Program Overview

Bachelor of Geography and Planning

Programme Overview

The Bachelor of Geography and Planning delivers solid competencies covering all aspects of geography (economic, social, physical and regional). It combines social sciences and environmental sciences to better understand the complexity of the contemporary world and the stakes of sustainable development, from a local to a global scale.

Programme Structure

• First Year
  • Environmental geography
  • Coastal areas: environment and development
  • Climates: from climatic mechanisms to geopolitics of global change
  • Geography in human and social sciences
  • Geography of population and migration
  • Economic geography: actors and territories in globalisation
  • Landforms dynamics
  • Spaces, time and power: introduction to political geography
  • Spaces and urban dynamics
  • Agriculture and agrarian landscapes: grow and feed the planet
  • Principles of cartography and graphic semiology
  • Languages
  • University research methodology: theoretical and on the field research
• Second Year
  • Hydrology: understand and manage water resources
  • Feed the world: understanding agricultural issues and world feeding system
  • Tourism and leisure: sociological, economical and territorial issues
  • Geopolitics of the contemporary world: transformations, crisis and challenges
  • Land-use planning: organise, plan and develop
  • Initiation to statistical analysis of geolocated data
  • CAD (computer-aided design)
  • A world in movement: circulation, mobilities and migrations
  • Asia Pacific in the heart of the “world-economy”
  • Concept, methodologies and objects of cultural geography
  • Geo-environments: ecosystems challenges
  • Geomatics: geographic information systems
  • Remote sensing: satellite images
  • Languages
• Third Year
  • Environmental changes and their impacts on human societies
  • Risks and societies: facing “natural” hazards
  • Transport, mobility and logistics in the contemporary world
  • Introduction to urbanism and city management
  • Middle Eastern geography: environment, society and geopolitics
  • Statistical analysis of data: methodology and professional competencies
  • Techniques of enquiry, sampling: creating geographic information
  • From biosphere to urban ecosystem: sustainable management of biodiversity
  • Cultural and natural heritage: between preservation and economic valorisation
  • Emerging countries: new actors in globalisation
  • European Union: socio-cultural, economical and geopolitical analysis
  • Humanitarian and development: actors, stakes and challenges
  • Geographic information system
  • Languages
  • Study field trip abroad

Admission Requirements

• French baccalaureate: minimum average of 12 out of 20.
• Ministry of Education curriculum:
  • General stream/Art stream: minimum average of 80%.
  • Advanced stream/Elite stream/Science stream: minimum average of 75%.
• Other high school systems: high school certificate equivalent to the UAE Ministry of Education high school with minimum average of 80% or equivalent.
• French Aptitude Certificate: minimum score of B2 level (DELF or DALF, SELFEE, TCF with a validity of 2 years, TEF with a validity of 2 years) or completion of SUAD university diploma DU in French language for non-French speakers. Students with a French Baccalaureate are exempted from the language proficiency exam.

Tuition Fees

• Programme tuition fees (per semester): AED 34,500 (approximately US$ 9,400).
• Payment of fees: Terms and conditions apply.

Scholarships

• HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Scholarship for Emirati students: Admitted Emirati nationals and children of Emirati mothers are awarded a full scholarship covering tuition and study-related fees for their Bachelor Programmes (and Foundation year, if any).
• Academic Excellence Scholarships (for the 1st semester of enrolment): 15% scholarship on tuition for the 1st semester of joining.
• Academic Excellence Scholarship (starting from the 2nd semester of enrolment): 25%-75% Academic Excellence Scholarship.
• 10% French Curriculum Schools Scholarship for the 1st semester of enrolment: Students holding a French baccalaureate obtained in one of the GCC countries are eligible for a 10% discount for their first semester.
• Sponsored scholarships: Total, Chalhoub and Ardian Foundation offer specific scholarships based on academic excellence and/or financial circumstances to selected students.
• Preferential rate: 10% Family discount: Students who have a first-degree relative currently enrolled in an undergraduate or a postgraduate programme are eligible for a 10% discount.

Career Prospects

• Energy, Renewable Energies, Water, Environment, Earth, Weather & Climate:
  • Environmental scientist
  • Resource management planner, resource officer
  • Climate consultant
  • Sustainable advisor
  • Natural hazards analyst
  • Emergency management specialist
  • Water & marine resources manager
  • Cartographer / Map editor / Map analyst
• Urban & Regional Planning, Community Services Management:
  • Urban & transport planner
  • Development planner
  • Planning & risk manager
  • Geographical information system (GIS) specialist
  • Master planner assistant
  • Geo-intelligence specialist
  • Spatial statistics analyst
• Business, Construction & Real Estate, Logistics, Tourism & Culture, Consulting:
  • Geospatial analyst
  • Ecotourism consultant
  • Sustainable development consultant
  • Market research analyst
  • Commercial & residential surveyor
  • Data collector / database administrator
• Education, Training, Research, Public Administration, Governments, NGOs, International Relations:
  • Social researcher
  • Geography teacher/ University lecturer
  • Policy consultant / advisor/ analyst
  • Environmental regulations specialist
  • NGO / aid agency practitioner
  • Foreign services officer

Further Studies Options

• A whole range of postgraduate studies are available after a Bachelor degree in Geography and Planning. Examples of areas of specialisation (Master and PhD) include:
  • Environment: dynamics of territories & socialites (SUAD)
  • Urban planning and development (SUAD)
  • Applied social research (SUAD)
  • Environment
  • Transport and logistics
  • Urban planning
  • Muslim and Arab world studies
  • Public affairs
  • Geopolitics
  • Geomarketing and business administration
  • Urban, community and regional planning
  • Geographical information systems (GIS)
  • International relations and international affairs
  • Business administration

Alumni Testimonials

• “After three years at Sorbonne Abu Dhabi, I did my last year of Bachelor of Geography in Sorbonne Paris. It was a very rich experience to move to a large European capital. I was able to improve my French, to experience new environments and to know more about my personal and professional project. Once graduated I started working as a Social Media Manager for an Indian NGO that combines personal training with social and environmental development, such as tree planting or health care improvement in poor rural areas in South-West India. My background in Geography has given me many competencies that I am using on a daily basis: ability to tackle multifold issues on development and sustainability; mastering of IT tools for communication and database management; writing and communication skills for a multicultural audience. For the future, I plan to apply to a Master in Environment, to become more specialised on social intelligence and environmental issues.”
• “After graduation I interned at ADNOC, Exploration and Production, before moving to UNHCR. My background in Geography has been very useful in my current career, given that we covered human geography, geopolitics, and humanitarian development courses. The course that really marked what I wanted to do with my life was the humanitarian development course. Nevertheless, I think this major educates in various spectrums and educated me in more fields than people expect.”
• “I am so lucky to be more particularly in charge of the French trade and business relation with Korea and Japan that have always fascinated me. From my undergraduate studies I get excellent thinking and analytical skills that helped me to attain my current position. As a Geographer I take great advantage of being able to analyse thoroughly the international relations and to combine multiple patterns of the global world with the interplay of economy, culture, and society.”
• “I’m a MarCom MSD for Microsoft Gulf, in other words Regional Marketing. I started my professional life when I was in France with a marketing agency called Quadriplay and I was in charge of studies geomarketing. Year and a half after, I was able to join Orange in Marketing department as head of studies geomarketing and GIS analysis. Year and a half after, I joined Wunderman in Cairo as executor of marketing campaigns. Vu my preceding experiences, six months after my arrival in Wunderman I was promoted to be an Account Manager for Microsoft France. Today I find myself in Dubai, always with Wunderman, but this time I manages Microsoft Gulf. The Geography and Planning degree in Sorbonne brought me a lot of advantage and they helped me to succeed in my life. First advantage is the French language which has helped me become trilingual. Besides the geography courses that taught me to read, understand the situation, analyse the elements to find the most effective solution, which helps me too in my field because when we work in marketing, we must always understand the current situation to find either solution in case of problems, or to improve in case of success.”