Undergraduate
Geography
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- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)
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- Peterborough
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- Fall & Winter & Summer
- Environment & Sustainability
At a glance:
- Degree Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)
- Campus Peterborough
- Program is Offered Fall & Winter & Summer
- Study Options Part time/Full time
- OUAC Codes RGG - Peterborough B.A. RGS - Peterborough B.Sc.
- Apply Now Stay in Touch
The Trent Advantage
Study geography through an environmental lens with access to Trent's renowned environmental research facilities and hands-on learning opportunities that connect geographic knowledge with real-world challenges in climate, communities, and sustainability.
Explore the changing relationships between people, places and the planet through human and physical geography. With flexible joint majors and an emphasis on field-based learning, Geography at Trent lets you shape your degree around the geographic issues that interest you most.
- Choose the B.A. degree focused on how people encounter and shape their environments or the B.Sc. degree examining climate, hydrology, natural hazards, soils and earth systems.
- Build technical skills with industry-relevant tools and technologies in Trent’s GIS and remote sensing labs, wind tunnel lab and Climate Station.
- Take geography into the field, collecting and analyzing environmental and spatial data while investigating landscapes, natural systems and human-environment interactions first-hand.
- Focus your studies with the Climate Change specialization, connecting scientific understanding with policy responses.
Accelerated Masters
Fast-track your education, by earning your M.Sc. in Environmental & Life Sciences in only 12-20 months of graduating from your Honours B.Sc.
Program Possibilites
Specialize your studies in Geography with a focus on a specific field within your degree
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Climate Change
This specialization gives students the opportunity to explore Geography through the lens of climate change, considering the science, policy, and human implications and connections. You will gain first-hand experience developing climate solutions through research and internship opportunities.
Add an Option to your Geography degree to explore an additional area of interest
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Climate Communication
Leveraging Trent’s academic and research strengths in arts-based and environmental education, the Option in Climate Communication blends courses across disciplines to teach you a new storytelling approach that examines how to better understand media's effect on audiences’ morals, values, and behaviours. Equipped with this knowledge, this new offering at Trent University aims to use more effective climate change communications and environmental storytelling to foster a more sustainable and equitable world where our collective well-being is at the heart.
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Planning
Ideal for future urban planners, this career-focused option will challenge you to develop and design healthy, sustainable and efficient urban communities. With plenty of hands-on intensive field work, you’ll acquire advanced knowledge about urban planning and position yourself as an excellent candidate for grad school.
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Circumpolar Studies
One of only a few programs of its kind in the world, the Circumpolar Studies option offers you a unique opportunity to broaden your knowledge and understanding of the lands, peoples, and critical issues of the Arctic. The Circumpolar Studies Option is open to all undergraduate students at Trent.
Career experience while you learn
Every Geography student has a guaranteed route to paid, credited experience before they graduate.
Paid Co-op Available
- Put your skills and knowledge to work in a paid co-op stream, launching fall 2027. You’ll graduate with a distinct career advantage – building valuable connections, gaining hands-on work experience all as part of your Trent degree.
Research Opportunities
- Conduct research in specialized facilities including Trent’s wind tunnel lab, remote sensing and GIS labs, and Climate Station, with opportunities to work as an undergraduate research assistant alongside Geography faculty.
- Conduct meaningful research through an honours thesis or community-based research project exploring issues such as climate impacts, urban planning, conservation and environmental change.
- Tackle real-world geographic challenges through community-based research with community groups, government agencies or businesses.
- Complete an independent honours thesis exploring topics such as sustainable forestry, mining erosion control or urban planning under faculty supervision.
Field Schools and Hands-On Courses
- Get into the field starting as early as your first year, using the campus and surrounding Peterborough and the Kawarthas region as a natural laboratory for environmental monitoring, GIS mapping and field research. Some upper-year courses are taught almost entirely outdoors!
- Put your skills into action through a capstone or community-based project, joining Geography students who have completed 100+ applied research projects addressing real-world geographic challenges.
Study Abroad
- Take your Trent education global. Spend a semester or year studying at one of Trent’s 50+ international partner universities, participate in a summer field course, or gain international experience through a placement or internship.
- With opportunities in more than 35 countries, you can broaden your academic perspective, experience new cultures, and build skills that prepare you for a global career.
Placements
- Gain practical experience through a community-based placement with a local organization, government agency or business.
- Geography students have worked with the City of Peterborough in GIS, creating web applications and maintaining municipal infrastructure data.
Internships
- Gain professional workplace experience by working within a business or organization on a paid internship, building career-ready skills, making industry connections, and exploring potential career paths with ECO Canada, Peterborough Utilities, Peterborough GreenUP, and Kawartha Conservation to name a few
Career Paths
- Urban Planner
- Policy Analyst
- Geomatics Specialist
- Demographer
- Land Surveyor
Admissions
Whether you're graduating from an Ontario high school, looking to study in Canada, or training for a second career, Trent has clear pathways for students to apply and be admitted to study at either of our campuses.
Requirements
If you are coming straight from high school in Ontario or are a recent grad, the general admission requirements are:
- Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
- A minimum of six Grade 12 4U or 4M courses, including program-specific prerequisites
- ENG4U with a minimum of 60%
| Admission Requirements | Recommended Admission Requirements | Estimated Admission Average | Co-op Admission Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENG4U | 4U Math for B.Sc | 70-75% | 80-85% |
Requirements
Students from across Canada can use their grades from their home province to apply to Trent.
Requirements
International students from outside Canada can apply based on the curriculum of their home country.
Requirements
Mature students can apply to Trent based on previous education and professional or volunteer experience.
Requirements
With many transfer agreements and flexible pathway options, Trent University makes it easy for students to make the most of the credits you have already earned.
Tuition Estimate
Estimate your tuition, ancillary fees, and potential entrance scholarships based on your program, residency status, and academic average.
Tuition
Base Tuition Fee
$6,240.85
Ancillary Fees
Ancillary Fees (non-tuition costs supporting student services, such as athletics, campus safety, college fees, etc.)
$2,122.22
Total:
$ 8,363.07
* The tuition details and scholarships listed are for domestic students only. International applicants should contact the financial aid office directly for equivalent guidance.
Scholarships
If you’re a top scholar with an average of 80% or higher, you qualify to automatically receive an entrance scholarship to Trent. Scholars with 95% or higher? You earn free first-year tuition – no application required.
| Entrance Average | Maximum Scholarship Potential | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 95%+ | $18,241 | $6,241 first year Full Tuition + $4,000 x 3 years |
| 90-94.9% | $12,000 | $3,000 x 4 years |
| 85-89.9% | $8,000 | $2,000 x 4 years |
| 80-84.9% | $6,000 | $1,500 x 4 years |
* Available to Domestic students only. Based on 2026/27 tuition for a general arts and science program
Explore additional funding for domestic and international students
- Cyril and Jenny Carter Scholarships in Environmental Studies
- TD Green Undergraduate Scholarships
- Canadian Association of Geographers’ Undergraduate Prize
- Department of Geography Prizes
- J. Emmett Duff Memorial Prize in Geography
- Founders’ Prize in Geography
- TD Green Undergraduate Awards