Education Secondary and Geography
BA (Hons)
Undergraduate degree - combined honours
- UCAS codes: Institution B20, Course 39G0 or 39H0 (with professional placement year)
- Education Secondary - Programme Document
- Geography - Programme Document
- Award
- BA (Hons) Education Secondary and Geography
- School/s
- School of Education, School of Sciences
- Campus or location
- Newton Park
- Course length
- Three years full time.
- UCAS codes
- Institution Code: B20
- Course Code: 39G0 or 39H0
- Campus Code: A,BSU
Entry requirements
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed under 'Typical offers' in the main column below. For combined courses, please check both subjects. If your qualification is not listed, please email admissions@bathspa.ac.uk with your specific details.
Combine your specialist subject with a Secondary Education degree, which prepares you for a Secondary PGCE.
- Gain the classroom experience that employers are looking for through placements in schools during each year of your studies.
- Join our long-standing and highly respected School of Education and benefit from strong partnerships with schools.
- On successful completion of the Secondary Education degree, you'll qualify for a guaranteed interview for our PGCE Secondary.
This secondary education degree is designed to enable you to gain real teaching experience before you embark on your PGCE. You'll study Education - in the broader contexts of professional practice, policy, teaching and learning - alongside the subject you're most passionate about.
In teaching, subject expertise and enthusiasm isn't enough to give you the edge. This degree gives you the practical experience of working in schools with young people that employers are looking for.
The course offers a guaranteed interview for our PGCE Secondary, and is flexible; we'll support you in achieving your aspirations as a professional educator - however they develop during the degree. You'll benefit from our tutors' wealth of research and practice-informed expertise when you join this community of learning and practice.
Throughout my three years on this course, I've developed a wide and in-depth understanding of the many ways that children learn. I feel confident in applying this understanding to my PGCE year and to my own teaching.
Robert Collard, graduate
What you'll learn
You’ll explore education from many theoretical and ideological perspectives in your core modules. This in-depth knowledge of the education industry, combined with your specialist subject knowledge, gives you that all-important edge when you embark on your professional education career.
Year one
The first year introduces key concepts and skills that underpin the subject of Education Studies. In addition, the placement module provides you with a sound introduction to secondary schools via a school placement.
Year two
You’ll consider more deeply the current issues in education, such as pedagogy, pupil voice, special needs, assessment and classroom organisation. You’ll undertake a second school placement, this time with a focus on developing your professionalism.
Year three
This year, the Teaching and Professionalism module prepares you for the PGCE. For your dissertation, you'll explore an issue of your choice and use your creativity and the skills you've gained so far to develop a classroom resource to address it. You'll also have opportunities to engage with PGCE staff and students; this eases your transition to initial teacher training.
Coursework includes essays, group presentations, research-based reports and portfolio-based work. We’ll provide you with prompt feedback and give you regular guidance on how to improve your skills, knowledge and understanding.
All modules are led by experienced and respected university staff. Many staff are active researchers and authors in the field of education studies; from the outset, they’ll introduce you to their particular specialisms and research interests. You’ll also benefit from regular visiting speakers – these include headteachers, PGCE staff, practitioners, educational advisers, specialist researchers and international visitors.
To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.
Course modules
This course offers or includes the following modules. The modules you take will depend on your pathway or course combination (if applicable) as well as any optional or open modules chosen. Please check the programme document for more information.
- Education for Change
- Introduction to Secondary Schools
- Introduction to Education Research
- Issues in Education
- Professional Practice in Secondary Schools
- Understanding Classrooms
- Literacy learning in a multi media world
- Supporting Learners with additional needs
- Sociology of Education
- Education , Social Inequalities and Social Justice
- Youth in Society, Power, Politics and Participation
- Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL)
- Professional Placement Year
- Teaching and Professionalism in the Secondary School
- Secondary Education Independent Project part 1
An optional module which may include:
- Secondary Education Independent Project part 2
- Social and Educational Inclusion
- Identity, Philosophy and Education
- Young People, Identities and Sub-Cultures
- Health Wellbeing and Education
Please note, not all optional modules are guaranteed to run each year.
Opportunities
We have an excellent partnership with schools where you can develop your understanding of Secondary level teaching.
You’ll attend a placement in each year of the degree for approximately eight to ten days. They usually occur one day a week during a term to allow you to continue with other university studies. We’ll arrange each placement for you. We try to ensure you're located within a reasonable distance from where you live; however, you should normally expect to travel using your own or public transport.
You must be in possession of a Bath Spa DBS disclosure. Details are sent once you have accepted your place with us.
As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.
This course is designed to inform a range of education careers - from classroom teaching to advisory roles that inform policy and practice, both nationally and internationally.
Successful completion of the secondary education degree leads to a guaranteed interview for our Oftsted 'Outstanding' rated PGCE Secondary course.
Our students often enter the teaching profession in local schools and a range of other settings and benefit from continued participation in the community of research and practice here at Bath Spa.
If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.
You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.
Professional placement year
This optional placement year provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.
By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.
Before your Professional Placement Year, you'll work to secure your placement, constructing a development plan with your module leader and your placement coordinator from our Careers and Employability team.
On your return to University for your final year, you'll submit your Placement Portfolio, detailing your development on your placement.
Facilities and resources
Your Secondary Education modules are based at Newton Park campus. You'll also undertake placements in schools in each year of your studies.
You'll benefit from access to a wide range of excellent facilities, including:
- Our Commons building
- Newton Park library
- ASk (Academic Skills) support
- Specialist Education resources and dedicated subject Librarian
- Our Virtual Learning Environment, Minerva.
You'll have access to the PGCE team, particularly in your final year as you transition to initial teacher training, and you'll also benefit from talks by guest speakers and incoming experts. Access to our research centres will give you the opportunity to stay up-to-date with the latest in teaching research and excellence.
Fees
2023/24 Entry
Course fees
Year 1 | £9,250 |
Year 2 | £9,250 |
Year 3 | Published Autumn 2024 |
2024/25 Entry
Course fees
Year 1 | £9,250 |
Year 2 | Published Autumn 2024 |
Year 3 | Published Autumn 2025 |
2025/26 Entry
Course fees
Year 1 | Published Autumn 2024 |
Year 2 | Published Autumn 2025 |
Year 3 | Published Autumn 2026 |
2023/24 Entry
Course fees
Year 1 | £15,930 |
Year 2 | £16,675 |
Year 3 | Published Autumn 2024 |
2024/25 Entry
Course fees
Year 1 | £16,675 |
Year 2 | Published Autumn 2024 |
Year 3 | Published Autumn 2025 |
2025/26 Entry
Course fees
Year 1 | Published Autumn 2024 |
Year 2 | Published Autumn 2025 |
Year 3 | Published Autumn 2026 |
Interested in applying?
We’re looking for individuals who are curious, reflective and interested in their subject areas. You’ll be motivated, committed and keen to push the boundaries of your knowledge and get the best possible preparation for your future career.
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below. All applicants will also be required to hold GCSEs at Grade B or above in English, Maths and Science.
- A Level – grades BBB-BCC preferred
- BTEC – Extended Diploma grades from Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM) to Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) accepted in any subject.
- T Levels – grade Merit preferred.
- International Baccalaureate – a minimum of 28 points are required.
- 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).
If you don’t meet the entry requirements above, we may be able to accept your prior learning or experience from outside of formal education. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) page to learn more.
English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants
IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.
Entry requirements for PGCE courses
The entry requirements for subsequent interview to the PGCE programme may alter (for example if the DfE changes entry requirements for PGCE courses). You’ll be advised of any changes during the degree.
Course enquiries
For further information about the programme or entry requirements, please email us at admissions@bathspa.ac.uk.
Ready to apply? Click the 'apply now' button in the centre of this page.
Need more guidance? Head to our how to apply pages.
Course leader: Eleanor West
Email: e.west@bathspa.ac.uk
Three year course
Explore environmental, social, economic and cultural issues with a degree in Geography.
- Tailor your studies to develop specialist knowledge in the topics that you are most passionate about.
- Gain field experience in destinations such as Italy and Spain, as well as in Bath and across the South West region.
- Accredited by the Royal Geographical Society, our Geography course prepares you to address the needs of the world beyond university.
On this Geography degree, you’ll explore the links between people, place and environment, developing the knowledge and skills you’ll need to understand and address challenges at local and global scales.
You’ll study a range of modules in human and physical geography, with opportunities to specialise in the areas you’re most interested in. You’ll explore environmental and social issues including climate change, environmental hazards, geomorphology, global development, migration, urban development, disaster risk reduction, river management, environmental justice, geotechnologies and cultural identities and representation.
You’ll be part of our supportive Geography community, benefiting from small class sizes, specialist staff expertise and up-to-date technologies, and you’ll be taught by our team of expert lecturers who are actively engaged in international networks and world-leading research. You’ll graduate equipped with skills highly sought by employers, including research, communication, data management and analysis, problem solving, teamwork, mapping and spatial data processing.
Find out more about Geography at Bath Spa on Instagram and YouTube, or read our students' experiences:
"...The extensive use of ArcGIS on the course greatly increased my employability, as all the major companies use this software - I use it daily in my job. My links to the Environment Agency were picked up in interviews as being of great benefit and provided a talking point."
Jennifer Drew, BSc (Hons) Geography
What you'll learn
Our Geography degree is designed to teach you a broad range of topics, covering perspectives from both human and physical geography. You’ll learn from expert lecturers who are active researchers engaging with pressing global challenges including natural hazards, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in a range of locations in the UK, Europe and Asia.
Your core studies will cover principles in human and physical geography and you’ll apply these to examine contemporary global and local challenges in a range of contexts.
In your second and third years, you’ll have a choice of optional modules enabling you to specialise and develop your own interests. You’ll have the chance to experience international field trips and a work placement, through which you’ll develop practical transferable skills that are applicable to a variety of careers.
Year one
Your first year helps you to transition to university-level Geography by establishing foundational skills and knowledge. You’ll develop these basic skills and knowledge through modules covering topics in both human and physical geography, as well as through a residential field trip module.
Year two
In your second year, you’ll develop more specialist knowledge and skills. Core modules develop your understanding of the discipline of geography, including research methods in both science and social science.
Optional modules enable you to begin to specialise in topics such as climate change, environmental hazards, urban development, migration or geotechnologies. You’ll also start to plan for your career, with an opportunity to undertake a work placement module.
The optional field trip to Italy offers a unique opportunity to explore geographical 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.
You can choose to undertake a Professional Placement Year between your second and final years.
Year three
You’ll complete a final year independent research project, allowing you to demonstrate the academic and transferable skills you’ve acquired on the course.
You’ll have a choice of optional modules that give you the opportunity to specialise in topics such as disaster risk reduction, identities and inequalities, river management and environmental justice.
An optional field trip to Barcelona allows you to specialise in either human geography or physical geography and environmental management by studying topics such as urban development, wildfires and cascading hazards, social inequalities, urban sustainability policies, coastal erosion, nationalism and independence movements, heat waves, Olympic legacies or urban flood risks.
You’ll be assessed through a variety of methods including essays, project reports, presentations, posters, video clips, field assessments, reflective items and time-constrained tests and exams. These will give you a rich and diverse skill set, designed to be of real benefit in pursuit of your career goals.
You’ll be taught in lectures, workshops and seminars, with small groups that enable discussion and collaborative learning. You’ll learn in the classroom, lab and outdoors, with fieldwork on campus and at locations across the UK and overseas.
To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.
Course modules
This course offers or includes the following modules. The modules you take will depend on your pathway or course combination (if applicable) as well as any optional or open modules chosen. Please check the programme document for more information.
- Environment, People and Place
- Geographical Skills
- Introduction to Geographical Fieldwork
- Global Development
- Sustainability in Life and Work
- Communicating Science
- Contested Geographies: Histories and Debates
- Geographical Research Methods
- Geomorphology and Environmental Hazards
- Climate and Society
- Geographical Fieldwork
- Geotechnologies for Society and Environment
- Spatial Development Planning: A Global Perspective
- Migration: Identity, Belonging, Citizenship and Security
- Social Problems, Social Divisions, Social Justice
- Crime, Law and Society
- Environmental Management
- Work Placement
- Professional Placement Year
- Geography Dissertation
- Advanced Geographical Fieldwork
- Identities and Inequalities
- River Management
- Disaster Risk Reduction
- Culture, Risk and Environmental Justice
- Community Engagement
Opportunities
As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.
Fieldwork is an integral part of our Geography programme as it provides you with the opportunities to learn hands-on geographical skills with real world applications.
There are optional residential field trip opportunities in second and third year. Our current field trip destinations are Italy (second year) and Spain (third year). Within modules you'll also undertake fieldwork in the local area including on our beautiful Newton Park campus, as well as in locations such as the Mendip Hills, the Somerset Levels, the Royal Geographical Society in London and the Jurassic Coast of Dorset.
Please note that you will have to make a financial contribution towards residential field trips.
You’ll have the opportunity to undertake a work placement in your second year and a community engagement placement in your final year, as well as the option to undertake a professional placement year between your second and final year. Students have worked with local organisations such as Ripple Effect, local planning authorities, environmental organisations and the National Trust.
Guest speakers from industry and previous graduates contribute to the learning experience throughout the course. This insightful engagement with potential employers will help you make those all-important career decisions when you graduate.
There are prizes awarded each year in recognition of excellence in the core modules. This culminates with the Geography Project of the Year Award for the best dissertation.
You’ll graduate from this degree prepared for a diverse range of careers in sectors such as research, consultancy, urban planning, business, education, surveying, geographical information systems, government, or non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The course also provides you with the knowledge and skills needed to progress to postgraduate study in a wide range of fields. Our graduates have undertaken postgraduate study in fields such as disaster management, climate change adaptation, sustainability, environmental management, environmental humanities, urban planning, public health and law.
Whatever your aspirations, our aim is that the real-world experience you gain on this course will set you up to take on diverse challenges, and to thrive in doing so.
If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.
You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.
Professional placement year
This optional placement year provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.
By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.
Before your Professional Placement Year, you'll work to secure your placement, constructing a development plan with your module leader and your placement coordinator from our Careers and Employability team.
On your return to University for your final year, you'll submit your Placement Portfolio, detailing your development on your placement.
Facilities and resources
You’ll be taught using our specialist facilities on our Newton Park campus in Bath as well as at field sites around the South West region and overseas.
- Lectures, seminars and workshops
Teaching takes place in lecture and seminar rooms on our beautiful Newton Park campus including in the Commons building. - Laboratories
We have a number of well-equipped and recently refurbished laboratories dedicated to a variety of analytical applications spanning audio-visual data, soils/water/air and microfossils, to name a few. - On-campus fieldwork
Our location at Newton Park, nestled in a parkland valley setting just outside Bath, is a beautiful and unique 'natural laboratory' in which to pursue environmental education. Make the most of this setting by studying environmental processes on-site including at our stream gauging station and instrumented landslide complex. - Off-campus field sites
Day trips provide real-world learning opportunities in locations such as the Mendip Hills, the Somerset Levels, the Royal Geographical Society in London and the Jurassic Coast of Dorset. Optional international field trips provide the chance to visit India and Spain. - Online research lecture series
Participate in the online research lecture series organised by our Hazard, Risk and Disaster Research Group. This series provides an opportunity to engage with leading research from all over the world specialising in topics such as natural hazards, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. - Library
- Commons building
- Virtual Learning Environment
- Specialist resources and dedicated Subject Librarian
- Writing and Learning Centre
- English Language Unit.
You’ll benefit from our excellent resources including laboratories, stock apparatus, field tools, and a suite of IT hardware/software, all supported by a highly-skilled team of technicians. Our key areas of capability are:
- Audio-visual data capture/field presentation including cameras, dictaphones and mobile projectors.
- Monitoring of environmental parameters including noise, light, air/gas, pH, particulates, water, metals, and volatiles; using dissolved oxygen and conductivity probes, flow meters, an atomic absorption spectrometer, a gas chromatogram, and a scanning spectrophotometer.
- Hydro-meteorological monitoring including Automatic Weather Stations, temperature/humidity loggers, anemometers, infiltrometers, and dip meters.
- Survey and analysis. Hardware comprising Total Stations, Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS), differential and handheld GPS and UAV. Software including ArcGIS Pro and Nvivo.
- Microfossil analysis using type collections and microscopes.
- Soil/sediment analysis using furnaces/ovens, particle size sieving, soil augers/corers.
"One of the most important elements of the course was the development of transferable skills that I now use on a daily basis and I think employers look for when reviewing candidates."
Matt Davies, BSc (Hons) Geography
Fees
2023/24 Entry
Course fees
Year 1 | £9,250 |
Year 2 | £9,250 |
Year 3 | Published Autumn 2024 |
2024/25 Entry
Course fees
Year 1 | £9,250 |
Year 2 | Published Autumn 2024 |
Year 3 | Published Autumn 2025 |
2025/26 Entry
Course fees
Year 1 | Published Autumn 2024 |
Year 2 | Published Autumn 2025 |
Year 3 | Published Autumn 2026 |
2023/24 Entry
Course fees
Year 1 | £15,930 |
Year 2 | £16,675 |
Year 3 | Published Autumn 2024 |
2024/25 Entry
Course fees
Year 1 | £16,675 |
Year 2 | Published Autumn 2024 |
Year 3 | Published Autumn 2025 |
2025/26 Entry
Course fees
Year 1 | Published Autumn 2024 |
Year 2 | Published Autumn 2025 |
Year 3 | Published Autumn 2026 |
Interested in applying?
We’re looking for individuals who are curious, reflective and interested in their subject areas. You’ll be motivated, committed and keen to push the boundaries of your knowledge and get the best possible preparation for your future career.
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below. All applicants will also be required to hold GCSEs at Grade B or above in English, Maths and Science.
- A Level – grades BBB-BCC preferred
- BTEC – Extended Diploma grades from Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM) to Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) accepted in any subject.
- T Levels – grade Merit preferred.
- International Baccalaureate – a minimum of 28 points are required.
- 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).
If you don’t meet the entry requirements above, we may be able to accept your prior learning or experience from outside of formal education. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) page to learn more.
English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants
IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.
Entry requirements for PGCE courses
The entry requirements for subsequent interview to the PGCE programme may alter (for example if the DfE changes entry requirements for PGCE courses). You’ll be advised of any changes during the degree.
Course enquiries
For further information about the programme or entry requirements, please email us at admissions@bathspa.ac.uk.
Ready to apply? Click the 'apply now' button in the centre of this page.
Need more guidance? Head to our how to apply pages.
Course contact: Dr David Simm
Email: d.simm@bathspa.ac.uk