BSc

Geography

Key Facts

F80F

  • UCAS Tariff

  • Course duration

    4 years

Available for September start 2025

Further details on entry requirements

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The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences is one of the most established and experienced of its kind in the UK. Designed for prospective students who do not have a sufficient or relevant academic background, the integrated foundation year course is the perfect option to access this highly sought-after degree scheme. The foundation year provides a solid base for you to go on and enjoy the full undergraduate degree in your second year.

Course Overview

Why study Geography (with integrated foundation year) at Aberystwyth University?

Set on the coast of Cardigan Bay and surrounded by a great diversity of beautiful environments, including marine, moorland, mountain and grassland, the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth 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 face and engage with the challenges facing society today.

We offer a broad range of fieldwork opportunities including a free trip at the beginning of the first year. In the second year we offer a range of trips to suit a variety of specialisms and budgets. Previous destinations have included Crete, Berlin, and a free, low-carbon trip to Mid and South Wales. Optional day trips are also embedded in many modules throughout your degree.

Opportunities for Geography students at Aberystwyth include:

  • being taught by world-leading researchers in their respective fields throughout your course
  • use of exceptional facilities for laboratory work in chemical and physical analysis (for example, for soils, water quality and pollen work), social investigation and data processing.

As a large dynamic Geography community we are able to offer you an extremely broad range of geographical specialisms, opportunities and facilities:

  • River catchment processes
  • Glaciology
  • Biogeography
  • Quaternary Environmental change
  • Current trends in Geohazards
  • Urban sustainability
  • Regional Development
  • Political and Cultural geography
  • Fieldwork opportunities in New Zealand, Crete, New York, and Ireland
  • Travel awards available each year to fund your own adventures (up to £400)
  • State of the art teaching facilities with the latest technology to enhance learning
  • Fully stocked laboratories with an array of analytical instruments e.g. mass spectrometers and core scanners of which can be used for fieldwork and independent study.

ACCA Accredited Programme


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
How to be a Student 1 GS09520 20
How to be a Student 2 GS09320 20
Information in a Post-Truth World GS01120 20
Understanding Change - Environment, People, Places GS00820 20

Options

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Environmental Management GS00420 20
Introduction to Social Science GS09720 20
Representing the Other: Cultures and Clashes GS09820 20
The "Othered" Migrant: Social Science Perspectives GS09620 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
Social Research Methods * GS20510 10

Options

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Geography Research Design and Fieldwork Skills GS20020 20
Catchment Systems GS25210 10
Geographical Perspectives on the Sustainable Society GS28910 10
Placing Culture GS22920 20
Placing Politics GS23020 20
Reconstructing Past Environments GS21910 10
The Frozen Planet GS23510 10

* Also available partially or entirely through the medium of Welsh

Careers

Employability is embedded within all our courses. Our degrees provide a solid foundation for a vast array of careers across a range of sectors. In a rapidly shifting global economy, our graduates are adaptable and able to draw on a range of transferable skills, ensuring that they are always in demand. Our graduates have, for example, found employment as environmental consultants, planners, civil servants, surveyors, and in education to name a few.

Studying Geography also equips students with the following skill sets:

  • Enhanced mathematical and computational skills
  • Effective problem solving and creative thinking skills
  • Information technology skills
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team
  • Time-management, organisational skills
  • Communication skills both written and oral
  • Self-motivation and self-reliance.


Teaching & Learning

What will I learn?

The breakdown below will provide you with an illustration of what you may study during the four-year degree scheme.

In the first foundation year, you will be introduced to the following:

  • Academic Skills Foundation 1&2
  • Critical Thinking and Research Skills
  • Foundation - Dialogue
  • Learning Experience.

In your second year, you will be introduced to:

  • Conflict and Change: the Making of Urban and Rural Spaces *
  • Earth Surface Environments *
  • Living with Global Change *
  • Place and Identity
  • Researching the World: Data Collection and Analysis
  • How to Build a Planet *.

In your third year you will develop further in:

  • Geographical Information Systems
  • Concepts for Geographers
  • Geography Fieldwork *
  • Physical Analysis of Natural Materials
  • Frozen Planet
  • Catchment Systems *
  • Placing Politics *
  • Placing Culture
  • Sustainable Society
  • Geohazards *
  • Researching People and Place *.

In your final year:

  • You will undertake an independent research project involving collection, analysis and interpretation of your own data
  • You will be allocated your own advisor who will provide expert guidance
  • Optional modules as diverse as glaciology, hydrology, volcanic hazards, past climate change, urbanisation, and rural change will enable you to tailor your study to suit your interests.

How will I be taught?

Our courses are taught through lectures, seminars, laboratory and computer practical classes, small group tutorials, field courses and individual supervision of project work.

How will I be assessed?

We assess our students through a different range of methods. Some modules are assessed in part through traditional exams, but some have elements of coursework. We also have some modules that may require the student to produce practical reports, oral presentations, the design of web pages, production of short films, or contribution to online discussion forums. Some modules, notably the tutorials and field courses are assessed entirely through coursework. 

* also available partially or entirely through the medium of Welsh.

Typical Entry Requirements

UCAS Tariff

A Levels Available to those who are studying for, or who have completed Level 3 qualifications (eg, A-Levels or BTEC diploma) and to mature-aged candidates without formal qualifications who have suitable background education, experience and motivation.

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

BTEC National Diploma:
Available to those who are studying for, or who have completed Level 3 qualifications (eg, A-Levels or BTEC diploma) and to mature-aged candidates without formal qualifications who have suitable background education, experience and motivation.

International Baccalaureate:
Available to those who are studying for, or who have completed Level 3 qualifications (eg, A-Levels or BTEC diploma) and to mature-aged candidates without formal qualifications who have suitable background education, experience and motivation.

European Baccalaureate:
Available to those who are studying for, or who have completed Level 3 qualifications (eg, A-Levels or BTEC diploma) and to mature-aged candidates without formal qualifications who have suitable background education, experience and motivation.

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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