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Global Development and Sustainability

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B-B,C,C

A Level - grades BBB-BCC or above preferred including a Grade B in Geography, Sociology, Economics or Science.

Access to HE Diploma

M:45

Access to HE courses – typical offers for applicants with Access to HE will be the Access to HE Diploma or Access to HE Certificate (60 credits, 45 of which must be Level 3, at Merit or higher) in a related subject.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

A minimum of 32 points are required.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM-DMM

BTEC – Extended Diploma grades from Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM) to Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) in a related subject, preferably Social Sciences.

T Level

M

T Levels – grade Merit preferred in a relevant subject.

UCAS Tariff

104-120

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Physical geography

**Explore contemporary global challenges and become a skilled professional who is ready to promote and implement sustainable development.**
- Learn to understand complex global challenges including sustainability, climate change, hazards, disasters, development and urbanisation.

- Broaden your experience through work placements and international field trips to destinations such as Italy and Spain.

- Develop the knowledge and transferable skills needed for a wide range of careers or postgraduate study.

Global sustainable development is at the heart of the environmental, social, economic and geopolitical challenges affecting the world today. Our Global Development and Sustainability degree is designed to ensure that you develop the knowledge and skills needed to manage the challenges and opportunities of sustainable development in a variety of locations and situations.

You’ll explore topics including climate change, natural hazards and disaster risks, cities and urbanisation, education and development, environmental justice and migration. Your core studies will focus on key themes and skills in geography and global development, and you'll have the option to study modules drawn from a range of relevant subject areas including geography, sociology, education, business and management, and politics.

As part of our supportive Geography community you’ll develop a real sense of belonging and benefit from small class sizes, specialist staff expertise and up-to-date technologies. You’ll be taught by our team of lecturers who have expertise in sustainability, climate change, urbanisation and disaster risk reduction, and who are engaged in international networks and world-leading research.

You’ll learn both inside and outside the classroom, in our laboratories, and at field sites on campus in Bath, across the UK and overseas.

Modules

Year one
You’ll develop a foundational knowledge of the social and environmental processes that shape global development and sustainability challenges, and you’ll acquire the basic skills needed to examine and analyse these issues.

Year two
In core modules you'll develop a more in depth understanding of sustainable development and learn critical skills and knowledge that are essential for careers in Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), companies, charities and government agencies.

Optional modules enable you to specialise in topics such as:

- climate change
- food and nutrition
- environmental hazards
- social justice
- migration.

You’ll also start to plan for your career options, with opportunities to undertake modules on geotechnologies, advocacy for change, or a work placement.

The optional field trip to Italy offers a unique opportunity to explore development and sustainability themes in a highly dynamic, real-world context. On this trip you’ll learn about a range of topics such as: earthquake disasters, flood hazards, air quality and pollution, climate change impacts and vulnerabilities, regional development, sustainability and urban geographies. You’ll also have opportunities to experience the regional diversity, food and culture of Italy. Please note that some of our field trips may incur additional costs on top of your course fees. Financial support for field trip costs may be available via the Bath Spa University International Travel Fund.

An optional Professional Placement Year between your second and final years gives you the opportunity to gain relevant and valuable experience in the workplace.

Year three
In your final year, you’ll complete an independent research project that'll enable you to demonstrate the skills and knowledge you’ve acquired on the course. Students have undertaken their final year dissertation projects in a wide range of locations across the UK, as well as in countries such as Canada, Brazil, Kenya, and Ghana.

An optional field trip to Barcelona allows you to study topics such as:

- urban development
- wildfires and cascading hazards
- social inequalities
- urban sustainability policies
- city planning
- coastal erosion
- nationalism and independence movements
- heat waves
- Olympic legacies
- urban flood risks.

Assessment methods

You’ll experience a variety of assessment methods throughout your degree. These include essays, project reports, presentations, posters, video-clips, field-craft assessments, reflective items, time-constrained tests and examinations. These are designed to give you a rich and diverse skill-set, and be of real benefit in pursuit of your chosen career.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£15,750
per year
International
£15,750
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Bath Spa University

Department:

School of Science

Read full university profile

What students say


How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Physical geographical sciences

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

97%
UK students
3%
International students
15%
Male students
85%
Female students
70%
2:1 or above
9%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
C
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Physical geographical sciences

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,018
med
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education
43%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

17%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
14%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
12%
Other elementary services occupations

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Physical geographical sciences

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£24k

£24k

£25k

£25k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
University of Leicester | Leicester
Physical Geography and Geology
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 120-152
Lower entry requirements
Bangor University | Bangor (Wales)
Geography
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 96-128

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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