Geography is a wide-ranging discipline. It encompasses social, physical, biophysical and environmental sciences and the humanities. Applied geography offers avenues for study within physical and human geography. Geographers strive to understand how the Earth works and how humans interact with the Earth and with each other at a range of geographical scales. Physical geographers are interested in environments, resources and management processes in relation to landforms, geographic information science, soils, global and regional climate change, pollution and erosion, and natural hazards. Human geographers focus on human nature relationships, social change and social inclusion, urban, regional and remote planning, and human rights.

For students from overseas, Macquarie uses an international selection rank to determine the minimum eligibility requirement for each undergraduate course. This rank has been converted into equivalent scores for various recognised international high school qualifications and university entrance examinations, including global qualifications like the International Baccalaureate (IB) and GCE A-Levels. All applicants for undergraduate coursework studies at Macquarie University are required to provide evidence of proficiency in English.