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Geography BA (Hons)

UCAS code: L701

Pack your bags and discover how human societies, cultures and behaviours are shaping the planet on our BA (Hons) Geography degree. By specialising in Human Geography, you’ll explore the socio-economic, cultural, political and environmental issues facing today’s world.

Overview

Course length: 3 years full-time
6 years part-time
Start dates: September 2024
September 2025
Location: Edge Hill University
Example offers: BBC (A Level) or DMM (BTEC) View full entry criteria
Subject(s): Geography and Geology
Faculty: Arts and Sciences
Department: History, Geography and Social Sciences
Students enter a lecture theatre in the Geosciences building.

Examine the reciprocal relationships between human societies, cultures, behaviours, and the environment on this Human Geography degree. Exciting UK and international fieldwork opportunities will broaden your geographical knowledge of the Earth’s human and physical environments, landscapes and processes.

Using the latest industry technology on our geography course, you’ll gain experience in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing. And develop your understanding of the human factors – social, economic, political and cultural – that influence life on our planet.

Specialising in Human Geography will help you understand the societal and environmental challenges facing the world. You’ll complete theoretical and practical investigations, and learn about Earth’s changing human geography to better understand key global issues. You can also tailor your geography degree to your interests, with the opportunity to select subject-specific and complementary modules.

We’ll help you to prepare for life after Edge Hill. Take part in specialised careers and employability activities across your three years to help you discover what to do next.

We also have a Geography BSc degree for students interested in the physical aspects of our world and environment. You’ll have options to study modules from this course during your BA degree.

Course features

  • Fieldwork

  • International students can apply

  • Learn a language option available

  • Sandwich year option available

  • Studying abroad option available

What you'll study

Get involved with residential fieldwork and develop practical techniques for handling, analysing and communicating spatial and graphical data. You’ll cover global environmental issues and the relationship between people and places. This includes the human and physical landscapes of Earth. You’ll also develop skills in cartography, research and statistical analysis.

Compulsory modules:

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Contemporary Geographical Research
Contemporary Geographical Skills
Earth, Climate and Environment
Space, Place and Time

Two of:

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Environmental Issues
Geographical Curiosity
Language 1

Design a research project with your peers and put this into practice in an international setting. You’ll uncloak digital geographies, remote sensing analysis and learn how to read aerial and satellite imagery to better understand human geographies. In your optional modules, you can explore migration, community resilience and political geographies. There’s also the chance to take on a work placement.

Compulsory modules:

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Becoming a Social Researcher
Digital Geography
GeoHumanities Field Research

Three of:

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Biogeography
Climate and Environmental Change
Cultural Representations and the Media
Field Botany
Gender, Sex and Violence
Geography of Risk
Landscape Dynamics
Language 2
Political Geography
Work-based learning and Employability

During Year 3 of this BA (Hons) Geography, you’ll complete independent research and have the opportunity to specialise in social, cultural and political geographies. This can range from reviewing socio-cultural issues and migration politics to heritage and culture in the tourism industry. You can also study natural hazards, environmental change, or subject-specific and complementary modules from across the University.

Compulsory modules:

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Dissertation in Human Geography

Four of:

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Activist Media
Applied GIS
Childhood and Sexuality
Coastal Processes and Management
Critical Autism Studies
Critical Migration Studies
Critical Terrorism Studies
Cultural Heritage and Disasters
Field to Fork
Flood Hazard and Management
Language 3
Natural Hazards
Plants and People
Quaternary Environmental Change
Rivers: Past, Present and Future
Sociology of the Body and the Emotions
Visualising Science

Where your course includes optional modules, these are to provide an element of choice within the course curriculum. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by timetabling requirements. Some restrictions on optional module choice or combinations of optional modules may apply.

How you'll study

Teaching is through lectures and seminars, laboratory and workshop practical activities, directed independent study, dissertation supervision, tutorials and fieldwork. We place an emphasis on building your employment potential through the acquisition of subject-specific, key and career management skills, as well as the development of knowledge and understanding.

Fieldwork is one of the most beneficial and enjoyable aspects of our programme. Recent fieldwork locations include Cumbria, the Netherlands and Mallorca, as well as local sites.

Timetables for your first week are normally available at the end of August prior to enrolment in September. You can expect to receive your timetable for the rest of the academic year during your first week. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week. Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities.

How you'll be assessed

Methods of assessment display your knowledge and understanding and develop and demonstrate your competence in subject-specific and key skills. All modules are assessed by either coursework only or a mixture of coursework and examination. Coursework typically includes practical portfolios, essays, project reports, field notebooks, individual and group oral presentations and poster presentations.

Who will be teaching you

We have experienced and knowledgeable staff who take pride in the quality of their teaching. All staff are research active, which means that they keep up-to-date with current developments in their areas of interest and pass this knowledge on. We are a friendly and approachable department where you won’t get lost in the crowd and we will respond to your needs.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Typical offer 112 UCAS Tariff points, including Geography, Environmental Science or a related subject. GCSE Mathematics at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or Adult Numeracy at Level 2 or above, or equivalent, is also required.

Example offers

Qualification Requirement
A Level BBC.
BTEC Extended Diploma (or combination of BTEC QCF qualifications) Distinction, Merit, Merit (DMM).
T Level Overall grade of Merit.
International Baccalaureate (IB) We are happy to accept IB qualifications which achieve the required number of UCAS Tariff points. Subject-specific requirements at Higher Level (HL) Grade 5 may apply.
Access to Higher Education Diploma 45 credits at Level 3, for example 15 credits at Distinction and 30 credits at Merit. The required total can be attained from various credit combinations.

Please note, the above examples may differ from actual offers made. A combination of A Level and BTEC awards may also be accepted.

If you have a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent), there is no maximum number of qualifications that we will accept UCAS points from. This includes additional qualifications such as Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), AS Levels that haven't been continued to A Level, and General Studies AS or A Level awards.

English language requirements

International students require IELTS 6.0, with a score no lower than 5.5 in each individual component, or an equivalent English language qualification.

If your current level of English is half a band, one band, or one-and-a-half bands lower, either overall or in one or two elements, you may want to consider our Pre-Sessional English course.

How to apply

Apply full-time

Apply online through UCAS

Read our guide to applying through UCAS to find out more about the application process.

International

Apply as an international student

Please see our international student pages for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.

Part-time applications require a direct application to Edge Hill. Please select the year of entry that you wish to apply for.

Apply for September 2024 part-time.

Apply for September 2025 part-time.

Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.

Did you know?

If you join a full time undergraduate degree at Edge Hill University, we will guarantee you the offer of a room in our halls of residence for the first year of your course.

Discover our accommodation

Facilities

GeoSciences buildingThe Department of History, Geography and Social Sciences is based in the Geosciences building. The contemporary facilities combine with a friendly and supportive learning environment to ensure that your studies are a rich and rewarding experience.

The GeoSciences building features a large lecture theatre, small group teaching rooms, IT facilities and smaller tutorial spaces. There is also a large social area which encourages a more informal and interactive style of learning.

Where you'll study

GeoSciences

Finance

Tuition fees

UK Full-Time

£9,250

a year

UK Part-Time

£77 per credit

for 360 credits

International

£16,500

a year

The University may administer a small inflationary rise in tuition fees, in line with Government policy, in subsequent academic years as you progress through the course.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.

Financial support

Subject to eligibility, UK students joining this course can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the Government to cover the full cost of tuition fees. UK students enrolling on the course may also be eligible to apply for additional funding to help with living costs.

Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students.

EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). If you are an EU student who does not have settled or pre-settled status, or are an international student from a non-EU country, please see our international student finance pages.

Your future career

By the end of the degree, you’ll have developed a range of transferable skills useful to both public and private sector organisations. Our graduates are now working with:

  • the City of London Corporation
  • the Local Government Association
  • Cadent Gas
  • John West Foods
  • Eversheds Sutherland International LLP

Their job titles include project manager, principal town planner, GIS analyst, financial litigation paralegal and lecturer.

Wondering where you could work? Organisations like United Utilities, the Environment Agency, DEFRA and OXFAM regularly recruit graduates with geoscience degrees.

Another option you may want to look at is postgraduate study. Graduates from this degree have gone on to study town planning, teaching, law and GIS.

Course changes

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.

Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Track changes to this course

Discover Uni: Full-Time Study

Discover Uni: Part-Time Study

Download our course leaflet