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Physical Geography with a Year in Industry

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B-A,B,B

To include Geography or a related subject (eg. Sociology or World Development, Geology or Environmental Science; or an additional Science subject)

Access to HE (Science or Humanities): Pass with Distinction (27-24 Distinctions to include 3 in Geography or an appropriate subject, plus 15 Merits)

We recognise the EPQ as an excellent indicator of success. If you are predicted a grade B or above in the EPQ, you will receive an offer with a one grade reduction, to include your EPQ with a grade B.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32-34

To include 5 in Higher Level Geography

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

DDM-DDD

Plus A-Level Grade B in Geography or a related subject

Scottish Higher

A,B,B,B,C

To include Grade B in Geography (or related subject)

Requirements are as for A-Levels where you can substitute the same non-specific grade for the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Level core Grade

UCAS Tariff

120-135

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

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Physical geography

From exploring landscapes and how they are shaped, to interpreting satellite Earth observation and GIS data, to monitoring environmental changes from Space, the study of geography is more relevant than ever.

If you're particularly focused on enhancing your employability and have a keen interest in physical geography, this scheme will equip you with highly desirable practical, numerical and computational skills for a wide range of careers. These include regional planning, environmental management, local authority work, financial planning, computing or business and retail management.

Our strong relationships with industry enable us to provide great work experience opportunities to enhance your employability. We help you to find your work placement and support you during your year in industry.

We are ideally placed to offer exceptional fieldwork opportunities.. Just a short drive from the UK's first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Gower Peninsula, you will have easy access to the Brecon Beacons, rural west Wales and the urban and industrial landscapes of South Wales. You'll also have an opportunity to carry out fieldwork overseas in Austria, Malaysian Borneo, Mallorca or Vancouver.

Through this degree, you will explore topical issues such as glacial environments and processes, global environmental change, global geophysics and plate tectonics. You'll also get the chance to develop some valuable transferable work skills in your penultimate year of study through an industrial placement. You'll have access to our high-performance computer lab for processing and interpreting satellite Earth observation and GIS data, a stable isotope ratio mass spectrometer, a climatic test chamber, mineral magnetic characterisation equipment and an automatic organic carbon analyser.

You will learn from internationally renowned academics including Professor Tavi Murray, the first woman to be awarded Polar Medal by HM Queen, Professor Adrian Luckman, who has achieved global media coverage for his climate change research, Professor Peter North, who received international coverage of his work with NASA, and Professor Siwan Davies, whose work focuses on the dramatic changes to our climate.

"All the lecturers were incredibly helpful and committed to the students. Definitely choose to study at Swansea, not only will you receive an outstanding level of teaching from all lecturers, you will have an incredible experience outside of University exploring everything Swansea has to offer."
- Jack Philpott, BSc Physical Geography

**We guarantee that you will be made a conditional offer for a course at Swansea University. Subject requirements will apply. Please come along to our next Open Day or get in touch for further information.**

Modules

In Year 1 you'll study several compulsory modules covering topics such as global environmental change, Earth in action and Earth's changing face. You will then choose from optional modules covering geographical skills and methods, writing skills and personal development planning and practical field projects, and topics such as sustainability, people place and nation, colonial and postcolonial geographies, mobilities and migration and geology.
In Year 2, you'll choose from a range of optional modules covering data analysis, approaches to physical geography and environmental research methods, and topics such as geographic information systems, glacial environments and processes, the Earth from Space, quaternary environmental change, global vegetation patterns and dynamics, urban modelling, Earth history and geological record of past environments. You'll also have an opportunity to take part in an overseas field trip.
In Year 3, you'll spend a minimum of 40 weeks in an industrial placement in a UK company. Occasionally, opportunities may arise outside of the UK. You'll receive support from our placements team during your 2nd year to help you prepare for and secure a relevant industrial placement.
In Year 4, you'll undertake your dissertation and choose from a range of optional modules covering topics such as glaciology, humid tropical environments and landscapes, meteorology and atmospheric science, plate tectonics and global geophysics, environmental modelling and the climate of the last 1,000 years. You'll also have the opportunity to undertake an interdisciplinary field trip to the Indian Himalayas (Sikkim).

Assessment methods

On the BSc Physical Geography course you will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, practical classes and field classes. You will be assessed through a variety of methods, including examinations, coursework, practical work, fieldwork and continuous assessment from tutorials. You will also complete a dissertation in Year Three.

The Uni


Course location:

Singleton Park Campus

Department:

Geography

Read full university profile

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.

78%
Physical geography

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

Teaching and learning

88%
Staff make the subject interesting
97%
Staff are good at explaining things
78%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
69%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

81%
Library resources
84%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
53%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

98%
UK students
2%
International students
63%
Male students
37%
Female students
84%
2:1 or above
6%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
D

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.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
med
Employed or in further education
34%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

15%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
9%
Business, research and administrative professionals
7%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

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

£28k

£28k

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
University of Leicester | Leicester
Physical Geography and Geology
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 120-152
Lower entry requirements
Swansea University | Swansea
Geography with a Foundation Year
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 72-80
Same University
Swansea University | Swansea
Geography with a Year in Industry
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 120-135

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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), 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.

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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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