Geography

We take an integrated approach to Geography; you’ll gain an understanding of both the human and physical aspects of the subject. However, a key feature of our course is that you can specialise more in the physical or human side as your interests, abilities and career plans evolve.

You’ll graduate with a range of skills that are highly valued by employers. These include scientific techniques and computer skills, as well as people skills like communication, team-work and critical thinking.

Year one
The first year of this course introduces you to the exciting world of Geography at university. You’ll acquire foundational geographical knowledge, understanding and skills. You’ll get a taste of a variety of geographies, and there are plenty of fieldwork opportunities, visiting local places such as the Mendips, Somerset Levels and Bristol.

Topics of study include:

• Examining contemporary geographical issues
• Learning about unfamiliar physical environments and different societies and cultures
• Exploring key issues such as development and sustainability
• How to use the technologies, methods, techniques and equipment that geographers need to use.

Year two
This year you start to specialise in your geographical interests. Greater emphasis is placed on research methods; you’ll learn a wide range of useful geographical methods and techniques, both in the classroom and in fieldwork settings where you’ll apply your growing mastery of your subject to real-world problems and issues. We also give you the chance to engage with the Royal Geographical Society and other professional bodies as we begin to help you map out potential career paths.

Optional topics include:

• Climate change
• Geomorphology
• River management
• Environmental hazards
• Exciting new geotechnologies
• Urban geographies of global cities
• Work placement
• Field trip to India.

Year three
This year you’ll further specialise your geographical interests. You’ll develop your skills as an independent scholar by undertaking primary research that will enable you to demonstrate the theoretical and practical aspects of your geographical interests. Alternatively, you can undertake an extended work placement with a relevant research report. There’s a huge variety in choice in what you do for a dissertation and throughout the study you’ll benefit from one-to-one tuition and expert guidance.

The rest of the third year is made up of more specialised topics, including:

• Climatology
• Coastal management
• Development and disasters
• Identities and inequalities in society
• Globalisation
• Environmental justice
• Field trips to Lake District or Barcelona
• Community placement.
  

You’ll experience a variety of different assessment methods throughout your degree. These include essays, project reports, presentations, posters, video clips, fieldcraft assessments, reflective items and time-constrained tests and examinations. These will give you a rich and diverse skills-learning experience, be of real benefit in the search for a good career, and be useful in your professional activities.

Good teaching is important to us; our graduates highly rate the quality of teaching on the course. In our friendly department you’ll benefit from small classes, specialist expertise and up-to-date technologies, including ArcGIS, GPS survey instruments, campus river gauging and digital "met" stations.

Our rural site is a superb natural laboratory where you’ll learn a range of scientific techniques including field sampling and the use of laboratory instruments for sediment and water analysis. You’ll experience lectures and workshop or seminar-based teaching, with small groups to enable discussion about specific topics.

• Environment, People and Place
• Geographical Skills
• Applied Geographies
• Global Development
• Visualizing the 21st Century World
• A case study of Catalonia: Education, Space and Society
• Sustainability in Life and Work
• The World in Ten Objects

• Contested Geographies: Histories and Debates
• Geographical Research Methods
• Future Cities
• Hazards, Vulnerability and Resilience
• River and Coastal Systems
• Climate and Society
• Geographical Fieldwork
• Geotechnologies for Society and Environment
• Migration: Identity, Belonging, Citizenship and Security
• Social Problems, Social Divisions, Social Justice
• Crime, Law and Society
• Environmental Management
• Representing the American West
• Work Placement
• Professional Placement Year

• Geography Dissertation Part 1
• Geography Dissertation Part 2
• Advanced Geographical Fieldwork
• Identities and Inequalities
• Climatology
• Coastal and River Management
• Environmental Change
• Disaster Risk Reduction
• Culture, Risk and Environmental Justice
• Community Engagement
• Work, Identities and Organisations

You’ll have the opportunity to study in a wide range of locations around the world. Our students have completed Erasmus+ and Exchange programmes in a variety of countries including Australia, Finland and the USA.

“Field trip opportunities have been brilliant and a really valuable experience”
–Geography graduate, 2015

We’re committed to giving you a relevant, interesting and useful degree; fieldwork is integral to this. There are various field days during modules, as well as residential fieldwork options in the UK and overseas in years two and three.

You’ll visit places and landscapes such as Avebury, Mendip, the Somerset Levels, the Welsh National History Museum, the Royal Geographical Society in London, and the Jurassic Coast of Dorset. Residential trips currently go to Spain, the Lake District and Northern India. Please note that you’ll have to make a financial contribution towards some of these residential study visits.

There are opportunities to undertake work placements in your second and third year - this is an excellent way to gain experience in the workplace.

Guest speakers from industry contribute to the learning experience throughout the course. This 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.

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.

You'll be taught at our Newton Park campus, with access to a range of facilities including:

• "Natural Laboratory" - 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 and we make the most of the setting
• Newton Park library
• Commons building
• Virtual Learning Environment.

We have all the latest technologies and learning resources. You’ll have access to IT laboratories with geographical software such as ArcGIS and Idrisi. In addition we have a comprehensive stock of field and laboratory equipment.

Other resources available include Leica Smart Rovers and Laser Scanner, handheld Global Positioning System devices, survey seismograph, Russian and standard sediment corers, teaching microscopes, stream flow meters, particle size analysis kits, digital Schmidt hammers, digital weather station, campus stream gauging station, digital dictaphones, digital video cameras, tablets and laptops.