• a national leader in education and research that is recognised internationally for academic excellence in the disciplines of environmental science, geography, geoinformatics, and meteorology; and

• a department that provides an intellectual home for the rich diversity of South African academic talent, and that acknowledges its role in Africa.

The vision will be achieved by:  

• encouraging academically rigorous and socially meaningful research that is recognised internationally for its quality and impact;

• providing excellent education to promote the creation, application, advancement, transmission and preservation of knowledge in order to create flexible, live-long learning opportunities for productive citizens and future leaders;

• being locally relevant with international recognition; and 

• fitting into the broader vision and mission of the University of Pretoria.

Research and education in the Department of GGM revolves around a common theme, namely OUR CHANGING LIVING ENVIRONMENT, studied in the context of a cluster of disciplines comprising environmental sciences, geodesy, physical geography, human and urban geography, geoinformatics, meteorology and remote sensing.