I. A Brief Introduction

The Major of Geography has a long history, which originated from the Major of History and Geography at Private Huachung University established in 1924. It started to recruit geography undergraduates in 1956, and then the Department of Geography was established in 1958. Over half a century, The Department of Geography has experienced four stages - entrepreneurship based phase, steady development period, maintaining development period, breakthrough development period.

The Department has a large number of all-round academics, including the winners of National teaching achievement prizes, the members of the Science Teaching Guidance Committee of Ministry of Education, the core members of the Ordinary High School Geography Curriculum Standards Compilation Group of Ministry of Education, the members of the High School Geography New Curriculum Training Expert Group of Ministry of Education, the standing director of the Geography Teaching Research association of Chinese Education Society, the deputy director of Geography Teaching Theory Academic Committee of National Normal University, the directors and standing director of Geographical Society of China, the deputy director of Medical Geography Academic Committee, the member of Human Geography Academic Committee, the member of Historical Geography Academic Committee, the deputy director of National GIS Proficiency Test Committee of Experts, the president of Geography Society of Hubei Province, the prominent teachers of Hubei Province and so forth.

The geography experimental teaching owns perfect experimental teaching system support. At present, the experiment teaching center for undergraduates has already formed such four experimental platforms as the geographical process, geographical education, geographical technology, geographical application, 20 indoor laboratory, 1 field practice base and 6 off-campus education practice base led by CUES

With half a century of development, the professional characteristics has come into being in this major, such as ‘embodying the characteristics of interdisciplinarity, emphasizing the students' comprehensive quality training, reflecting the characteristics of teacher education, highlighting students' teaching ability training; incarnating social demand characteristics, stressing the cultivation of students' innovative spirit, embodying individualized teaching, underlining the student individuality special skill training. Since 1956, this major has already fostered more than 3000 geography professional talents, and has become the cradle of geography teachers in Hubei province.

Ⅱ.Educational objectives

The major aims to foster high-quality professional talents proficient at basic theory, knowledge, and teaching skills, who meet the need of modern geography teaching and are competent to teaching and research work in key high school.

Ⅲ.Essential requirements

The students should learn and master the fundamental geographical, pedagogical theory and knowledge, accept the basic training of geographical sciences research and geography education methods and skills, so that they possess the basic ability engaged in geography education and geographical scientific research.

The students should have the following abilities and qualities before obtaining bachelor degree:

1．Having Perfect ideological and moral qualities, solidarity and cooperation spirits, communicate skills，aesthetic and practical abilities, physical and psychological quality, and establishing proper conception of nature, outlook on life and values.

2．Mastering fundamental principle and method on geographical teaching, possessing good teachers’ quality, proficient at skilled modern educational and teaching technique, competent to geographical education under the new situation.

3．Mastering basic knowledge, theory, methods and skills of the geographical sciences, knowing about the frontier and trends in the development of geographical sciences, having certain ability to be independently engaged in geography education scientific research.

Ⅳ.Main courses

Introduction to Planet Earth, Fundamentals of Geology, Meteorology and Climatology, Geomorphology, Hydrology and Water Resources, Soil Geography, Phytogeography, Human Geography, Economic Geography, Geography of China, World Geography, Cartography, Introduction to Remote Sensing, Geographical Information System, Teaching Design of Geography Course, Researches on Geography Curriculum and Textbooks

Ⅴ. Length of schooling and degree

Length of schooling: 4 years

Degree: bachelor of science