Physical Geography with Education
UCAS Code: F8X3
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Pass in Access qualification in a relevant subject with Merit in 50% of units at level 3.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
UCAS Tariff
Aberystwyth University welcomes the Welsh Baccalaureate as a valuable qualification in its own right and considers completion of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate to be equivalent to an A level grade.
About this course
In choosing to study this Physical Geography with Education degree at Aberystwyth University you will be taught in one of the largest and longest-standing, Geography departments in the UK. The course offers an interactive, varied and exciting course structure that combines theory, field studies and laboratory-based studies. You will be taught by world-class staff who will help you to develop your understanding of the physical processes shaping the earth, from sea to rivers, glaciers to volcanoes, including landscapes from the arid to the Arctic.
You will be given the option to travel on an international field trip in your second year of study. Aberystwyth is an area rich in natural beauty - as a student here you can't go far without catching glimpses of the sea, beautiful beaches, mountains or rivers. You will be able to able to apply for PGCE teacher training courses at either Primary or Secondary level. Also, as long as you meet the entry requirements, you will be guaranteed an interview for PGCE at Aberystwyth.
This specialist BSc in Physical Geography with Education has been created for you to study the forces that shape the natural world, with the vocational benefit of understanding the latest theory and best practice of teaching in the twenty-first century. This science-focused course has a major/minor degree course structure, meaning that you will spend two-thirds of your time examining the natural forces which shape and reshape a variety of terrains, and one-third on the processes and tactics for teaching and learning. This course is perfect for aspiring teachers, tutors and lecturers with a particular interest in geography.
You will find the study of Physical Geography with Education to be a highly complementary and stimulating experience with a strong vocational outcome. You can further pursue your interests by selecting from a range of optional modules, including Earth Surface Environments; The Dynamic Earth; Reading the Ice Age Record; Psychology of Learning and Thinking; Bilingual Education; Children's Rights; and Working with Play.
This course is delivered by our internationally-renowned Department of Geography and Earth Sciences and supported by the School of Education and Lifelong Learning. The Department of Geography is one of the largest Geography communities in the UK and the fascinating coastal, fluvial and biological geography around Aberystwyth is an ideal setting in which to get out and conduct regular fieldwork – especially if you choose the residential Geography Fieldwork module, in which you will look at the forces at work within the environment first-hand.
This degree will be of great use to you in a range of graduate jobs, particularly in schools and colleges. Not only will you be thoroughly equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to apply for teacher training at primary or secondary level, you will also possess a high level of subject expertise in geography. For jobs outside the classroom, your abilities in fluent communication, data handling and the formation of compelling arguments will prove to be huge assets in any graduate workplace.
Tuition fees
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Extra funding
Aberystwyth University offers a valuable package of scholarships and bursaries to support students. Our long-established Entrance Examination competition means you could get up to £2,000 a year towards your living and study costs. You can combine that with any or all of our other awards, to make your financial package more valuable. Our awards include Sport and Music Scholarships, Bursaries for Care Leavers/Young Carers/Estranged Students and a range of department specific awards. Please visit our website for full details.
The Uni
Main Site (Aberystwyth)
Department of Geography and Earth Sciences
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.
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.
Education
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Physical geographical sciences
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Academic studies in education
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.
Top job areas of graduates
When you look at employment stats, bear in mind that a lot of students are already working in education when they take this type of course and are studying to help their career development. This means they already have jobs when they start their course, and a lot of graduates continue to study, whilst working, when they complete their courses. If your course is focused on nursery or early years education, a lot of these graduates go into nursery work or classroom or education assistant jobs; these jobs are not currently classed as 'graduate level' in the stats (although they may well be in the future as classifications catch up with changes in the way we work), and many graduates who enter these roles say that a degree was necessary.
Physical geographical 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.
Top job areas of graduates
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Education and teaching
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£12k
£16k
£20k
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.
Geography, earth and environmental studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£16k
£22k
£25k
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.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (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.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
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.
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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
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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?
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