Chapters
- 01. What Are The Topics That You’ll Study For Your Form 4 Geography Studies?
- 02. What Will You Learn For Your Form 5 Geography Lessons?
- 03. How Can You Build And Maintain A Strong Interest In Geography?
- 04. Where Can You Obtain A Geography Degree In Malaysia?
- 05. What Are Some Industries/Careers That You Can Venture Into With A Geography Degree?
What comes to your mind when you hear the word geography?
For some of you, your first introduction to this field of study is through the documentaries that you watched on screen. Perhaps, some of your parents might have had the National Geographic channel on repeat when you were younger. You might have heard the iconic opening theme song countless times and you could have it memorised by heart.
Whether you are watching living things on the land, air and sea or a focus on natural phenomena like volcanoes, glaciers and tornadoes through the screen, you can’t take geography out of the picture.
To dive deep into nature’s wonder and explore the most fascinating places on Earth, you’ll need a core foundation about the concepts of land, maps, direction, distance, weather and so forth.
While most of us would study Geography as a core subject until the last year of our secondary education in Malaysia, the pursuit of Geography remains a popular choice for an undergraduate degree.
In this article, we will look at the academic pathway to pursue a Geography degree in Malaysia and the career opportunities as a Geography major.
What Are The Topics That You’ll Study For Your Form 4 Geography Studies?
First things first, you need to complete your secondary education before pursuing a Geography related degree.
For students who are studying in public schools, you will get the chance to study Geography as a SPM subject.
Let’s review the topics that will be covered under the Geography Form 4 KSSM syllabus.
Altogether there are 15 chapters under three main themes: Kemahiran Geografi (geography skills), Geografi Fizikal (physical geography) and Geografi Manusia (human geography).
- Chapter 1: Arah Dan Kedudukan Dalam Peta Topografi
- Chapter 2: Skala, Jarak Dan Luas Dalam Peta Topografi
- Chapter 3: Ketinggian dan Kerantan Resntas Dalam Peta Topografi
- Chapter 4: Pandang Darat Fizikal dan Pandang Darat Budaya Dalam Peta Topografi
- Chapter 5: Pergerakan Plat Tektonik
- Chapter 6: Pembentukan dan Kepentingan Batuan
- Chapter 7: Proses dan Kesan Luluh Hawa
- Chapter 8: Proses dan Kesan Gerakan Jisim
- Chapter 9: Pembetukan dan Kelestarian Sungai
- Chapter 10: Tindakan Ombai di Pinggir Pantai
- Chapter 11: Taburan Penduduk Dunia
- Chapter 12: Pertumbuhan Pendidikan Dunia
- Chapter 13: Migrasi Penduduk
- Chapter 14: Petempatan
- Chapter 15: Urbanisasi
Discover the best platforms to find a good Geography tutor.
Photo by Aslı Yılmaz on Unsplash
What Will You Learn For Your Form 5 Geography Lessons?
For your Form 5 SPM Geography syllabus, you will study 10 chapters.
- Chapter 1: Graf Bar Berganda, Graf Garisan Berganda dan Carta Pai
- Chapter 2: Foto
- Chapter 3: Fenomena Cuaca dan Iklim
- Chapter 4: Cuaca dan Ikilim serta Pengaruhnya
- Chapter 5: Tumbuh-tumbuhan Semula Jadi dan Hidupan Liar
- Chapter 6: Pemeliharaan dan Pemuliharaan Tumbuh-tumbuhan Semula Jadi dan Hidupan Liar
- Chapter 7: Sumber Tenaga
- Chapter 8: Kesan Penerokaan dan Pengurusan Sumber Tenaga
- Chapter 9: Kegiatan Ekonomi Utama
- Chapter 10: Kesan Kegiatan Ekonomi Terhadap Alam Sekitar
Remember, your SPM Geography will evaluate you on a total of 25 chapters so be sure to keep your Form 4 learning resources from the pasts year for your revision.
Read this article to learn more about the overall experience of learning Geography in Malaysia.
How Can You Build And Maintain A Strong Interest In Geography?
While the key to unlocking the world of geography starts with curiosity and a passion for discovery, you’ll need more than passion to go far and persevere in this field.
Instead of giving up halfway, here are three important tips to get you going when the going gets tough.
Click here to find out more about Geography graduate work and internships.
Tip 1: Explore various Geography learning resources and scopes
From books, and documentaries to Youtube videos, you can take time to study a favourite topic that you are greatly interested in.
For example, if you have always been fascinated by what’s going on in the sky and the atmosphere, you can start by learning the four strata of the Earth’s atmosphere.
- Troposphere
- Stratosphere
- Mesosphere
- Thermosphere
Photo by Miguel A Amutio on Unsplash
Apart from reading the characteristics that are associated with these facts, you can also pay attention to the images and associate them to remember them better.
Having said that, don’t just stick to just one topic and be intentional to diversify your learning scope. The more you know, the more you’ll realise that you merely touched the tip of the iceberg.
You’ll need to look at the big picture to have an overview of how Geography influences our everyday life. Then you’ll be able to explain phenomena like hurricanes, earthquakes, snowflakes, monsoons and so forth.
Tip 2: Be observant towards your surrounding (Don’t be afraid to get dirty)
Even though we have briefly talked about what you will study in schools, Geography is a pretty hands-on subject.
The facts, images, findings and observations that you can comfortably read in your Geography textbooks are the results of endless exploration and observation by actual people who have invested their time and energy on a daily basis.
From studying the changes in weather day by day to taking countless pictures of wetlands and volcanoes, it requires persistence, patience and high attention to detail.
At the end of your Form 4 and Form 5 Geography lessons, you will actually go through several field studies where you have to plan and carefully execute a project.
That means you might have to interview people in the city or rural town, get down to the ground to collect samples directly (for example sands, plants, rocks) under the hot sun and generate meaningful observations and inferences based on your findings.
Having said that, make the best of your field studies and immerse yourself completely throughout the experiences!
Tip 3: Connect with a Geography tutor
At times we may be too engrossed in our own understanding of a Geography topic that we sometimes ignore other angles to look at them too. This will cause us to have a plateau moment during our revision.
For example, when it comes to studying the growth of plants at different locations, we may be too fixated on the natural habitat and conditions of the soil that we may “forget” the influence of weather, and altitude towards the development of the plants. This could result in producing a relatively general and flat answer during our final examinations and presentations.
Under the guidance of a Geography tutor, you can not only freely discuss your thoughts and ideas with him or her but also gain direct feedback on your understanding towards the topic (and decide if you are on the right track).
Head to Superprof to start connecting with a Geography tutor.
In just a few clicks, you can find a tutor that fits the bill in terms of teaching methodology, teaching experience, hourly rates, teaching mode, teaching scope and past reviews.
Review and reflect on these reasons to study Geography and the significance of pursuing a career in this field.
Where Can You Obtain A Geography Degree In Malaysia?
Next, let’s look at the higher educational institutions in Malaysia that offer Geography for their university programmes.
We have listed a combination of universities that offer a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees so that you can compare and review them.
University Malaya
- Programme name: Bachelor of Geography
- Examples of subjects offered: Biogeography, Economic Geography, Remote Sensing, Environment and Resource Management, Geographic Information Systems, Transportation Geography, Cultural and Historical Geography and others.
- Duration: 3 years
Photo by Caleb Woods on Unsplash
Universiti Kebangsan Malaysia
- Programme name: Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours (Geography)
- Examples of subjects offered: Atmospheric Studies, Introduction to Urban Studies, Climate Change, Tropical Geomorphology, Biogeography, Agricultural Development and Agro-based Industry, Economical Geography and Public Policy, Environmental Development and Management and many more.
- Duration: 3 years
Nottingham Malaysia
- Programme Name: Environmental and Geographical Sciences (Masters/PhD)
- Examples of subjects offered: Atmospheric Composition and Climate Variability, Climate Change Impact on Biodiversity, Management & Ecology of Malaysian Elephants (MEME), Tropical Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation, Water Pollution and Public Health, Conservation Planning and Prioritisation
- Duration: Masters (1 to 2 years), PhD. (3 to 4 years)
You'll notice that different universities offer different subject specialisations, so you can choose the programme that matches your interest and strengths.
Discover the average cost of a Geography lesson in Malaysia.
What Are Some Industries/Careers That You Can Venture Into With A Geography Degree?
After your graduation, your next destination awaits aka your employment.
Depending on your area of specialisation and interest, there’s a wide range of career opportunities that you can consider.
If you have a passion for good land and town development, you can consider these careers:
- Public Transportation & Roadways Manager
- Urban Planning Officer
- Zoning Committee Advisor
- Town and Country Planner
- Public Transportation Management and Planning
If you desire to maintain good order to improve the quality of human life, you can think about these job prospects:
- Officers in the water department
- Officers in the meteorological department
- Consultants in the environmental department
If you have a passion to conduct endless research about your favourite geography topics, you can be a researcher, author or academician.
The sky is the limit!
There you have it. A clear academic pathway from your SPM towards a Geography degree in Malaysia. All the best and we hope your Geography degree will take you places and lead you to a whole new world!
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