Geography at QUT: Evolution of a Discipline

The paper focuses on the constraints encountered in developing and introducing a geography discipline programme, with a distinctive regional focus, within a university of technology. Through a case study approach, the analysis relates the development of geography at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to changes in geographical education in Australia. Major obstacles to the evolution of geography within QUT are outlined: practical aspects of working in a multi-campus setting; limited staffing resources; policy obstacles to discipline identification and the downgrading of discipline-based approaches in favour of ‘trans-disciplinary’ majors. Strategies used to overcome these constraints have included: cross-faculty linkages; establishing co-majors in several degree programmes; team-teaching; flexible delivery and the use of online resources. While the establishment and development of the current QUT Geography programme has been difficult at times, the institutional context has provided opportunities to create a distinctive and innovative geography programme