The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies (DGES) is one of the five departments under the College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CoNAS). The Department was established in July 1999 after the establishment of Faculty of Science. The DGES has qualified staff in Environment–related issues such as Environmental Pollution, Climate Change, Natural Resources Management and Geography.
The Department plays a major role in providing core environmental courses in meteorology, air, land and water pollution and climate change for B.Sc. in Environmental Sciences and Management programme. It also offers geography courses for the B.Sc. with Education programme. The Department is Centre of Excellency in environmental-related research. The Department aims to make an important contribution to the scientific understanding of societal issues, such as environmental pollution, climate change, nature and landscape management, soil and water management, exploitation of underground resources, rural and urban development and international development collaboration. The Department also aims to equip students with knowledge of the geomorphological and man-made phenomena, their relationships and consequences over time and space.
We offer courses which challenge students’ ability to integrate theory and practice for the analyzing, understanding, and managing environmental-related problems. In addition to their academic work, all students are encouraged to develop relevant professional, social and communication skills, and orient themselves in the global networks of environmental institutions and movements.
The Department has produced several hundred graduates from inside and outside Tanzania who are now working in academia, international organizations, governments, NGOs and business companies.
MOTTO: To ensure that the Department becomes a Centre of Excellence in environmental-related research.
MISSION: To contribute to the society’s welfare through provision of good quality education, outreach services and research at national and international levels.
VISION: To build a department that will draw its strength from highly skilled staff to enjoy a high degree of academic autonomy.
Location
The Department is located at the Solomon Mahlangu Campus (SMC) about 10 Km north of the SUA Main Campus, and 4 Km off the Dar es Salaam – Tunduma (Zambia) Highway