Geography
Entry requirements
A level
For First Year Entry a minimum of 3 A Levels at BBB. For Second Year Entry a minimum of an A in the subject selected for Single Honours plus BB, or AB in the subjects selected for Joint Honours plus a further B. GCSE in English or English Language is also required.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
For entry into First Year, a minimum of 32 points required, including at least 5,5,5 at HL. For entry into Second Year, a minimum of 36 points, including at 6, 6, 6 at Higher level in subject(s) selected. English at a minimum of Standard level required.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
A minimum of 5H with 3 at H2 AND 2 at H3 OR AAABB, obtained in a single sitting. (The grading within band B must be at B2 or above). Also required: O in English or English Language
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Minimum entry requirement: DDM in related subjects.
Scottish Advanced Higher
Second year entry may be possible in most school based subjects. A minimum of ABB overall in Adv Higher is required. Adv Higher at A in the subject selected for Single Honours or AB in the subject selected for Joint Honours.
For entry to Year 2: Satisfactory completion of HNC Social Sciences (120 SCQF credit points). B in all Graded Units. Curriculum to include: Students should take units A and B of the discipline/s they wish to study at university, e.g. Psychology A (FK8D 34) and B (J030 34). For Joint honours programmes, students must take A and B for both disciplines.
Scottish Higher
Applicants who achieve AABB or better over S4 and S5 are likely to be made an offer of admission. This may be unconditional or it may be conditional, dependent upon academic profile. Good performance in additional Highers / Advanced Highers may be required. Note: we do not double count a Higher and Advanced Higher in the same subject, but we do consider that a B at Adv Higher is equivalent to an A grade at Higher. National 5 English at minimum grade C
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Geography is key to understanding and resolving many of the most pressing problems faced by society, including climate change, poverty, energy transitions, sustainable development and environmental conservation. Our degree programmes reflect these modern-day challenges, with core and optional courses aimed at producing highly skilled graduates who can think critically and develop solutions to tackle these problems.
**Human Geography at Aberdeen is ranked 1st in the UK for student satisfaction by the 2022 National Student Survey, with an overall satisfaction score of 100%.**
Our teaching is research-led, delivered by staff who are actively investigating some of the most important problems facing the world today – problems with social and environmental dimensions which geographical knowledge can help us understand and resolve.
In the First Year of your Geography degree, you will study two courses that provide an introduction to Geography in all its diversity. Both courses incorporate a workgroup programme alongside a lecture series covering aspects of Human and Physical Geography.
- Creating the Anthropocene reflects upon the role humans have played in creating the Anthropocene (the epoch we are now living in), a time period during which Human actions have become more significant than natural processes in shaping the world we currently live in.
- The UN Sustainable Development Goals looks at how we address the contemporary global challenges that we are facing today? This course builds on the challenges that have arisen during the Anthropocene, and introduces the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as a global call for action.
In Second Year and Third Year, you will begin specialising in the areas of Geography that most interest you or align with your career aspirations. In the Fourth Year, you will pursue an individual piece of geographical research in your Dissertation Project and choose courses that reflect the truly cutting-edge research strengths of Geography and Environment in Aberdeen.
**BSc or MA?**
At Aberdeen, you can choose to study Geography through either the Master of Arts (MA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree programmes. The main difference between the BSc and MA programmes is the other subjects you will study alongside Geography. For the BSc, these will be mainly science subjects, while MA students can choose subsidiary courses from across the humanities and social sciences. Both the BSc and MA Geography degrees are accredited by the Royal Geographical Society.
Modules
Suited to those looking to study Geography, who have a personal interest in the social sciences and humanities. Many courses in human and physical geography, including specialist Honours options, draw directly on the staff’s own research into sustainability transitions, the use of digital technologies, environmental conservation, land management urban development, rural change, water management, climate change, glaciology, remote sensing and past environmental change.
In years 1 and 2, you are taught across the full breadth of the subject. Courses are designed to provide an introduction to 21st century Geography, and cover major contemporary challenges including climate change, uneven development, societal inequalities and environmental conservation. The modular structure brings great flexibility; you can choose from a range of courses from across the university to complement your core Geography studies.
Honours years (years 3 and 4) allow for specialisation, where you engage with the subject in greater depth and various pathways are possible. Courses offered include our courses on Human Geography, which introduce you to topics such as the development of cities and processes such as gentrification, uneven development and inequalities, to environmental problems (and how to solve them). Our physical geography courses cover topics that include hydrology, glaciology and palaeoecology using practical exercises to build relevant data analysis skills.
Assessment methods
Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods: Coursework such as essays and reports completed throughout the course; Practical assessments of the skills and competencies they learn on the course; Written examinations at the end of each course. The exact mix of these methods differs between subject areas, years of study and individual courses.
Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
View the University of Aberdeen Online Prospectus programme page to find out about any scholarships and funding you may be able to apply for.
The Uni
University of Aberdeen
School of Geosciences
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.
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
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Human geography
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
Human geography
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
£22k
£25k
£29k
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.
Human geography
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£22k
£25k
£29k
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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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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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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