Department of Geography

In 2004, UWI-St Augustine responded to a request from the Curriculum Development Division of the Ministry of Education to initiate an undergraduate programme in Geography. This programme was established to remedy a perceived shortage of geography teachers in the nation, and to provide higher-level education to existing teachers, many of whom had not studied geography at the tertiary level.

Although Geography has been taught since 1966 at the UWI-Mona, Jamaica, the challenges and expense of studying abroad meant that only very few nationals of Trinidad & Tobago completed degrees in the subject. Alongside the formation of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture (FFA), the Department of Geography was established on 1st August 2012. Its positioning within the FFA allows the Department to incorporate linkages between agriculture, food, and society within its broader array of research and learning themes. 

Since its inception, the Department has continued to expand the range of programmes offered. In addition, since the academic year 2014-15, the Department became home to the revised Major in Environmental and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) programme, which sees many students complete a double-Major in Geography and ENRM.

The Department of Geography aims to become a leader in its core areas of education and research in key relevant specialities of the environment, society, and the interactions between them. In line with the Core Strategic Focus of the UWI as embodied in its Strategic Plan, the Department is focusing its activities in the areas of:

• Teaching and Learning at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels with emphasis on Curriculum Renewal and Quality Assurance;
• Graduate studies with the emphasis on expanding student numbers and improving graduation times on the MPhil and PhD degree programmes;
• Research and Innovation with the emphasis on the development of cutting-edge and progressive research on issues of climate, environmental, and social change;
• Outreach in terms of cultivating more pre-degree and post-degree contact with schools, community liaisons, and alumni, as well as improving the employment trajectories of all graduates.

To date, with a small cohort of five academic staff, the Department of Geography has had success in the development of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, the implementation of high impact research projects, and the promotion of the importance of Geography for Trinidad & Tobago and the wider region. We aim to build on these achievements and warmly welcome anyone who would like to join us in doing so.