BSc

Geography

Key Facts

F801

  • UCAS Tariff

    120 - 96

  • Course duration

    3 years

Available for September start 2025

Further details on entry requirements

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Our BSc degree scheme in Geography offers you the opportunity to study two thirds of the course with our team of Welsh-speaking lecturers. The English-medium equivalent is F800.

The Aberystwyth University Geography Department is one of the most established and experienced of its kind. Aberystwyth University offers you an unique opportunity to study geography in one of the most beautiful locations in Europe. The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences is situated on Cardigan Bay and is surrounded by a great diversity of beautiful environments, including marine, moorland, mountain and grassland, The Department is uniquely placed to make the most of the stunning landscapes that surround it, providing you with a fabulous variety of fieldwork and recreational opportunities. This degree will equip you with the skills, abilities and expertise to engage with the challenges facing society today. 

Course Overview

Why study Geography at Aberystwyth University?



This programme was accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers). Accreditation is a recognition of programmes that provide the knowledge, understanding, skills, methods and professional geographical attributes expected of high-calibre graduates in geography.

Since we are a large and dynamic Geography community, we are able to offer a very wide variety of expertise, opportunities and geographical facilities which include:

  • geomorphic catchment processes
  • glaciology
  • biogeography
  • quaternary environmental change
  • contemporary trends in Geohazards
  • sustainable society
  • regional development
  • political and cultural geography
  • opportunities for fieldwork in New Zealand, Crete, New York, Ireland, Iceland, Mount Etna, Ecuador and Peru, to name a few
  • travel awards which are available on a yearly basis to fund your adventures (at additional cost)
  • excellent teaching facilities and the latest technology to enrich the learning
  • laboratories with the latest equipment, including a variety of analysis tools, eg spectrometers and core scanners which can be used for fieldwork and for independent study.
Our Staff

Department of Geography and Earth Science: lecturers are all qualified to PhD level or working towards a PhD.

Modules September start - 2025

Please note: The modules listed below are those currently intended for delivery during the next academic year and may be subject to change. They are included here to give an indication of how the course is structured.

Core

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Earth Surface Environments GS10520 20
Place and Identity GS14220 20

Core

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Concepts for Geographers GS20410 10
Geographical Information Systems GS23710 10
Physical Analysis of Natural Materials GS22010 10
Quantitative Data Analysis GS23810 10

Options

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Geographical Perspectives on the Sustainable Society GS28910 10
Reconstructing Past Environments GS21910 10
The Frozen Planet GS23510 10

* Also available partially or entirely through the medium of Welsh

Careers

What can I do with a degree in Geography?

Our graduates have found work as environmental consultants, designers, civil servants, surveyors, and in education, to name a few.

Employability is an integral part of all the courses that we offer. Our degrees provide a solid grounding for a wide variety of careers across a range of sectors. In a global economy that is rapidly changing, our graduates are able to be flexible and rely on a range of transferable skills, which means that there is constant demand for them.

These skills include:

  • advanced mathematical and computing skills
  • effective problem solving and thinking creatively
  • solid IT skills
  • the ability to work independently and also as part of a team
  • time management and organisational skills
  • effective written and oral communication
  • self-motivation and self-reliance.

Year in Employment Scheme (YES) and Student Placements

Undertaking work experience during your degree is a great way to improve your chances of finding work after you graduate. To help with this, we encourage our students to take part in the Year in Employment scheme between the second and final year of the degree, which means that you spend 12 months doing paid work before you complete your degree.

Bursaries are also available to support shorter placements during the holidays. Every year, we hold a competition that invites students to share their experiences in the workplace by means of reports and oral presentations, and the winners receive a prize and feedback from members of the business community who sit on the panel of judges.

Global Opportunities

Independent travel is recognised as a key element in students' development, as is true of work experience. To support this, we offer bursaries to help our undergraduates to travel. Recent destinations have included Uganda, Madagascar, Peru, Mount Etna and the USA.

The Department has also established Erasmus Exchange Programmes with the University of Bergen, Oulu University, Finland, and Svalbard University, giving students a unique opportunity to study in one of the most striking climate environments in the world. We also have strong links with a number of universities in North America, where students can complete the second year of their studies. In recent years, our Exchange Coordinator has supervised placements in Purdue University (Indiana), Alabama University, Georgia University, Montana University and Ottawa University in Canada.

Teaching & Learning

What will I learn?

The summary below provides an indication of what you may study during this three-year degree scheme.

In your first year, you will be introduced to:

  • key concepts in geography studies
  • problems and techniques when collecting, analysing and introducing geographical data
  • climate change
  • landscape processes
  • economic development
  • globalisation.

In your second year, you will develop further in the following areas:

  • your specialist fields
  • laboratory skills and online research as you prepare for your independent research project
  • analysing large data sets
  • producing maps and other graphs to represent geographical data
  • work with others during the residential field trip in the UK or abroad.

You will also study optional modules of your choice, to specialise or maintain a general interest across Geography.

In your third year:

  • you will undertake an independent research project which will require you to collect, analyse and interpret your own data
  • you will have a personal adviser to guide you
  • you will study a range of optional modules including glaciology, hydrology, volcanic dangers, climate change in the past, urbanisation, and changes in the countryside, will allow you to tailor your studies to suit your own interests.

How will I be taught?

You will be taught in lectures, seminars and practical classes in laboratories or on computers, tutorial classes in small groups, field courses and supervision of project work.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed in several different ways. Some modules are assessed by means of traditional exams, while others include an element of coursework. We also have modules that require students to produce practical reports, give oral presentations, design web pages, produce short films, or contribute to online discussion fora. Some modules - the tutorials and field courses specifically - are assessed entirely through coursework.

Student Testimonials

What appealed to me about the course was the opportunity to study modules through the medium of Welsh in small groups, the good name that the department has, and the variety of interesting topics that are taught, such as political geography, economic geography and the geography of the USA. I was luck enough to travel to New York as part of a field trip with the department, where I studied the complicated urban and natural factors of the city while experiencing the unique atmosphere there. It was an unforgettable and exciting experience. I feel that I have learned new skills and knowledge, broadened my horizons and constantly challenged myself while studying in the department. Two of my favourite modules were Global Water and Hydrology Resources and Geography of the State and Nationalism since they focused on important contemporary issues, and did so through the medium of Welsh. Angharad Thomas

Typical Entry Requirements

UCAS Tariff 120 - 96

A Levels BBB-CCC

GCSE requirements (minimum grade C/4):
English or Welsh and Mathematics

BTEC National Diploma:
DDM-MMM

International Baccalaureate:
30-26

European Baccalaureate:
75%-65% overall

English Language Requirements:
See our Undergraduate English Language Requirements for this course. Pre-sessional English Programmes are also available for students who do not meet our English Language Requirements.

Country Specific Entry Requirements:
International students whose qualification is not listed on this page, can check our Country Specific Entry Requirements for further information.

The University welcomes undergraduate applications from students studying the Access to Higher Education Diploma or T-level qualifications, provided that relevant subject content and learning outcomes are met. We are not able to accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas or T-levels as a general qualification for every undergraduate degree course.
Our inclusive admissions policy values breadth as well as depth of study. Applicants are selected on their own individual merits and offers can vary. If you would like to check the eligibility of your qualifications before submitting an application, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for advice and guidance.

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