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Geography, Society and Environment

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,C-A,B,B

For entry to Year 2: ABB

GCSE/National 4/National 5

It is also a requirement of every applicant to have English and Mathematics at a minimum of National 5 Grade C or GCSE Grade C or 4 (or equivalent)

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

29

For entry to Year 2: A total of 34 points is required.

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

DMM

in a relevant subject for entry to Year 1. For entry to Year 2: DDM in a relevant subject.

Scottish Advanced Higher

B,B

plus Highers AABB for entry to Year 2.

Scottish HNC

Pass

HNC in relevant subject with B in graded unit for entry to Year 1. For Year 2 entry: HNC in relevant subject with A in graded unit.

Scottish HND

Pass

For Year 2 entry: HND in relevant subject with BB in graded units. For Year 3 entry: HND in relevant subject with AB in graded units.

Scottish Higher

A,A,B,B

We will consider T Levels as suitable for entry to our degree programmes, however, certain subject requirements may be required for entry to specific programmes. Where this is not evident as part of the T Level studies, we may ask for additional qualifications.

UCAS Tariff

96-128

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

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Urban studies

The Geography, Society and Environment degree is designed for students who are interested in human geography and related topics in urban design, social policy, cities and modern studies. Overall, this degree explores the ways in which people shape and are shaped by the places and environments in which they live. How do cities change and how do the people involved shape those cities and neighbourhoods? How does the built environment shape our behaviour? What makes some places healthier or happier or more resilient?

You will develop field work skills in surveying, mapping and site assessment with field work and site visits as a key strand in your learning. You will develop important research skills through core modules in statistics, data analysis and research methods which you will apply to your final Year research dissertation. Cross-disciplinary and problem-based working helps students acquire the skills needed to work in multi-disciplinary teams and solve real-world problems.

We are ranked 9th in the UK for Town and Country Planning and Landscape Design in the Complete University Guide 2022.

You can participate in residential field trips in Years 1, 2 and 3, visiting locations in Scotland, the UK and beyond; plus shorter one day trips and site visits. These trips provide important opportunities to deepen practical skills in field survey, site observation, data collection and analysis.

You can experience links to practice and industry – hearing from visiting speakers and professionals working as chartered geographers, surveyors and planners.

In Year 3, all students are given the opportunity for mentoring by a practitioner, someone working in industry who can discuss career choices, graduate job opportunities and professional membership routes.

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
£19,744
per year
International
£19,744
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Edinburgh Campus

Department:

Urban Studies

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

82%
Urban studies

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.

Planning (urban, rural and regional)

Teaching and learning

82%
Staff make the subject interesting
85%
Staff are good at explaining things
87%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
62%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

56%
Library resources
74%
IT resources
64%
Course specific equipment and facilities
72%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

93%
UK students
7%
International students
37%
Male students
63%
Female students
84%
2:1 or above
5%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
D

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.

Planning (urban, rural and regional)

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.

£25,000
high
Average annual salary
100%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

52%
Architects, town planners and surveyors
12%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
8%
Quality and regulatory professionals

This subject includes degrees in urban studies and housing as well as planning qualifications. Be a little careful when looking at the stats, as most jobs in planning, especially in town planning, go to Masters students in the subject — planning is a very popular Master's degree (and even then we don't actually have enough graduates to meet employer demand). So if you want a job in planning, expect to stay on at university after you have finished your first degree. First degree graduates in planning are more likely to start working in surveying than planning roles - although that is partly down to our serious shortage of surveyors. This all adds up to a subject that is in demand - but do keep a look out for work experience opportunities to make your good prospects even better.

What about your long term prospects?

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

Planning (urban, rural and regional)

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

£24k

£24k

£33k

£33k

£36k

£36k

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.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here