Program Overview

Geography BA

Course Overview

The BA Geography course at the University of Nottingham is designed for students who are passionate about creating a sustainable future for our world. The course covers topics such as climate change, globalisation, and our relationship with the earth, and provides students with the skills to analyse data related to the world in which we live.

Key Features

• Accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)
• Field trip opportunities in the UK and overseas refine practical skills
• Study abroad opportunities in locations such as Canada, Europe, and the USA
• Access to a range of facilities, including dedicated laboratories, computer rooms, and a geographical map collection
• Study at environmentally sustainable campuses, which have won many awards, including the prestigious Green Flag Award
• Gain real experience with the placement and internships programme
• Be taught by world-leading experts in their field

Course Structure

The course is divided into three years, with a range of mandatory and optional modules available. In the first year, students take modules such as Careers Skills for Geographers, Exploring Human Geography, and Introduction to Geographic Information Systems. In the second year, students take modules such as Dissertation Preparation, Research Tutorial, and Techniques in Geography. In the third year, students take a mandatory dissertation module and choose from a range of optional modules.

Modules

Year 1

• Careers Skills for Geographers
• Exploring Human Geography
• Geographical Field Course
• Interpreting Geographical Data
• Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
• Planet Earth: Exploring the Physical Environment
• Tutorial
• Exploring Place
• Global Challenges
• Globalisation: Economy, Space and Power
• On Earth and Life

Year 2

• Dissertation Preparation
• Research Tutorial
• Techniques in Geography
• Cultural and Historical Geography
• Earth Observation
• Economic Geography
• Living with Hazards
• Medical Geography
• Patterns of Life
• Political Geography
• Rivers in the Landscape
• Rural Environmental Geography
• Spatial Decision Making
• The Changing Environment
• Urban Geography

Year 3

• Dissertation in Geography
• Advances in Remote Sensing
• Animal Geographies
• Critical Human Geography
• Environment, Development and Livelihoods
• Environmental Modelling
• Fashion and Food
• Freshwater Management
• Geographies of Money and Finance
• Geographies of Violence
• Global Climate Change
• Health Geographies
• Landscape, Culture and Politics
• Third Year Geography Field Course
• Tropical Environments in the Anthropocene
• Unearthing the Past

Assessment

We use a wide range of assessment methods, including formal examinations, essays, project reports, lab reports, field notebooks, posters, verbal presentations, video diaries, and dissertations. Overall, most of our graduates will have experienced about 60-70% coursework and 30-40% examination assessments.

Careers

Geography graduates are very popular with a diverse range of employers who appreciate the personal and transferable skills they offer. You'll gain valuable skills, including data analysis and statistics, fieldwork techniques, and quantitative and qualitative research methods. Our first-year Careers Skills for Geographers module includes guest lectures from organisations such as the Royal Geographical Society, and a programme of career networking events.

Graduate Destinations

Our graduates go on to a wide range of careers. Some enter roles that have a direct correlation to their degree, including conservation and heritage protection and land surveying. Others utilise their transferable skills in sectors such as management consultancy, PR, marketing, and financial services. Recent graduates have gone on to work for organisations such as the British Geological Survey, Capita, Historic England, Network Rail, Swiss Re, Teach First, and Tesla Motors.

Average Starting Salary and Career Progression

85.70% of undergraduates from the Faculty of Social Sciences secured graduate-level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual starting salary for these graduates was £29,197.

University Park Campus

University Park Campus covers 300 acres, with green spaces, wildlife, period buildings, and modern facilities. It is one of the UK's most beautiful and sustainable campuses, winning a national Green Flag award every year since 2003.