Got a uni question? Find your answer now on The Student Room.

Bath Spa University

UCAS Code: F801 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

B,B,B-B,C,C

A Level – grades BBB-BCC preferred.

Access to HE Diploma

M:45

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).

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

A minimum of 32 points are required.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM-DMM

BTEC – Extended Diploma grades from Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM) to Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) in any subject.

T Level

M

Grade Merit is preferred.

UCAS Tariff

104-120

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course

Course option

4years

Full-time with year in industry | 2025

Subject

Physical geography

**Develop the knowledge and skills to understand our complex world with a degree in Geography.**
- Gain fieldwork experience in international destinations such as Italy and Spain as well as on our beautiful Newton Park campus and in the world heritage city of Bath.

- Tailor your studies to specialise in either human or physical geography, or combine both.

- Develop specialist skills and knowledge to prepare for a wide range of careers and postgraduate study opportunities.

On this Geography degree, you’ll engage with some of the most complex and challenging issues facing contemporary society including: climate change, migration, urbanisation, hazards and disasters, social and economic inequalities, coastal and river management, and conservation.

Through fieldwork opportunities in the UK and overseas you’ll learn how to work in different contexts and to appreciate the links between local issues and global challenges. You’ll also develop specialist skills and learn how to apply the latest geotechnologies to real world contexts, preparing you for a range of careers and further study opportunities.

You’ll be part of our supportive Geography community, and you’ll be taught by our team of expert lecturers who are actively engaged in research.

**More about the Professional Placement Year**
A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where you undertake a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between your second and final years of undergraduate study. You can engage in multiple placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) yourself, with support from the Careers team.

Modules

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 in both human and physical geography covering topics such as cities, environmental change and sustainable development.

Year two
In your second year, you’ll develop more specialist knowledge and skills. In core modules you’ll develop your understanding of the discipline of geography, learn how to apply geotechnologies to real-world challenges and develop skills that can be used in a wide range of careers.

Optional modules enable you to specialise in topics in human or physical geography, such as:

- climate change
- environmental hazards
- global development and environment
- migration
- race and social justice
- politics and policy making, or
- environmental management.

You’ll also start to plan for your career, with an opportunity to undertake an optional 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 an optional Professional Placement Year between your second and final years.

Year three is your Professional Placement Year.

Final year
You’ll complete a final year independent research project (supervised by one of our expert lecturers), allowing you to conduct a piece of original geographical research on a topic of your choosing.

Students have undertaken their final year dissertation projects in locations across the UK, as well as in countries such as Canada, Kenya and Uganda.

You’ll have a choice of optional modules that give you the opportunity to continue to specialise in human or physical geography, exploring topics such as:

- disaster risk reduction
- identities and inequalities
- coastal and river management
- environmental practice
- gender in society
- conservation politics
- plants and people
- environmental justice.

An optional field trip to Spain allows you to study a range of topics in both human and physical geography such as environmental hazards, climate change, city planning, urban sustainability and social inequalities.

Please visit our website for full details of modules available to you.

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed through a variety of engaging and challenging assessment formats designed to help you to develop key skills and to prepare for your future career or postgraduate study.

Your assessments will depend on the modules you choose, but may include a mix of essays, projects, reports, posters, presentations, video clips, field or lab-based activities, reflective commentaries or online tests.

Most modules are assessed primarily through coursework and assessment rather than tests or exams.

You'll complete many of your assessments as an individual, but there are also some group projects designed to help you to develop essential collaborative working skills.

In addition to the help provided by your subject lecturers, you can also access extensive support for your assessments through ASk, the Academic Skills Service.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,535
per year
England
£9,535
per year
EU
£16,460
per year
International
£16,460
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,535
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,535
per year
Scotland
£9,535
per year
Wales
£9,535
per year

The Uni

Course location:

Bath Spa University

Department:

School of Science

Read full university profile

What students say

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.

Physical geographical sciences

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

97%
UK students
3%
International students
15%
Male students
85%
Female students
70%
2:1 or above
9%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
C
C

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.

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.

£18,018
med
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education
43%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

17%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
14%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
12%
Other elementary services occupations

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Physical geographical sciences

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£24k

£24k

£25k

£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.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
place
University of East Anglia UEA | Norwich
Geology with Geography
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time with year in industry 2025
UCAS Points: 128-153
Lower entry requirements
place
University of Brighton | Brighton and Hove
Geography with IFY
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Full-time with year in industry 2025
UCAS Points: 72
Nearby University
place
Cardiff University | Cardiff
Physical Geography
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time with year in industry 2025
UCAS Points: 112-128
Same University
place
Bath Spa University | Bath
Global Development and Sustainability
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time with year in industry 2025
UCAS Points: 104-120

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here