Physical Geography (Major) at Simon Fraser University

Programme overview

The Physical Geography major is a 120-unit Bachelor of Science. The programme has three streams: biogeophysical science (biogeography, soils, hydrology, geomorphology and climatology, aimed at BC professional agrologist registration), geoscience (aimed at professional geoscientist registration in environmental geoscience) and geosystems and GIScience. Program requirements do not fully cover accreditation requirements.

Faculty: Faculty of Environment | Department: Department of Geography | Study mode: full-time | Location: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

What you will study

All students complete 31-34 units including CHEM 121, EASC 101 Dynamic Earth, GEOG 100, GEOG 111 Earth Systems, GEOG 266W Geography in Practice, calculus and physics courses, then stream-specific coursework.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Faculty of Environment (BSc programmes: Environmental Science, Physical Geography), BC and Yukon secondary school applicants for Fall 2026 onward: five approved academic Grade 12 courses including English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12 (minimum 70% in Language Arts 11, English 12 or equivalent), at least two of Anatomy and Physiology 12, Calculus 12, Chemistry 12 and Physics 12, and Pre-Calculus 12; Grade 11 requires at least two of Chemistry 11, Life Sciences 11 and Physics 11. English language (all undergraduate applicants): 70% in a senior-level English after three years of full-time English-medium secondary schooling in Canada, or IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no part below 6.0, TOEFL iBT 4.5 overall with no part below 4.0 (for tests taken before 21 January 2026: 88 with no part below 20), or CAEL 70 with no part below 60.

Requirements published at faculty level.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the courses you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Fall (September), Spring (January) and Summer (May) terms; most students start in the fall term.

Fall 2027: high school applications open 1 October 2026 and close 31 January 2027; other post-secondary transfer applications open 1 March 2027 and close 15 April 2027. Summer 2027: all applications open 1 December 2026 and close 15 January 2027. Spring 2027: all applications opened 1 July 2026 and close 15 September 2026.

The non-refundable application fee is 86 CAD for domestic students and 130 CAD for international students, payable online by credit card. Applications are submitted through EducationPlannerBC.

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