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Geography

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B-B,B,C

112-120 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels.

112-122 Tariff points from the Access to HE Diploma.

Cambridge Pre-U score of 46-50.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

5 GCSEs at grade C or above to include English and Mathematics/5 GCSEs at grade 4 or above to include English and Mathematics

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

25

25 points from the IB Diploma, to include 3 Higher Level subjects.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H3,H3,H3,H3,H4-H3,H3,H3,H3,H3

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

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

DDM-DMM

112-120 Tariff points to include a minimum of 2 Advanced Highers.

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

112-120

112-120 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent.

112-120 points from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate including 1 A level, plus the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

4 years | Sandwich | 2024

Subjects

Environmental sciences

Human geography

**This is a Connected Degree**
Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course.

**Overview**
If you're fascinated by the interrelationship between people, place and environment, this BA (Hons) Geography degree, accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), provides the skills and knowledge you need to help shape the future of the planet.

You'll investigate how we can preserve both the natural environment and the social and economic wellbeing of human populations. When you graduate, you'll have what you need to work in a wide range of areas, such as within urban or environmental planning, the energy sector, teaching or research.

- Create your own bespoke final year to match your interests and career ambitions by choosing from an optional list of modules, including environment and society, creative economy and urban placemaking and gender and development

- Learn to use GIS to solve societal problems including industry-standard technology, laser survey technology, drones, and photogrammetry equipment

- Experience some of the societies, cultures and landscapes you’re studying through fieldwork, including in places such as Berlin, Malta, Sicily and Uganda

- Choose to study abroad at one of our partner universities in Canada, Australia, Germany, Malta, Slovakia, Hungary and France, or build experience on a work placement at an organisation like the Environment Agency or Natural England

**Accredited by:**
This course is accredited by the Royal Geographical Society.

**Careers and opportunities
On this BA (Hons) Geography, you’ll examine themes such as conservation, sustainability, geopolitics, and economic and urban development, and hunt for answers to big questions about the world and society.

As well as learning skills to help you understand and engage with the world, you’ll develop as a professional. You’ll come away as a confident communicator, able to solve problems, make good decisions and work well with others.

When you graduate, you'll be ready for a career in a wide range of important fields and sectors, with technical and professional skills many employers are looking for.

**What jobs can you do with a geography degree?**
Roles our graduates have taken on include:
- geo-environmental consultant

- transport planner

- urban planner

- GIS analyst

- spatial analyst

- operations watchkeeper

- geography teacher

**Graduate destinations**
Organisations our graduates have gone on to work for include:
- Mott McDonald

- AECOM

- Savills

- Bulb

- Department of Business and Energy

- Thames Water

- Hampshire County Council

You could also go on to study at postgraduate level.

**Placement year (optional)**
Either before or following your third year, you can opt for a work placement year to gain valuable longer-term work experience in the industry. Placements give you the opportunity to apply what you've learnt so far in a real workplace, boosting your employability and making you attractive to employers after graduation.

You can work for a company or organisation here in the UK or overseas – some Geography students have chosen Australia, Spain or Malta for their placement year.

Whichever route you choose, you'll receive support and guidance. Our specialist team of Science and Health Careers advisors can help you with finding a work placement and improving your employability skills.

**Potential placement destinations**
Our students have completed placements at organisations including:
- Atkins Global

- Pfizer Research and Development

- Hampshire Ecological Services

- The Environment Agency

- Natural England

Modules

Year 1

Core modules in this year include:

Environmental Processes and Hazards – 20 credits
Global Environmental Challenges – 20 credits
Society and Place – 20 credits
Changing the World – 20 credits
Exploring Landscapes – 20 credits
Geographical Techniques – 20 credits

There are no optional modules in this year.

Year 2

Core modules in this year include:

Research, Fieldwork and Professional Skills – 40 credits

Optional modules in this year include:

Environmental Change – 20 credits
Geographies of Development – 20 credits
GIS and Remote Sensing – 20 credits
Glaciers and Glaciation – 20 credits
Introduction to Teaching – 20 credits
Modern Foreign Language (Institution-wide Language Programme) – 20 credits
River Processes – 20 credits
Sustainable Environmental Management – 20 credits
Transport and Sustainability – 20 credits
Uneven Cities, Planning and Design – 20 credits

Placement year

On this course, you can do an optional work placement year between your 2nd and 3rd years to get valuable experience working in industry.

We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your situation and ambitions. You’ll get mentoring and support throughout the year.

Year 3

Core modules in this year include:

Dissertation – 40 credits

Optional modules in this year include:

Climate Change – 20 credits
Coastal Recreation - Planning and Management – 20 credits
Cold Environments – 20 credits
Conservation Biogeography – 20 credits
Creative Economy and Urban Placemaking – 20 credits
Environmental Assessment and Management – 20 credits
Environment and Development – 20 credits
Environmental Pollution and Waste Management – 20 credits
Gender and Development – 20 credits
Hazardscapes – 20 credits
Introduction to Teaching – 20 credits
Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology – 20 credits
Weather Science – 20 credits
Young People and Place – 20 credits

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed through coursework, examinations, contributions to electronic discussion forums, web page design, posters, projects, presentations, portfolios.

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:
Year 1 students: 50% by written exams, 14% by practical exams and 36% by coursework
Year 2 students: 20% by written exams and 80% by coursework
Year 3 students: 7% by written exams, 8% by practical exams and 85% by coursework

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
£9,250
per year
International
£19,200
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:

University of Portsmouth

Department:

Faculty of Science and Health

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.

84%
Environmental sciences
89%
Human geography

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.

Environmental sciences

Teaching and learning

80%
Staff make the subject interesting
97%
Staff are good at explaining things
79%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
68%
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

84%
Library resources
95%
IT resources
83%
Course specific equipment and facilities
63%
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?

87%
UK students
13%
International students
53%
Male students
47%
Female students
73%
2:1 or above
14%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
C

Human geography

Teaching and learning

93%
Staff make the subject interesting
97%
Staff are good at explaining things
93%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
67%
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

85%
Library resources
87%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
74%
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?

94%
UK students
6%
International students
53%
Male students
47%
Female students
80%
2:1 or above
15%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
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.

Environmental 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.

£20,500
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

21%
Other elementary services occupations
10%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
10%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

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.

£20,000
med
Average annual salary
98%
med
Employed or in further education
40%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

27%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
17%
Business, research and administrative professionals
11%
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.

Environmental 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.

£19k

£19k

£24k

£24k

£28k

£28k

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.

£19k

£19k

£24k

£24k

£28k

£28k

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 East Anglia UEA | Norwich
Geography with a Placement Year
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 128-153
Nearby University
University of Brighton | Brighton and Hove
Geography
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 104-120
Lower entry requirements
University of Dundee | Dundee
Environmental Science and Geography
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 104-120

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the 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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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