and understanding of the increasing global inter-dependence of peoples and cultures;
Develop in students skills and attitudes that will enable them participate in solving the problems of their communities, countries and the world at large;
Enable students adapt to knowledge gained in decision-making roles in society which require local, national and international perspectives and competence;
Enable students achieve personal and professional growth within geographic education; and
Enable students to acquire skills and perspectives for life-long learning.

Entry Requirements:
Candidates must obtain passes in Core English, Core Mathematics and Integrated Science or Social Studies. In addition, candidates must have passes in three (3) elective subjects including two (2) of the following:

Geography
Economics
Government
History
Elective Mathematics
Business Management

Post Diploma Candidates

HND (Mechanical Engineering) with specialization in Transport Fleet Management and a minimum of Second Class Upper Division. Applicants should ensure that the following documents are submitted together with their Application Form; 1. A certified academic transcript showing semester-by-semester GPA and FCGPA;

2. A certified copy each of National Board for Professional and Technical Examinations (NABPTEX) Ghana Certificate and Result Slip Applicants will be admitted to level 300

Mature Candidates

Candidates will be required to answer questions in a General Paper and any two (2) of the following subjects: Geography, Economics, History, and Elective Mathematics/Statistics.

Career Opportunities:
The main aim of the postgraduate programmes in Geography and Regional Planning is to provide students with the necessary tools to think critically and function independently in a globally competitive world.

Programme Structure
Level 100

First Semester
CMS 107: COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS I
3 Credit(s)
Engaging in academic work at the university is challenging. This course is aimed at equipping fresh students to make the transition from pre-university level to the university level. It assists them in engaging and succeeding in complex academic tasks in speaking, listening, reading and writing. It also provides an introduction to university studies by equipping students with skills that will help them to engage in academic discourse with confidence and fluency.

GEO 101: ELEMENTS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
3 Credit(s)
The course provides an overview of the interrelated components of the physical environmental system. The role of the interrelationships of biotic, climatic, geomorphic and human activities and the implications of the exploitation of the physical environment by human beings are described and discussed. Emphasis is on the examination of the elements and controls of the atmospheric systems as well as the dynamics of the earth’s atmosphere; the structure and composition of the earth, rock types and land-forming processes/agents; the distribution of the world’s vegetation and factors underpinning the distribution; and soil types, soil formation process, soil fertility, soil degradation and soil conservation.

Objective: The objective of this course is to build the capacity of students to understand the global perspective of Earth surface processes, and the interdependent linkages between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.

Mode of Delivery: The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, laboratory exercises and group presentations.

GEO 103B: THEMATIC GEOGRAPHY OF GHANA
3 Credit(s)
The course is designed to introduce students to aspects of the physical, socio-political, and economic factors that have shaped the physical and cultural landscape of Ghana. Other issues to be covered are the evolution of Ghana’s landscapes; geographic regions of the country; distribution of population; settlement patterns; transport systems; identification, appraisal, use and conservation of the country’s resources; and the interplay of population, politics and other socio-economic variables with natural resources for socio-economic development.

Objective: To build the capacity of students to understand the landscape evolution of Ghana and the link between socio-economic and political factors and natural resource exploitation.

Mode of Delivery: The course will be delivered through lectures, field observations, group discussions and presentations.

GRP 101: INTRODUCTION TO GEOSPATIAL METHODS
3 Credit(s)
This course introduces students to basic concepts and methods of geospatial analysis as applied in geographic cartography, geodesy, information systems, remote sensing and descriptive spatial statistics. Emphasis will be on understanding the nature and scope of key disciplines and the combined roles they can play in solving common spatial problems. Practically, students will be exposed to key geospatial data and technologies such as Aerial photos, satellite imagery, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), mobile and desktop GIS software and UAV’s, to enable them acquire basic skills in mapping, and visualization of geographic information needed to solve every day problems.

Objective: The objective of the course is to introduce students to the geospatial sciences and their relevance to development and spatial planning.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, fieldwork and laboratory exercises, group discussions and presentations.

Second Semester
CMS 108: COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS II
3 Credit(s)
This is a follow-up course on the first semester one. It takes students through writing correct sentences, devoid of ambiguity, through the paragraph and its appropriate development to the fully-developed essay. The course also emphasizes the importance and the processes of editing written work.

GEO 104: INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHY OF DEVELOPMENT
3 Credit(s)

The course introduces students to concepts of development and under-development in Geography. Emphasis shall be given to the features of development in both the global south and north, as well as the social, economic and environmental dimensions of development to give students broader overview of the concept of development. Additional attention shall also be given to the change phases of development since the Second World War to present. Among the issues to be discussed are the spatial patterns of development, factors accounting for the patterns, Africa in international development, international trade and globalization and sustainable development.

Objective: To prepare students to understand time and space dimensions of development, as well as concepts and factors that influence development.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field observations, group discussions and presentations.

GRP 102: INTRODUCTION TO DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
3 Credit(s)
The course focuses on the nature, characteristics and values of the planning process. The course further introduces students to the various forms of planning and basic operational and procedural tools and the structuring of the development planning process

Objective: This course aims at providing students with an introduction to the planning discipline and the nature and characteristics of the planning process.

Mode of Delivery: The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, group exercise and presentations.

Level 200
First Semester

GEO 201: INTRODUCTION TO EARTH SCIENCE
3 Credit(s)
The course introduces students to basic concepts in earth sciences. The main issues for discussion are the components of the physical environment (lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere). The course will also review various physical, chemical, biological, climatic processes, landscape evolution, soil formation and distribution theories/laws and approaches to the study of earth sciences.

Objective :To equip students with the fundamentals of dynamical processes that occurs on the earth surface and the interactions between them.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, laboratory exercises and group presentations.

GEO 202: INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHIC THOUGHT
3 Credit(s)
The course deals with nature and scope of geography as a discipline. It traces the development of geography from the classical times to the present with emphasis on what constitutes the core of Geography and the changing emphasis on the core of the discipline. It also deals with the history, philosophy and methods of geography and the contribution of individuals and groups to the development of the discipline. Topics include geography in antiquity: the contributions of Homer, Herodotus, Eratosthenes, Strabo, etc.; Geography in the dark ages, middle Ages and the Renaissance and modern geographic thought.

Objective:To expose students to the evolution and development of geography and its thematic areas.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, and group presentations.

GEO 206: INTRODUCTION TO MAP READING AND INTERPRETATION
3 Credit(s)
This foundational course introduces students to fundamental map concepts with emphasis on reading and interpreting maps. Knowledge acquired in this course is to enable students to use

map as a basic tool for analysing geo-spatial information for the purpose of planning and decision making.

Objective:To develop the skills of students in the identification and analysis of features on maps.

Mode of Delivery: The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, laboratory exercises and group presentations.

GRP 201: PLANNING LAWS AND INSTITUTIONS
3 Credit(s)
This course focuses on the legal and institutional framework for planning at both global and national levels with much emphasis given to the situation in Ghana. International planning norms and institutional framework will be discussed. Planning laws, standards, and zoning guidelines underlying planning activities in Ghana shall also be covered. Further attention will be given to the roles, activities and challenges of various planning institutions operating in Ghana. Specific emphasis shall be given to Land use and Spatial Planning Act of 2016 (Act 925), Local government Act of 2016 (Act 936), The National Development Planning (System) Act 1994 (Act 479), The National Development Planning Commission Act 1994 (Act 480), and zoning and planning standards of Ghana.

Objective: To introduce students to various laws and standards guiding planning at the international level as well as national and local planning of Ghana.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, group exercise and presentations.

GRP 205: INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN
3 Credit(s)
Urban design deals with growth of urban zones, theories of urban designs from traditional philosophers to the present and future. In additions urban structure and forms will be treated from the perspective of designed and unplanned urban zones. The course also looks urban design processes and procedures to achieve livable cities. Also, the theories and debates driving the concept of public realm is dealt with specifically focusing on ‘publicness’ of public spaces, inclusion and exclusion, identity, experience, movement, health, crime and security. Infrastructure needed to enhance life of urban city is treated with a studio to allow students to apply acquired knowledge in designing a neighbourhood. Lastly the concept of smart cities and sustainable cities is discussed.

Objective:To introduce students to the principles, techniques and processes of urban design as well as way that urban design can contribute to enhance the sustainability of urban areas.

Mode of delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, fieldwork, group exercise and presentations.

Second Semester
GEO 203 : INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM AND REMOTE SENSING
3 Credit(s)
This course introduces students to the basic principles and concepts underlying Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing. The GIS aspect will cover the architecture, components, data sources, data models and functions of a GIS and also provide a basic introduction to coordinate systems. The remote sensing aspect will cover the components and processes that make up a remote sensing system and provide information on the structure and characteristics of remotely sensed images, principles of electromagnetic radiation, atmospheric scattering, atmospheric windows, spectral signatures, active and passive systems and their relevance to remote sensing. Practically students will learn how to use mobile and desktop GIS and RS software to capture, build, query and visualize a georeferenced database of Geographic features from field exercises and existing remotely sensed images.

Objective: The course introduces students to the evolving science, technology and applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS).

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, laboratory exercises and group presentations.

GEO 205: INTRODUCTION TO CARTOGRAPHY AND SURVEYING
3 Credit(s)
This course introduces students to the rudiments of cartography and surveying. Emphasis is on the development of skills and techniques in the collection of spatial data for map making, and selection of maps for specific purposes; historical aspects of map-making; advanced map production techniques, surveying and preparation for colour printing; and techniques of relief representation. The arts of map reading will also be discussed.

Objective:To equip students with the fundamental principles and techniques in surveying and map-making.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, laboratory exercises and group presentations.

GRP 202: PLANNING THEORY
3 Credit(s)
This course introduces students to the Philosophy and history of planning. It will equip students with the historical development of urban and development planning and modern trends in solving planning problems. The course further touches on different theories that have shaped the practice of planning from the 20th Century to current dispensation.

Objective: The course equips students with the historical development of planning and the theories that have shaped the discipline.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, group exercise and presentations.

GRP 203: PLANNING STUDIO
3 Credit(s)
This course is intended to engage students in solving real-life planning problems. The instructor will guide students to solve a given planning problem or prepare official plans for selected communities.

Objective: To equip students with the skills to apply planning principles they have learned and also to gain greater understanding into the planning practice.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, fieldwork, group exercise and presentations.

GRP 204: INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS
3 Credit(s)
This course provides an overview of environmental economics by introducing analytical methods and tools to analyse environmental problems and identify policy solutions. The first part of the course provides a microeconomic foundation of environmental economics, with a focus on market efficiency and market failures. The second part introduces environmental policy decision tools such as benefit-cost analysis and cost-effectiveness criterion. In particular, this part focuses on benefits estimation including revealed preference approaches and stated preference approaches. The third part discusses environmental regulation, with topics covering command-and-control regulation, market-based approaches, and behavioural interventions. The challenges of applying economic instruments to real world environmental problems will be also discussed, such as time and space, risk and uncertainty, compliance and enforcement, etc. This course is expected to stimulate critical thinking about environmental challenges and policy solutions.

Objective:To enhance students understanding on the economic dimensions of environmental problems, environmental valuation techniques, environmental policy instruments and their implications on development planning.

Mode of delivery: The course will be delivered through lectures, group exercise and presentations.

Level 300
First Semester

GEO 301: GEOMORPHOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
3 Credit(s)
The course focuses on the physical, chemical and biological processes of landform development. Topics include general notions of the earth; land and water distribution; theories of origin of continental shelves and submarine canyons; isostasy; internal and external forces, eustasy, still stand; the concepts of pediplanation and peneplanation; systems concept in geomorphology; concept of climatic geomorphology; continental drift and plate tectonics; coastal processes; karst processes; riverine processes; processes of wind erosion and other geomorphic processes.

Objective:To expose students to various earth processes which lead to the development of landforms on surface of the earth and in the oceans.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, laboratory exercises and group presentations.

GEO 306: GEOGRAPHY OF DEVELOPMENT WITH EMPHASIS ON GHANA
3 Credit(s)
This course introduces students to concepts and theories of development geography. Students will be exposed to the theories of development; location, resource identification and utilization; Geography-development nexus; role of geography in transportation; industrial development and sustainable environment, among others, are discussed. Specifically, the role of geography in explaining the spatial variations in Ghana’s socio-economic development will be explored.

Objectives:To equip students with the relevant knowledge to examine the significance of geography to development, with special emphasis on Ghana.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, group exercises and presentations.

GEO 309: REGIONAL ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
3 Credit(s)
The course will expose students to concepts of regional analysis as they apply to development planning. Broad issues of development and theories of regional economic growth will be covered. In addition, it will explore spatial dimensions of development planning. The course will also examine the nature and functions of structures of the decentralised system.

Objective:The course introduces students to concepts in regional analysis and regional dimensions of development planning.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, group exercise and presentations.

GEO 312: TRANSPORT AND SPACE
3 Credit(s)
The course examines the need for and use of transport for travel as well as for distribution of goods. The evolution of transport patterns in Ghana and Africa will also be studied. Students will undertake practical exercises on rural and urban travel patterns in the country.

Objective:To equip students with the understanding of how and why people and goods move within and between points or settlements.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, group exercises and presentations.

GEO 315: GEOGRAPHIC RESEARCH METHODS
3 Credit(s)
This course involves techniques of data collection, collation, interpretation and presentation. Students are expected to choose an area of interest in Geography and assemble relevant data, write a report and present the findings at a seminar. Topics for discussion include identification of geographic problems, searching and writing literature, sources of data, sampling procedures, specific methods to introduce in the field to obtain data and statistical and qualitative techniques of managing data.

Objective: To equip students with the knowledge and skills to undertake scientific research on geographic phenomena.

Mode of Delivery: The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, group exercises and presentations.

GEO 335: DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
3 Credit(s)
In this course, students will be introduced to the concepts underpinning the terms hazard, vulnerability, risk and disaster. Practically, students will be taught how to model various disasters using spatial and community based approach. Also students will assess the vulnerability and risk level of a study community. The course will further expose students to disaster risk management planning techniques to aid in reducing disasters and make future societies more resilient. Lastly, the efforts of agencies in disaster response pre, onset and post will be treated to imbed in students the desire to serve in emergency situations.

Objectives:To broaden students understanding on the techniques and concepts of disaster risk management and planning.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, group exercises and presentations.

GRP 301: SOCIAL POLICY PLANNING
3 Credit(s)
This course examines the meaning, history and the role of social policy planning in national development. It will cover the methods and modes of planning, its critiques, and problems which govern the allocation and distribution of goods and services and opportunities among various groups. The course will guide students to recognize a) the basic facts of poverty and hardship in the developing world in general and Ghana in particular; and b) Selected case of planning approaches to poverty reduction, healthcare financing, education, gender and development will be analysed.

Objective:To build the capacity of students to assess the impact of social policies on every life and development.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, group exercise and presentations.

GRP 302: INTEGRATED URBAN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING
3 Credit(s)
The course exposes students to the problems that are associated with urban transportation and offers practical solutions to tackling the urban transportation challenge. It focuses on identifying complexity of urban transportation challenge, integrated land use and transportation planning, public transport system integration and Mass Transit Systems. Other modules focus on pedestrian and Non-Motorised Transport (NMT), parking management and urban freight.

Objective: To build the capacity of students to appreciate problems in urban transportation and its related issues in planning.

Mode of Delivery: The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, group exercise and presentations.

GRP 308: PLANNING WORKSHOP [RURAL STUDY] 3 Credit(s)
The course is designed to enable students to identify problems in rural areas. Students are expected to pick on a problem which gives them the opportunity to collect data, prepare their own designs and plans, and present a comprehensive report on suggested solutions to the problem. The report is then presented to a jury/panel for assessment on skills of presentation, feasibility of the plan and other related issues.

Objective:To build the capacity of students in team work, by undertaking research to identify challenges to rural development, and propose solutions to stimulate growth.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, group exercise and presentations.

Second Semester
GEO 302: CLIMATOLOGY AND HYDROLOGY
3 Credit(s)
The course introduces students to basic concepts and issues in the study of weather and climate as well as the dynamics of the earth’s atmosphere. It also examines the fundamental principles and concepts in hydrology. Topics include the composition and structure of the atmosphere; radiation and heating of the earth’s atmosphere; the dynamics of pressure and wind system; atmospheric moisture and precipitation processes; the hydrological cycle; characteristics of precipitation, interception and infiltration processes; groundwater, surface runoff and water losses etc.

Objective:To equip students with the knowledge of the relationship between climatic conditions and land-based water processes.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, laboratory exercises and group presentations.

GEO 304: NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
3 Credit(s)
The course deals with the concept of resources utilization and resource management as well as risk analysis. Topics include the concept of rural resources and their management for planning and development; regional inequalities and peripheral areas in integrated rural development; land use development policies, strategies, and the impact of resource development on the environment; resource planning, administration and policy; social, economic, political and institutional framework for resource management in Africa and Ghana.

Objective:To provide students with the understanding and principles of sustainable natural resource management.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, laboratory exercise, group exercise and presentations.

GEO 308: GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND REMOTE SENSING
3 Credit(s)
This 3-credit hour course builds on GEO 203 introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS). It focuses on core GIS and RS technologies and procedures for acquiring, preparing and extracting geo-information from a variety of geospatial data. Remote sensing will cover topics such as sensors and platforms, UAV based aerial photographic data acquisition and processing, radiometric (including atmospheric) and geometric correction of images, spectral, spatial and contrast enhancements and colour composites. GIS will cover spatial data editing and topology, map projections and transformations, data format conversions, data model conversions, GIS database management, and basic map composition.

Objective:To develop the skills and competence of students in Geographic data acquisition, processing geo-data editing and geo-information visualization and representation.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, laboratory exercise, group exercise and presentations.

GEO 313: SURVEYING AND CARTOGRAPHY
3 Credit(s)
The course focuses on basic principles and practices in surveying and map-making, from compilation through to reproduction. It involves the development of skills in drafting, generalization, symbolization, design, and familiarization with sources of maps. The course also covers the history of map-making; the development of maps and; digital map-making. There will be practical aspects of surveying of the University campus.

Objective:To enhance the skills of students in surveying and the development of maps using modern techniques.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, group exercises and presentations.

GEO 316: MODELS IN HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
3 Credit(s)
The course considers how humans, both individually and in groups, perceive and interpret their environment, and how behavioural models of human-environment relationships can be used to explain geographic phenomenon in human geography. Topics to be covered include: Behavioural Models in Human Geography; Models of Diffusion Geographic Phenomenon; Models in Health Geography; Transport-Development model; Ecosystem Model and the nearest neighbour analysis.

Objective:This course introduces students to geographic models that address the complex nature of human-environment interactions

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, group exercises and presentations.

GEOG 310: INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS AND ANALYSIS
3 Credit(s)
This course focuses on descriptive and inferential statistics from the point of view of geographic phenomenon. Key topics include the theory and methods of sampling; questionnaire design and data collection, descriptive statistics and presentation; test of hypothesis; correlation and regression analysis; application of the binomial theory to spatial patterns; introduction to probability theory; spatial analysis of geographic data and interpretation of results. Students will be exposed to softwares such as Statistical Package for Service Solutions (SPSS) for hands on analyses.

Objective: To develop students’ capacity to acquire, analyse and interpret statistical data for problem solving in geography.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, group exercises and presentations.

GRP 304: PLANNING INTERNSHIP
3 Credit(s)
This course is designed to place students in a local planning agency for 2-3 months to enable them gain on-the-job training experience. The target planning institutions include: Metropolitan, Municipal or District Assemblies’ planning offices, NGOs, EPA, and private consulting firms. Students are assigned to a supervisor and are expected to submit a report on their internship experience.

Objective:To offer students the opportunity for hands-on real-world experience of work in any local government or planning institution in Ghana.

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through field work and industrial supervision.

GRP 306: ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING
3 Credit(s)
This course introduces students to the use of environmental management principles to make the planning process sustainable. The course will focus on the use of Environmental Assessment as a tool for sustainable programmes, project and strategic planning. It will also discuss causes of environmental problems and difficulties by planners in solving these challenges.

Objective:To equip students with the understanding how sustainable development can be achieved through environmental planning and policies

Mode of Delivery:The course will be delivered through lectures, field work, group exercise and presentations.