Decision-making is one of the fundamental functions of governance, and due to its strategic nature, geopolitics is intrinsically connected to decision-making and policymaking processes. Despite this relationship, decision-making education in this field in Iran appears to be insufficiently aligned with the requirements of governance, policymaking, and national strategic decision-making. This study examines the status of decision-making education in Political Geography and Geopolitics and conceptualizes Geopolitical Decision-Making through a qualitative exploratory study based on directed content analysis of the course Methods and Techniques of Decision-Making. As an applied-developmental study, data were collected through review of the literature on geopolitics, decision-making, governance, and public policy, together with an analysis of the course syllabus. The findings indicate that the course content is predominantly influenced by the managerial paradigm, quantitative methods, and data analysis techniques, while the core components of geopolitical decision-making—including power analysis, national interests, the strategic environment, actor analysis, futures studies, scenario planning, and geopolitical policymaking—are inadequately represented. The dominance of an instrument-oriented approach has limited decision-making education to teaching decision-support techniques rather than fostering strategic decision-making and the design of policy alternatives. These findings reveal a gap between the course content and the requirements of geopolitical decision-making in governance and policymaking. Based on the findings, Geopolitical Decision-Making is proposed as a strategic competency and an emerging field of study. By integrating geopolitical analysis with decision-making and policymaking, this concept can facilitate a transition from instrument-oriented to strategy-oriented education and strengthen the contribution of geopolitical education to governance.