The teaching strategy takes its inspiration from the idea of ‘taking responsibility for one’s own learning’ and offers a wide range of learning situations. The courses are focused on problems in society: environmental changes, mobility, urbanization, globalization and developing countries. Activities such as seminars and integrated exercises are carried out in advanced areas of geographical research. Ability to use advanced methods of geographical analysis is an important objective of the training: geographical modeling, geographical information systems and satellite teledetection.
Practical work gives students the opportunity of dealing with concrete problems and finding solutions to them, often in small groups. The computer rooms with special software for geographical analysis are always open to students. In the first year of the Master, the field work consists of a week of supervised exercises in the Alps or Spain. This is compulsory in the first year of the Master. Students who choose a research focus must do a second field course in the second year.
Students doing the teaching focus may do advanced teaching in mathematics, physics or geography.