Program Overview

Physical Geography

Key Facts

• UCAS Tariff: 120 - 96
• Course duration: 3 years
• Available for September start 2025

Course Overview

This programme has been accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

As a large dynamic Geography community we are able to offer you an extremely broad range of geographical specialism, opportunities and facilities:

• river catchment processes
• glaciology
• biogeography
• quaternary environmental change
• current trends in Geohazards
• remote sensing and geographical information systems
• fieldwork opportunities in New Zealand, Crete, New York, and Ireland
• travel awards to fund your own adventures (up to £400) that are available each year
• state of the art teaching facilities with the latest technology to enhance learning
• fully stocked laboratories with an array of analytical instruments e.g. mass spectrometers and core scanners of which can be used for fieldwork and independent study.

Our Staff

Department of Geography and Earth Science: lecturers are all qualified to PhD level or working towards a PhD.

Modules September start - 2025

Year 1

• An introduction to Earth Materials (GS12520, 20 credits)
• Earth Surface Environments (GS10520, 20 credits)
• How to Build a Planet (GS11520, 20 credits)
• Life on Earth (GS10720, 20 credits)
• Living in a Dangerous World (GS10020, 20 credits)
• Researching the World: data collection and analysis (GS13020, 20 credits)

Year 2

• Geography Research Design and Fieldwork Skills (GS20020, 20 credits)
• Geoscience Laboratory Techniques (GS20120, 20 credits)
• Glacial and Fluvial Processes (GS25520, 20 credits)
• Quaternary Environmental Change (GS23920, 20 credits)
• Visualisation and Analysis of Geographical Data (GS23620, 20 credits)
• Chemical Analysis of Natural Materials (GS21010, 10 credits)
• Geographical Information Systems (GS23710, 10 credits)
• Physical Analysis of Natural Materials (GS22010, 10 credits)
• Quantitative Data Analysis (GS23810, 10 credits)

Year 3

• Geography Dissertation (GS34040, 40 credits)

Careers

Our graduates have, for example, found employment as environmental consultants, planners, civil servants, surveyors, in and in education among many other things.

Employability is embedded within all courses provided by us. Our degrees provide a solid foundation for a vast array of careers across a range of sectors. In a rapidly shifting global economy, our graduates are adaptable and able to draw on a range of transferable skills, ensuring that they are always in demand.

The skill sets include:

• Enhanced mathematical and computational skills;
• Effective problem solving and creative thinking skills;
• Information technology skills;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team;
• Time-management, organisational skills;
• Communication skills both written and oral;
• Self-motivation and self-reliance.

Teaching & Learning

Our courses are taught through lectures, seminars, laboratory and computer practicals, small group tutorials, field courses and individual supervision of project work.

We assess our students through a different range of methods. Some modules are assessed in part through traditional exams, but some have elements of coursework. We also have some modules that may require the student to produce practical reports, oral presentations, the design of web pages, production of short films, or contribution to online discussion forums. Some modules, notably the tutorials and field courses are assessed entirely through coursework.

Student Testimonials

Physical Geography starts with a love for the outdoors. It's brilliant because it's real, it's out there; you can't walk down a street without noticing geography. So many people have a fascination for the natural process which take place around us, but few truly understand them. By studying Physical Geography you can gain valuable knowledge about the world around you. By engaging with the world we live in we can understand it, promote it and conserve it for future generations, and that's pretty cool! Emily Brown

Physical Geography is EVERYWHERE - especially in Aberystwyth. You can't go far without catching glimpses of the sea, beaches, mountains or rivers, and what better subject to take than one that allows you to explore how these came to be and how they're changing today. It's a subject that will never cease to amaze me, and the course itself explains it in such an engaging way, and in such brilliant detail. Rachel Say

The thing I love about my course is that here in Aberystwyth, it's all around me - We have the sea, we have the mountains, we have the rivers, we have the valleys. My degree is the only one that wherever I am in the world, I can look and see it all around me. Jonathon Ackroyd

Typical Entry Requirements

• UCAS Tariff: 120 - 96
• A Levels: BBB-CCC
• GCSE requirements (minimum grade C/4): English or Welsh and Mathematics
• BTEC National Diploma: DDM-MMM
• International Baccalaureate: 30-26
• European Baccalaureate: 75%-65% overall
• English Language Requirements: See our Undergraduate English Language Requirements for this course. Pre-sessional English Programmes are also available for students who do not meet our English Language Requirements.

The University welcomes undergraduate applications from students studying the Access to Higher Education Diploma or T-level qualifications, provided that relevant subject content and learning outcomes are met. We are not able to accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas or T-levels as a general qualification for every undergraduate degree course.
Our inclusive admissions policy values breadth as well as depth of study. Applicants are selected on their own individual merits and offers can vary. If you would like to check the eligibility of your qualifications before submitting an application, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for advice and guidance.