Structure of the Curriculum

The Bachelor's Degree in Geography and Territorial Planning has been developed in accordance with current regulations, taking into account the recommendations of the White Paper on the Bachelor's Degree in Geography and Territorial Planning and the regulations set out in Royal Decree 1393/2007 of 29 October, which establishes the organisation of official university courses, and the various regulations issued by the University of La Laguna: the Regulations of the Undergraduate Studies Commission of the University of La Laguna (approved by the Governing Council on 22 October 2007) and the General Guidelines for the Design of Undergraduate Degrees at the University of La Laguna (Governing Council of 30 January 2008). Regulations on Official Postgraduate Studies at the University of La Laguna (Governing Council, 27 October 2007), in addition to the Criteria and Guidelines for the Implementation of Degrees issued by the Autonomous Government.
The guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education and Science are incorporated into the general regulations of the ULL, among which the following stand out due to their direct impact on the structure of the curriculum:
– Elective credits represent between 5 and 10% of the total credits that students must take. An offer of two optional credits is contemplated for each optional credit that the students must pass.
– It is recommended that the 60 credits for core subjects be shared across the different degrees in the same branch, preferably distributed over the first two years. If only 36 credits are scheduled, these must be shared across all degrees and must be taught during the first year.
– The program will include subjects taught in another European Union language, preferably English. In the Geography degree, the 12 required credits are incorporated into practical activities to be carried out in various subjects.
– 12 credits of external internships are required, as well as another 12 credits corresponding to the final degree project.
In accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Education and Science and those of the ULL, the plan includes an optional 10% course, a 12-credit external internship, and 12 credits for the final degree project. As a result, the plan is distributed as follows:

1. Distribution of the curriculum by type of subject

The curriculum for the Graduate Degree in Geography and Land Use Planning from the University of La Laguna comprises a total of 240 credits, as shown in the attached tables, based on the subject areas, compulsory and optional courses, the final degree project, and internships.

2. Modules and subjects included in the study plan

The general objectives, knowledge, and skills of the Bachelor's Degree in Geography and Territorial Planning, outlined in Chapter 3 of this report, have been structured into seven modules. These modules are understood as a grouping of related subjects and courses from a disciplinary perspective, enabling graduates to acquire the necessary skills to achieve an integrated understanding of the territory, develop a critical analysis of the processes and phenomena affecting it, and also the ability to interpret and represent it cartographically, in order to, where appropriate, intervene in the evaluation and management of the environmental, social, and economic problems that territories present at various scales of analysis.
Based on these premises, the content is structured into thematic modules, which are internally broken down into subjects, and these, finally, into courses. Each module consists of one or more subjects with related content, which are sequenced throughout the training plan, from the first to the last semester, according to the degree of complexity. The modules, subjects, and courses incorporate content derived from the professional profiles and the needs they entail, which have been previously defined.
Considering that the University of La Laguna's Guidelines establish that subjects must have a minimum of six ECTS credits and a maximum of twelve, depending on whether they are semester-based or annual, the Bachelor's Degree in Geography has opted for a semester-based format of six ECTS credits. The program includes a total of 264 ECTS credits, distributed across the following seven thematic modules.

1. Basic training
2. Physical geography
3. Human Geography
4. Regional Geographic Analysis
5. Land use planning
6. Geographic information technologies
7. Applied Geography

The first module, "Basic Training," with 60 ECTS credits (23%), emphasizes the basic knowledge of other transversal disciplines or techniques that complement the training. This module includes, on the one hand, the six core subjects common to the Branch of Social and Legal Sciences, which includes the Bachelor's Degree in Geography and Territorial Planning, established by the Undergraduate Studies Commission of the University of La Laguna: Communication, Law, Economics, Statistics, Geography, and Sociology. In addition to these six subjects, the Bachelor's Degree in Geography and Territorial Planning incorporates History as a Basic Training subject. The content of this subject is considered essential for the adequate assessment of current territorial processes and phenomena, which, as is well known, have a clear historical dimension. The seven subjects are divided into the following ten courses: Social Communication, Geography of the Modern World, Statistics, Economics, Sociology, Legal Foundations of Territorial and Urban Planning, History of the Contemporary and Present-Day World, Fundamentals of the Climate System, Graphic and Cartographic Expression, and, finally, Population Geography.
Modules 2, 3, and 4, "Physical Geography," "Human Geography," and "Regional Geographic Analysis," comprise a total of 108 ECTS credits—40.5 % of the total credits. Following the recommendations of the White Paper on the Bachelor's Degree in Geography and Spatial Planning, these modules provide the foundations for understanding the natural and human components of the territory, the factors and processes with territorial impact, the organization of territorial structures at different spatial and temporal scales, and the problems arising from the interrelationships between nature, society, and territory. The organization of these contents combines a traditional analytical approach with an integrated approach that allows not only understanding but also comprehension and interpretation of the complexity of the territory. These modules ensure a solid foundation in the knowledge of the physical and human environment of territories at different scales.
The fifth module, primarily applied in nature, is dedicated to "Land Use Planning" and comprises a fifth—20.5%—of the 54 credits in the curriculum. This module, taking the conceptual framework of Land Use Planning as a starting point and considering the different development models, focuses on the methodologies and instruments of land use planning and development. The objective is to introduce students to the methodological and technical tools necessary for professional practice in this field, which not only involves the ability to prepare land use analyses and diagnoses but also their management. In this case, cross-curricular subjects are incorporated, including environmental issues as well as those related to land use planning.
For its part, the eminently practical training present in all subjects is centrally presented in modules 6 and 7, which, with 42 credits (18% of the total), are allocated respectively to "Geographic Information Technologies" and "Applied Geography." Transversality is also the key to this module, in which the knowledge and training received are applied in the analysis and presentation of results on various territorial issues, and experience is acquired through participation in work carried out in organizations, institutions, or companies that carry out activities related to territorial issues.
In the "Geographic Information Technologies" module, the objectives focus on the processing and analysis of geographic information. The incorporation of new technologies in this module is a key aspect of the training, providing the necessary knowledge for the design, development, and management of Geographic Information Systems and computer-aided mapping.
In this case, the contents of this block are enriched by those provided by the Physical Geography, Human Geography, and Basic Education modules, which, in a cross-curricular manner, incorporate quantitative analysis methodologies and database management, as well as qualitative analysis techniques.
The other module, Applied Geography, with 24 credits, comprises integrated internships (12 compulsory credits) and the final degree project (12 credits). Internships are learning tools that facilitate the transition between the academic world of the University and the labor market by providing students with on-the-job skills and pre-professional experience. Internships will take place, according to the planned schedule, during the final year and second semester. Students' direct contact with the working environment in companies and institutions allows them to apply the knowledge and skills learned within the university framework to the business world. Internships enable students to develop professional approaches. The goal is to introduce them to the professional world and put them in contact with geographers and other professionals who work in fields directly related to territorial analysis, planning, and management.
The final degree project, for its part, aims to apply the acquired knowledge to the development of an analysis, diagnosis, and definition of proposals for a territorial area or problem. Students may register for this project once they have earned the 192 compulsory credits (80% of the total credits required), excluding the 12 credits for external internships and the 12 credits for the final degree. By the time the project is submitted, students must have earned the remaining credits required for the degree, i.e., at least 228 ECTS.
The plan's design is intended to train geographers who, as territorial professionals, are capable of understanding, interpreting, organizing, and managing territorial issues. Therefore, the content and its distribution in ECTS credits attempt to combine, in a balanced manner, three axes, taking into account the three areas of knowledge included in the degree: integration, transversality, and professional demands. These three aspects establish the fundamental content and approaches, as they reinforce the integrated nature of the program, as well as the technical and applied aspects.
The following table shows the distribution of ECTS credits for the Bachelor's Degree, which complies with the provisions of Royal Decree 1393/2007. Module I includes the six core subjects common to the Social and Legal Sciences branch of the Geography and Territorial Planning degree program, as established by the University of La Laguna's Undergraduate Studies Committee.

To structure the Curriculum, two levels of grouping have been used: subjects and modules. Subjects that can be conceived as integrated have been grouped as subjects; on the other hand, one or more subjects that constitute an organizational unit within the Curriculum have been grouped into modules.

3. Temporary planning of teachings

The Geography and Spatial Planning degree, with a duration of four academic years and eight semesters, proposes a sequencing of subjects by academic year and semester, respectively. A total of 40 hours per week has been established for each week, respecting the maximum required dedication of each student. This includes both the training activities for all subjects in the corresponding semester and the established dedication time for the student body.
Adopting the general guidelines of the Royal Decree 1393 (art. 12.2) and the General Guidelines of the University of La Laguna For the design of Bachelor's degrees, the curriculum adheres to the following criteria:

• The minimum number of credits for semester-long courses is six. The equivalencies are as follows: 1 ECTS credit corresponds to 25 hours of student work, of which 10 hours will be in-person activities and 15 hours will be independent work.

• The structure of each academic year is designed so that students are not required to take more than five subjects simultaneously per semester.
• The degree has a minimum of 40% credits of practical dedication, which can be developed both in person and online.

The following table shows the chronological planning of the courses, specifying the year, semester, and the nature and type of subjects: basic training in the same branch (FB R) and in the same or other branches (FB), compulsory (OB), optional (OP), internships, and final degree project, with their corresponding distribution in ECTS credits. This chronological planning is in line with the conceptual logic of the modules or subjects that make up the curriculum and that have been presented and described in the previous sections.

Curriculum for the degree in Geography and Land Use Planning