Geographic Analysis

O.S.S.D. with six Grade 12 U/M courses, including Grade 12 U English.

Notes: 

1. ENG4U/EAE4U is the preferred English.
2. A grade of 70 percent or higher will be required in Grade 12 U English.
3. Subject to competition, candidates may be required to present averages/grades above the minimum.
4. Beginning with students entering in fall 2025 Geographic Analysis will be a five year co-op program.

The BA (Hons) in Geographic Analysis has a proven track record of preparing students for careers in the public and private sectors. The program emphasizes applications of geospatial analysis methods and techniques on a foundation of physical and human aspects of geography and their interrelationships.. Our students graduate with competency in the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing tools used in virtually all fields of business and public administration. Core program courses introduce the computer software to collect, manage, analyze, and map spatial data, and thus provide a conceptual and technical foundation for geographic analysis. In addition to the geotechnology core curriculum, there are three broad areas of study:

• Location analysis, which determines the networks and sites of retail, industrial, and other socio-economic activities at local, regional, national and international levels, where identifying and evaluating alternative sites is an important strategic task in private sector operations;
• Urban analysis, which examines the factors that combine to create the structure of an urban environment (including residential patterns, business and industrial developments, transportation systems, and social and health services), and the dynamics of these factors in the growth and intensification of cities and regions; and
• Environmental analysis, which emphasizes the study of the management and planning policies for natural resources and addresses issues involving conflicts between society's economic and environmental goals.

Students can specialize in one area of study or sample courses from several areas in order to experience the transferability of spatial analytical techniques and geotechnologies. Two fully equipped state-of-the-art computer labs ensure that students receive practical training on major statistical, database, GIS and remote sensing software using real world data.

Graduates of Geographic Analysis pursue a wide array of careers in the public and private sectors. Courses emphasizing concepts, issues, techniques and decision processes are combined with practical work experience in the context of an established co-operative education network . This experiential learning on and off campus leads to employment opportunities in marketing, real estate management, property development, retail management, bank network planning, police services, health agencies, environmental consulting, GIS vendors, education, municipalities, environmental consulting, conservation authorities, and the non-profit sector. Typical job titles include market research analyst, marketing analyst, GIS analyst, data engineer, database specialist, conservation analyst, crime analyst, geospatial health analyst, field technician, and consultant.

Semesters one and two: Students in Geographic Analysis take four Geography courses in first year, which show how geographers approach current issues in the physical and human environments and lay the foundation for the use of GIS and statistical analysis throughout their studies. Like other students in the Faculty of Arts, they also take Social Science and Humanities electives as part of a common platform. Together with courses in critical thinking and writing, these facilitate program transfers after first year.  

Semesters three and four: Students develop their conceptual knowledge and career-relevant skills in the tools and methods of professional geographers through required courses in statistics, cartography, and Geographic Information Science. They also select courses which focus on their areas of interest in retail location, urban, and/or environmental analysis.

Semesters five to eight: Students select advanced program courses to build on their expertise in one or more of the three broad areas of study and to enhance their competencies in analytical and spatial methods. In their final year, students take capstone courses to solidify their expertise before going out into the workplace or on to graduate study. In their course of study, students also choose open electives and liberal studies courses to gain insight into other fields of academic knowledge.

Integral to the degree is the requirement for students to apply their knowledge and skills in the workplace. Effective for students admitted in Fall 2025 or later, all students are enrolled in the co-operative education program. See further Co-operative Education details below.

Through co-op, students have opportunities to gain employment experience and to establish professional contacts for their future careers, benefiting them in the following ways:

• enhancement of their practical perspective;
• addition of valuable work experience to their resume;
• acquisition of specific knowledge of workplace operations;
• appreciation of the value of their capabilities; and
• introduction to prospective employers.

The co-operative education program provides students with 12 months of work experience to complement their classroom studies and support the development of essential employability skills, including communication, collaboration and problem-solving.

Although the Career & Co-op Centre cannot guarantee placements, they provide assistance in locating suitable positions and counselling students in their search for suitable jobs. This co-op program enables students to earn competitive wages to offset the costs of a university education.

The sequencing of academic and work terms is shown below:

Revised WKT sequence begins 2025-2026 for students admitted Fall 2024 and after.

Students must successfully complete a minimum of three work terms in order to graduate from the co-op program.

After completion of WKT 150, students who cannot continue in the Co-operative Education Program due to unforeseen circumstances and wish to withdraw to complete the academic recovery pathway will be required to complete a Plan Change Form. This form needs to confirm the student completed WKT 150 and their circumstances to support the academic recovery pathway. The form needs  to be approved by the Program Department.

All co-op placements must be approved by the Career & Co-op Centre and the Faculty Advisor for the Geographic Analysis co-op program.

Students must take two lower level liberal studies courses and four upper level liberal studies courses to graduate. Students must not choose courses that are restricted for their program or major.

Please refer to the liberal studies chapter of this calendar for more information on the Liberal Studies Policy. Further information on liberal studies can also be found at the Faculty of Arts' Liberal Studies website (opens in new window) .

Table A - Lower Level Restrictions

Table B - Upper Level Restrictions

Students may pursue any Minor offered by Toronto Met (with some exceptions). Please refer to the Minors chapter of this calendar for further information on individual Minor requirements and exclusions.

Undergraduate students wishing to pursue a continuing education certificate program should be aware of possible program exclusions. Please refer to the Certificate Registration section of the Curriculum Advising website (opens in new window)  for complete details.

Revised curriculum begins and last offered 2025-2026 for students admitted Fall 2024.

Last offered 2026-2027 to students admitted Fall 2024 and before.

Last offered 2026-2027 to students admitted Fall 2023 and before. Students admitted Fall 2024 see revised curriculum below.

Revised curriculum begins and last offered 2027-2028 for students admitted Fall 2024.

First offered 2025-2026 for students admitted Fall 2024 and after.

First offered 2028-2029 to students admitted Fall 2024 and after.

The sequencing of academic and work terms is shown below:

Revised WKT sequence begins 2025-2026 for students admitted Fall 2024 and after.

Students must successfully complete a minimum of three work terms in order to graduate from the Co-op program.
 
In most cases the Co-op program requires five years to complete the degree in Geographic Analysis. Students will have the option to fast track if they choose to take electives during the Spring/Summer. The regular program can be completed in four years.
 
All Co-op placements must be approved by the Career, Co-op & Student Success Centre and the Faculty Advisor for the Geographic Analysis program.

Students will not enter the Academic Recovery Pathway until completion of WKT 150 at minimum, which occurs following the 4th Semester.

All co-op placements must be approved by the Career & Co-op Centre and the Faculty Advisor for the Geographic Analysis co-op program.

A Program Advisory Council (PAC) is a group of volunteers that provides expert advice to a school or department on program related matters such as curriculum, program review, technology and trends in the industry, discipline or profession. For more information, see Senate Policy #158 (Program Advisory Councils).

Arthur Berrill
Head of Location Intelligence
Royal Bank of Canada

Bill Bilkas
Chief Development Officer
Plaza REIT

Wendy Correoso
Director of Sales, Strategic Accounts
Pitney Bowes Software

Ewan Geddes
Assistant Curriculum Leader
Toronto District School Board

Ricardo Gomez-Insausti, PhD
Vice-President, Research & Respondent Contact Centres
Numeris

Jan Kestle 
President
Environics Analytics

Nargis Ladha 
Former GIS Program Manager
Information Solutions Division
Hydro One

Andrew Lyszkiewicz
Former Head, Geospatial Competency Centre 
City of Toronto

Alex Miller
President
Esri Canada