36 monthsProgramme duration
Programme overview
Main Subject
Geography
Degree
Other
Study Level
Masters
Study Mode
On Campus
Sun Yat-sen University's Physical Geography major was established in 1952 and ranks among the top nationwide. It is a major research hub for comprehensive universities in the field of physical geography and resource environment. The admissions and training of graduate students in this major are managed by the Department of Land Resources and Environment. The Department of Land Resources and Environment has inherited and developed the research characteristics of integrated physical geography and geospatial and process studies, and is one of the earliest institutions in China to conduct research on natural geographic processes. Senior professors such as Wu Shangshi, Tang Yongluan, and Huang Jin are important founders and pioneers of the discipline. Since the establishment of the program, Sun Yat-sen University's Physical Geography program has widely carried out teaching and research on tropical and subtropical natural resources and ecological environments, tailored to the characteristics of South China, forming a comprehensive research feature that integrates understanding natural geographic elements, utilizing natural resources, and protecting the ecological environment. In 1957, Sun Yat-sen University was the first in the country to launch advanced courses in physical geography, greatly promoting the development of comprehensive physical geography in China. Subsequently, in 1961 and 2002, it was authorized to obtain master's and doctoral degrees, was selected as a national first-class undergraduate program construction site in 2021, and received an A- grade in the Ministry of Education's discipline evaluation in 2022. Throughout its more than 70-year history, Sun Yat-sen University's Physical Geography has adhered to a comprehensive research approach, expanding theories and methods while emphasizing practical application, continuously developing new specialties and research directions, and has trained a large number of professionals for the country engaged in physical geography, ecological environment protection, territorial spatial management, and natural resource development and utilization.
Sun Yat-sen University's master's program in Physical Geography lasts 3 years, and doctoral programs last 4 years. Currently, this major has 25 full-time faculty members, including 7 professors, 18 associate professors or senior lecturers, 13 doctoral supervisors, 23 master's supervisors, and 2 national-level outstanding overseas young talents. About 70% of the teachers have overseas study or visiting experience. This major has undertaken many national-level research projects such as major projects from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation. Its distinctive research directions include: global climate and environmental changes and their regional responses, biogeochemical cycles, hydrology and water resources and environment, land resource development and utilization, geomorphology and natural disasters, biology and soil geography, landscape ecology and integrated physical geography, and natural resource evaluation and management.
The degree program has advanced research platforms and top-notch equipment. Currently, the main teaching and research institutions built by the school based on the Physical Geography major include: Water Environment Laboratory, Soil Geography Laboratory, Biogeography Laboratory, Atmospheric Exploration Laboratory, Physical Geography and Resource Environment Internship Teaching Base, Provincial Carbon-Water Coupling Field Observation Station for Karst Areas in Northern Guangdong, and Sun Yat-sen University Land Research Center. The laboratory is equipped with instruments such as atmospheric samplers, water quality analyzers, soil particle size analyzers, spectrophotometers, high-speed centrifuges, and incubators, meeting the measurement requirements for various water, soil, biological, and atmospheric environmental parameters. The internship teaching base and field observation station are centered around the Shimentai Nature Reserve, focusing on natural elements such as karst area biological, water, soil, and air. They have built comprehensive systems for ecological process monitoring, hydrological and water environment monitoring, soil resource monitoring, meteorological conditions, geomorphological processes, and forest resource surveys. These integrate scientific research, teaching, internships, and popular science functions, serving regional scientific and technological innovation, socio-economic development, and ecological environment protection in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Land Research Center is based on multidisciplinary comprehensive research on land, focusing on land issues faced by national economic development, conducting research and academic exchanges on relevant policies and key technologies, and providing scientific and technical support for the development and management of land resources.
Addressing issues of natural resources, environment, and socio-economic sustainable development under the context of global environmental change, Sun Yat-sen University's Physical Geography has pioneered and innovated in areas such as natural geographic processes and mechanisms, global change and regional responses, ecological protection—especially chemical geography and hydrothermal balance, development and utilization of tropical biological resources, environmental impact assessment and planning, water resource utilization and planning, land use/cover change and its ecological environment effects, and natural regional system zoning—achieving fruitful results. It has had a significant disciplinary impact in the field of physical geography in China. Looking ahead, Sun Yat-sen University's Department of Physical Geography will continue to focus on the natural geographic elements of terrestrial surface systems such as water, soil, air, and biological, conducting comprehensive research on patterns and processes to serve national strategies and major needs such as regional carbon neutrality, integrated watershed management, ecological civilization construction, and territorial spatial governance and ecological restoration in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Sun Yat-sen University's master's program in Physical Geography lasts 3 years, and doctoral programs last 4 years. Currently, this major has 25 full-time faculty members, including 7 professors, 18 associate professors or senior lecturers, 13 doctoral supervisors, 23 master's supervisors, and 2 national-level outstanding overseas young talents. About 70% of the teachers have overseas study or visiting experience. This major has undertaken many national-level research projects such as major projects from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation. Its distinctive research directions include: global climate and environmental changes and their regional responses, biogeochemical cycles, hydrology and water resources and environment, land resource development and utilization, geomorphology and natural disasters, biology and soil geography, landscape ecology and integrated physical geography, and natural resource evaluation and management.
The degree program has advanced research platforms and top-notch equipment. Currently, the main teaching and research institutions built by the school based on the Physical Geography major include: Water Environment Laboratory, Soil Geography Laboratory, Biogeography Laboratory, Atmospheric Exploration Laboratory, Physical Geography and Resource Environment Internship Teaching Base, Provincial Carbon-Water Coupling Field Observation Station for Karst Areas in Northern Guangdong, and Sun Yat-sen University Land Research Center. The laboratory is equipped with instruments such as atmospheric samplers, water quality analyzers, soil particle size analyzers, spectrophotometers, high-speed centrifuges, and incubators, meeting the measurement requirements for various water, soil, biological, and atmospheric environmental parameters. The internship teaching base and field observation station are centered around the Shimentai Nature Reserve, focusing on natural elements such as karst area biological, water, soil, and air. They have built comprehensive systems for ecological process monitoring, hydrological and water environment monitoring, soil resource monitoring, meteorological conditions, geomorphological processes, and forest resource surveys. These integrate scientific research, teaching, internships, and popular science functions, serving regional scientific and technological innovation, socio-economic development, and ecological environment protection in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Land Research Center is based on multidisciplinary comprehensive research on land, focusing on land issues faced by national economic development, conducting research and academic exchanges on relevant policies and key technologies, and providing scientific and technical support for the development and management of land resources.
Addressing issues of natural resources, environment, and socio-economic sustainable development under the context of global environmental change, Sun Yat-sen University's Physical Geography has pioneered and innovated in areas such as natural geographic processes and mechanisms, global change and regional responses, ecological protection—especially chemical geography and hydrothermal balance, development and utilization of tropical biological resources, environmental impact assessment and planning, water resource utilization and planning, land use/cover change and its ecological environment effects, and natural regional system zoning—achieving fruitful results. It has had a significant disciplinary impact in the field of physical geography in China. Looking ahead, Sun Yat-sen University's Department of Physical Geography will continue to focus on the natural geographic elements of terrestrial surface systems such as water, soil, air, and biological, conducting comprehensive research on patterns and processes to serve national strategies and major needs such as regional carbon neutrality, integrated watershed management, ecological civilization construction, and territorial spatial governance and ecological restoration in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Programme overview
Main Subject
Geography
Degree
Other
Study Level
Masters
Study Mode
On Campus
Sun Yat-sen University's Physical Geography major was established in 1952 and ranks among the top nationwide. It is a major research hub for comprehensive universities in the field of physical geography and resource environment. The admissions and training of graduate students in this major are managed by the Department of Land Resources and Environment. The Department of Land Resources and Environment has inherited and developed the research characteristics of integrated physical geography and geospatial and process studies, and is one of the earliest institutions in China to conduct research on natural geographic processes. Senior professors such as Wu Shangshi, Tang Yongluan, and Huang Jin are important founders and pioneers of the discipline. Since the establishment of the program, Sun Yat-sen University's Physical Geography program has widely carried out teaching and research on tropical and subtropical natural resources and ecological environments, tailored to the characteristics of South China, forming a comprehensive research feature that integrates understanding natural geographic elements, utilizing natural resources, and protecting the ecological environment. In 1957, Sun Yat-sen University was the first in the country to launch advanced courses in physical geography, greatly promoting the development of comprehensive physical geography in China. Subsequently, in 1961 and 2002, it was authorized to obtain master's and doctoral degrees, was selected as a national first-class undergraduate program construction site in 2021, and received an A- grade in the Ministry of Education's discipline evaluation in 2022. Throughout its more than 70-year history, Sun Yat-sen University's Physical Geography has adhered to a comprehensive research approach, expanding theories and methods while emphasizing practical application, continuously developing new specialties and research directions, and has trained a large number of professionals for the country engaged in physical geography, ecological environment protection, territorial spatial management, and natural resource development and utilization.
Sun Yat-sen University's master's program in Physical Geography lasts 3 years, and doctoral programs last 4 years. Currently, this major has 25 full-time faculty members, including 7 professors, 18 associate professors or senior lecturers, 13 doctoral supervisors, 23 master's supervisors, and 2 national-level outstanding overseas young talents. About 70% of the teachers have overseas study or visiting experience. This major has undertaken many national-level research projects such as major projects from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation. Its distinctive research directions include: global climate and environmental changes and their regional responses, biogeochemical cycles, hydrology and water resources and environment, land resource development and utilization, geomorphology and natural disasters, biology and soil geography, landscape ecology and integrated physical geography, and natural resource evaluation and management.
The degree program has advanced research platforms and top-notch equipment. Currently, the main teaching and research institutions built by the school based on the Physical Geography major include: Water Environment Laboratory, Soil Geography Laboratory, Biogeography Laboratory, Atmospheric Exploration Laboratory, Physical Geography and Resource Environment Internship Teaching Base, Provincial Carbon-Water Coupling Field Observation Station for Karst Areas in Northern Guangdong, and Sun Yat-sen University Land Research Center. The laboratory is equipped with instruments such as atmospheric samplers, water quality analyzers, soil particle size analyzers, spectrophotometers, high-speed centrifuges, and incubators, meeting the measurement requirements for various water, soil, biological, and atmospheric environmental parameters. The internship teaching base and field observation station are centered around the Shimentai Nature Reserve, focusing on natural elements such as karst area biological, water, soil, and air. They have built comprehensive systems for ecological process monitoring, hydrological and water environment monitoring, soil resource monitoring, meteorological conditions, geomorphological processes, and forest resource surveys. These integrate scientific research, teaching, internships, and popular science functions, serving regional scientific and technological innovation, socio-economic development, and ecological environment protection in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Land Research Center is based on multidisciplinary comprehensive research on land, focusing on land issues faced by national economic development, conducting research and academic exchanges on relevant policies and key technologies, and providing scientific and technical support for the development and management of land resources.
Addressing issues of natural resources, environment, and socio-economic sustainable development under the context of global environmental change, Sun Yat-sen University's Physical Geography has pioneered and innovated in areas such as natural geographic processes and mechanisms, global change and regional responses, ecological protection—especially chemical geography and hydrothermal balance, development and utilization of tropical biological resources, environmental impact assessment and planning, water resource utilization and planning, land use/cover change and its ecological environment effects, and natural regional system zoning—achieving fruitful results. It has had a significant disciplinary impact in the field of physical geography in China. Looking ahead, Sun Yat-sen University's Department of Physical Geography will continue to focus on the natural geographic elements of terrestrial surface systems such as water, soil, air, and biological, conducting comprehensive research on patterns and processes to serve national strategies and major needs such as regional carbon neutrality, integrated watershed management, ecological civilization construction, and territorial spatial governance and ecological restoration in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Sun Yat-sen University's master's program in Physical Geography lasts 3 years, and doctoral programs last 4 years. Currently, this major has 25 full-time faculty members, including 7 professors, 18 associate professors or senior lecturers, 13 doctoral supervisors, 23 master's supervisors, and 2 national-level outstanding overseas young talents. About 70% of the teachers have overseas study or visiting experience. This major has undertaken many national-level research projects such as major projects from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation. Its distinctive research directions include: global climate and environmental changes and their regional responses, biogeochemical cycles, hydrology and water resources and environment, land resource development and utilization, geomorphology and natural disasters, biology and soil geography, landscape ecology and integrated physical geography, and natural resource evaluation and management.
The degree program has advanced research platforms and top-notch equipment. Currently, the main teaching and research institutions built by the school based on the Physical Geography major include: Water Environment Laboratory, Soil Geography Laboratory, Biogeography Laboratory, Atmospheric Exploration Laboratory, Physical Geography and Resource Environment Internship Teaching Base, Provincial Carbon-Water Coupling Field Observation Station for Karst Areas in Northern Guangdong, and Sun Yat-sen University Land Research Center. The laboratory is equipped with instruments such as atmospheric samplers, water quality analyzers, soil particle size analyzers, spectrophotometers, high-speed centrifuges, and incubators, meeting the measurement requirements for various water, soil, biological, and atmospheric environmental parameters. The internship teaching base and field observation station are centered around the Shimentai Nature Reserve, focusing on natural elements such as karst area biological, water, soil, and air. They have built comprehensive systems for ecological process monitoring, hydrological and water environment monitoring, soil resource monitoring, meteorological conditions, geomorphological processes, and forest resource surveys. These integrate scientific research, teaching, internships, and popular science functions, serving regional scientific and technological innovation, socio-economic development, and ecological environment protection in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Land Research Center is based on multidisciplinary comprehensive research on land, focusing on land issues faced by national economic development, conducting research and academic exchanges on relevant policies and key technologies, and providing scientific and technical support for the development and management of land resources.
Addressing issues of natural resources, environment, and socio-economic sustainable development under the context of global environmental change, Sun Yat-sen University's Physical Geography has pioneered and innovated in areas such as natural geographic processes and mechanisms, global change and regional responses, ecological protection—especially chemical geography and hydrothermal balance, development and utilization of tropical biological resources, environmental impact assessment and planning, water resource utilization and planning, land use/cover change and its ecological environment effects, and natural regional system zoning—achieving fruitful results. It has had a significant disciplinary impact in the field of physical geography in China. Looking ahead, Sun Yat-sen University's Department of Physical Geography will continue to focus on the natural geographic elements of terrestrial surface systems such as water, soil, air, and biological, conducting comprehensive research on patterns and processes to serve national strategies and major needs such as regional carbon neutrality, integrated watershed management, ecological civilization construction, and territorial spatial governance and ecological restoration in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Admission Requirements
3 Years
- Candidates are required to submit references or letter(s) of recommendation for acceptance
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