• Which challenges do cities and urban regions face in an era of globalisation and who are the winners and the losers?
• What is the role of boundaries in shaping and solving conflicts?
• How can we manage our use of natural resources in such a way to minimize the environmental degradation on all geographical scales?

Questions like these touch upon the relationship between humans, societies and space, a relationship typical for the field of study of Human Geography.  This field of study analyses the way humans use and understand the world, the spatial differentiation and the organisation of human activity and its interrelationships with the physical environment. Relevant developments are globalisation and regionalism, migration and mobility, urbanisation and urban problems, rebalancing of natural resources and sustainable development. In modern times, space is playing an increasingly important role. It does not only force us to rethink the current use of space and develop plans for the future, it also leads to conflicts.

This programme is intended for students who wish to explore social phenomena on various scales – global, national, or local – from a socio-spatial perspective. Students will be trained in relevant academic research methods and techniques including knowledge of geographical information systems.

Thematic course wirth a focus on Urban Geographies will pay much attention to cities and the multiple challenges they face, like growing urban inequality or changes in the economic structures. Challenges of new political relationships of order and conflict are dealt with from different geographical sub-disciplines of Political Geographies; the geography of globalisation, critical and popular geopolitics, environmental conflict and international development.

For students interested in the field of Urban Geographies, we also offer a two-year research Master’s Urban Studies.
For students interested in the field of International Development Studies, we also offer a two-year research Master’s International Development Studies.

Studying Human Geography at the UvA

At the University of Amsterdam, a lot of research is conducted on developments in the field of human geography, with a particular focus on place, space and socio-spatial relationships. The two pillars of research within human geography are Urban Geographies and Geographies of Globalisation. Therefore, studying Human Geography not only offers a fascinating curriculum, but also a tight connection to the research of professors involved. For more information about this research, please visit the website of the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR).

Accreditation and degree

Upon successful completion of the programme, students receive a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Human Geography (Sociale Geografie).

You can find more information on accreditation and degrees through the links below.

CROHO code: 66620