Geography
Entry requirements
A level
112-120 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels.
112-122 Tariff points from the Access to HE Diploma.
Cambridge Pre-U score of 46-50.
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 points from the IB Diploma, to include 3 Higher Level subjects.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
H3,H3,H3,H3,H4-H3,H3,H3,H3,H3
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
112-120 Tariff points to include a minimum of 2 Advanced Highers.
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
T Level
UCAS Tariff
112-120 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent.
112-120 points from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate including 1 A level, plus the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
**This is a Connected Degree**
Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course.
**Overview**
If you're fascinated by the interrelationship between people, place and environment, this BA (Hons) Geography degree, accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), provides the skills and knowledge you need to help shape the future of the planet.
You'll investigate how we can preserve both the natural environment and the social and economic wellbeing of human populations. When you graduate, you'll have what you need to work in a wide range of areas, such as within urban or environmental planning, the energy sector, teaching or research.
- Create your own bespoke final year to match your interests and career ambitions by choosing from an optional list of modules, including environment and society, creative economy and urban placemaking and gender and development
- Learn to use GIS to solve societal problems including industry-standard technology, laser survey technology, drones, and photogrammetry equipment
- Experience some of the societies, cultures and landscapes you’re studying through fieldwork, including in places such as Berlin, Malta, Sicily and Uganda
- Choose to study abroad at one of our partner universities in Canada, Australia, Germany, Malta, Slovakia, Hungary and France, or build experience on a work placement at an organisation like the Environment Agency or Natural England
**Accredited by:**
This course is accredited by the Royal Geographical Society.
**Careers and opportunities
On this BA (Hons) Geography, you’ll examine themes such as conservation, sustainability, geopolitics, and economic and urban development, and hunt for answers to big questions about the world and society.
As well as learning skills to help you understand and engage with the world, you’ll develop as a professional. You’ll come away as a confident communicator, able to solve problems, make good decisions and work well with others.
When you graduate, you'll be ready for a career in a wide range of important fields and sectors, with technical and professional skills many employers are looking for.
**What jobs can you do with a geography degree?**
Roles our graduates have taken on include:
- geo-environmental consultant
- transport planner
- urban planner
- GIS analyst
- spatial analyst
- operations watchkeeper
- geography teacher
**Graduate destinations**
Organisations our graduates have gone on to work for include:
- Mott McDonald
- AECOM
- Savills
- Bulb
- Department of Business and Energy
- Thames Water
- Hampshire County Council
You could also go on to study at postgraduate level.
**Placement year (optional)**
Either before or following your third year, you can opt for a work placement year to gain valuable longer-term work experience in the industry. Placements give you the opportunity to apply what you've learnt so far in a real workplace, boosting your employability and making you attractive to employers after graduation.
You can work for a company or organisation here in the UK or overseas – some Geography students have chosen Australia, Spain or Malta for their placement year.
Whichever route you choose, you'll receive support and guidance. Our specialist team of Science and Health Careers advisors can help you with finding a work placement and improving your employability skills.
**Potential placement destinations**
Our students have completed placements at organisations including:
- Atkins Global
- Pfizer Research and Development
- Hampshire Ecological Services
- The Environment Agency
- Natural England
Modules
Year 1
Core modules in this year include:
Environmental Processes and Hazards – 20 credits
Global Environmental Challenges – 20 credits
Society and Place – 20 credits
Changing the World – 20 credits
Exploring Landscapes – 20 credits
Geographical Techniques – 20 credits
There are no optional modules in this year.
Year 2
Core modules in this year include:
Research, Fieldwork and Professional Skills – 40 credits
Optional modules in this year include:
Environmental Change – 20 credits
Geographies of Development – 20 credits
GIS and Remote Sensing – 20 credits
Glaciers and Glaciation – 20 credits
Introduction to Teaching – 20 credits
Modern Foreign Language (Institution-wide Language Programme) – 20 credits
River Processes – 20 credits
Sustainable Environmental Management – 20 credits
Transport and Sustainability – 20 credits
Uneven Cities, Planning and Design – 20 credits
Placement year
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:
Dissertation – 40 credits
Optional modules in this year include:
Climate Change – 20 credits
Coastal Recreation - Planning and Management – 20 credits
Cold Environments – 20 credits
Conservation Biogeography – 20 credits
Creative Economy and Urban Placemaking – 20 credits
Environmental Assessment and Management – 20 credits
Environment and Development – 20 credits
Environmental Pollution and Waste Management – 20 credits
Gender and Development – 20 credits
Hazardscapes – 20 credits
Introduction to Teaching – 20 credits
Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology – 20 credits
Weather Science – 20 credits
Young People and Place – 20 credits
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.
The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:
Year 1 students: 50% by written exams, 14% by practical exams and 36% by coursework
Year 2 students: 20% by written exams and 80% by coursework
Year 3 students: 7% by written exams, 8% by practical exams and 85% by coursework
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.
Environmental 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)
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.
Environmental 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
Human 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.
Environmental 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.
£19k
£24k
£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.
Human geography
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£19k
£24k
£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...
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