Geography
University of Portsmouth
UCAS Code: L700 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
We also accept other combinations equivalent to 112-128 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent.
112-128 Tariff points from the Access to HE Diploma.
Cambridge Pre-U score of 48-54, to include a minimum of 2 Principal Subjects.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
5 GCSEs at grade C or above to include English and Mathematics/5 GCSEs at grade 4 or above to include English and Mathematics
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
25-26 points from the IB Diploma, to include 3 Higher Level subjects. 4 points from Standard Level English and Mathematics (if not passed at GCSE grade C or above).
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
H3,H3,H3,H3,H4-H2,H2,H3,H3,H3
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
112-128 Tariff points to include a minimum of 2 Advanced Highers.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
**Overview**
Are you fascinated by the world, its societies and what the future of our planet looks like? Do you want to learn professional skills that allow you to apply these interests to your career?
On this professionally accredited BA (Hons) Geography degree course, you’ll cover people, communities and cultures, examine conservation, sustainability and economic urban development, and learn how governments, businesses and people develop global systems. You'll also learn professional skills in communication, problem solving, decision making and teamwork.
You’ll emerge with skills that help you understand and engage with the world, and be set for a career in everything from urban or environmental management to teaching.
You could earn more than the average graduate too – 5 years after graduation, female geography graduates earn 11.6% more than a typical female graduate and male graduates earn 2% more than a typical male graduate (Institute For Fiscal Studies, 2018).
This course is accredited by the Royal Geographical Society. This shows the teaching on this course is of the highest quality and has been approved by an independent body of academics and industrialists.
**What you'll experience**
On this degree course, you’ll:
- Study human geography and environmental issues and management
- Use specialist facilities including physical geography, GIS and photogrammetry labs, laser survey technology, photogrammetry equipment
- Tailor your studies, by choosing modules that match your interests and career ambitions
- Have the chance to experience some of the societies or landscapes you’re studying by doing field work
- Enrich your studies by hearing from guest speakers from public, private and non-profit sectors
**Careers and opportunities
What can you do with a Geography degree?**
At the end of the course, you'll have many technical and professional skills you can apply to your career. Previous students have gone onto work in areas such as:
- environmental management
- business management
- public services
- teaching
- research
**What jobs can you do with a Geography degree?**
Roles our graduates have taken on include:
- geographical information scientist
- environmental consultant
- spatial analyst
- coastal process scientist
- urban planner
- transport planner
Organisations graduates have gone on to work for include:
- Ordnance Survey
- Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
- IBM
- The Environment Agency
- You could also go on to study at postgraduate level.
After you leave the University, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.
Modules
Year 1
Core modules in this year include:
- Academic Communication Skills
- Environmental Processes and Hazards
- Global Environmental Challenges
- Practical Fieldwork Skills
- Society and Place
- Tools for Geographical Enquiry.
Year 2
Core modules in this year include:
- Research Design and Data Analysis
- Fieldwork and Professional Skills.
Optional modules in this year currently include:
- Social Identities and Place
- Sustainable Environmental Management
- River Processes and Freshwater Ecology
- Environmental Change
- Geographies of Development
- GIS And Remote Sensing
- Glaciers and Glaciation
- Introduction to Teaching
- Regional Economic Development and Inequality.
Placement year (optional):
On this course, you can do an optional work placement year between your 2nd and 3rd years to get valuable experience working in industry.
We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your situation and ambitions. You’ll get mentoring and support throughout the year.
Year 3
Core modules in this year include:
- Independent Research.
Optional modules in this year currently include:
- Creative Economy
- People and Place
- Environment and Development
- Geographies of Children and Young People
- Geographies of Health and Urban Wellbeing
- Hazardscapes
- Environmental Audit and Assessment
- Climate Change
- River Processes and Freshwater Ecology
- Cold Environments
- Conservation Biogeography
- Environmental Pollution and Waste Management
- Geographical Information Systems in The Workplace
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
Assessment methods
You’ll be assessed through coursework, examinations, contributions to electronic discussion forums, web page design, posters, projects, presentations, portfolios.
You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.
You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University of Portsmouth
Faculty of Science and Health
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.
Human geography
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.
Human & social geography
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.
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.
£20k
£26k
£27k
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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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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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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