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Geography courses

Interested in topical issues such as coastal and river management, sustainable energy or regeneration of inner city areas? Geography covers the physical and manmade world around us. Courses can include a mix of human, physical and environmental geography or you can specialise in one of these areas. Students will also commonly collect and analyse their own data on arranged field trips - which might be in far-flung locations, or situated closer to home. Graduate careers are diverse and include environmental consultancy, planning, marketing and overseas development work.

Studying geography at university

Example course modules

  • Global worlds, global challenges
  • Skills and techniques in geosciences
  • Physical environments
  • Environment and society
  • Analysing geographical and environmental data
  • Earth systems
  • Global climate systems
  • Historical cultural geographies
  • Theory, space and society
  • Urbanism, culture and modernity

Teaching hours / week

Average for this subject

10
Hours
5
14
Hours

Average for all subjects

The time you'll spend in lectures and seminars each week will vary from university to university, so use this as a guide.

More on studying and contact hours at uni

Who studies this subject

  • Female : 59%
    Male : 41%
  • Mature : 7%
    School leaver : 93%
  • Full-time : 95%
    Part-time : 5%

What students say about geography

What you need to get on a course

Subjects you need

A-levels (or equivalent) usually required

  • Geography for most courses

Useful to have

  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Mathematics

Application checklist

Here's a guide to what to expect from the application process - also check individual university entry requirements, as these may differ.

  • January application
  • October application
  • Personal statement
  • Portfolio
  • Interview
  • Entry test
  • Work experience
  • Audition

Personal statement advice

Your personal statement is a core part of your university application, and getting it just right takes time. Before you start work on yours, take a look at our five quick tips on writing a personal statement. We'll help you past that writer's block!

Career prospects

Sources: HECSU & KIS
Like a lot of sciences, around one in five graduates in physical geography go on to further study, mainly for one-year Masters courses. In the world of work, graduates often go into environment and heritage work, but also to general jobs in areas like marketing, business analysis and management, as these are well-rounded degrees that help graduates get a range of useful skills. On the human and social geography side, there is a shortage of social science graduates with really good maths skills, and graduates from these disciplines who have them are in demand from modern industry. An ability to combine good data handling skills with good communication and social skills will really help start your career, and that's something a geography degree with a good stats component can really bring to the jobs market.
Professional and accrediting bodies:

Six months after graduating

Longer term career paths

Jobs where this degree is useful

  • Social Researcher
  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS) officer
  • Hydrologist

Other real-life job examples

  • Financial analyst
  • Water disposals officer
  • Heritage manager

What employers like about this subject

Subject-specific skills you can gain from geography will depend to an extent on whether you specialise in physical or social geography, but can include an understanding of current theory and practice in fields of geography; how to generate and interpret research data and the development of field skills. It is especially important to develop good maths and statistics skills during a geography degree, as the mix of data and communication skills is particularly useful to employers. Geography graduates work for a wide range of employers including government agencies, banks, management consultants and environmental businesses.