Geography BSc(Hons)

Overview

Geography is a diverse and distinctive subject bridging the natural and social sciences, and integrates study of the environment and society in a rapidly changing world. This BSc(Hons) course will enable you to understand the scientific and social contexts of real-world problems such as climate change, hazard and resource management and global sustainability, while developing a range of intellectual and practical skills.

Course duration
Full-time: 3 years
Part-time: 6 years
Sandwich: 4 years

UCAS code F800
Course content

Course structure

Year 1 provides an understanding of the physical forces of landscape change, human interaction with the environment, and socially divergent views of the world. Geographical, transferrable and personal skills are also developed.
During years 2 and 3 you will choose from a range of themed options in physical, environmental and human geography. This allows you to study across the breadth of the subject but must include modules in physical and environmental geography. Further modules are available in associated sciences, geology or languages. In year 2, all students study a module on skills for research and careers leading into their final-year dissertation.
Fieldwork is a compulsory element of geography. In addition to the immediate environments of Brighton and Sussex, recent fieldwork locations have included Greece, Sicily and Tunisia. The sandwich mode offers the opportunity for a one-year career-focused work placement in a relevant area.

Areas of study

This course is structured to allow students to follow a broad pathway between physical and human geography, or to focus more narrowly on areas such as geomorphology, landscape change, environmental hazards and environmental management.

Syllabus

Year 1
Twenty-first Century Brighton
Contemporary Human Geography
Data Presentation and Analysis for Geographers
Fundamentals of Physical Geography
Global Environmental Issues and Management
Introduction to Fieldwork
Skills for Independent Learning
Options
An Introduction to Environmental Hazards
Citizenship for the Environment
Elements of Chemistry
Evolutionary Biology
Fundamentals of Geology
Human Physiology
Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks
Interpreting Geological Maps
Introduction to Environmental Chemistry
Mathematical Skills for Scientists
Mineralogy and Petrology
Physiological Ecology
The Global Earth System
The Ocean Planet: an introduction
Water in the Environment
Modern languages
Year 2
Advanced Data Analysis
Geography Fieldwork, Sicily
Skills for Research and Careers
Options:
Alternative and Renewable Energy
Applied Palaeontology
Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology
Climate Change
Coastal and Aeolian Landscapes
Community Engagement: Theory into Practice
Contemporary Rural Geography
Critical Contemporary Geography
Earth Resources
Ecological Techniques
Environmental and Spatial Planning
Environmental Conservation and Management
Environmental Hazards
Environmental Pollution and Control
Evolution and Diversity
Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry
Fundamentals of Environmental Microbiology
Geographical Information Systems 1
Geographies of Everyday Life
Geographies of Development
Ice Age Earth
Independent Study Module
Introduction to Environmental Geochemistry
Introduction to Marine Biology and Ecology
Introduction to Remote Sensing
Sedimentology
Sociology and the Life Course
Soil and Water Analysis
Soil Mechanics 2
Sustainable Development
Water in the Landscape
Modern languages
Optional placement year
Final year
Independent project
Options
Advanced Analytical Methodology
Air Quality Management
Applied Ecology and Conservation
Applied Remote Sensing
Biogeography
Case Studies in Environmental Pollution
Coastal Environments
Community Engagement: Theory into Practice
Energy Assessment
Environmental Assessment
Environmental Change in Low Latitudes
Environmental Performance
Environmental Politics and Society
Evolution and the Fossil Record
Exploration Geology
Freshwater Processes and Ecosystems
Geographies of Disability and Impairment
Geographies of Genders, Sexes and Sexualities
Geographies of Sport and Leisure
Geohazards
Geographical Information Systems 2
Hydrology and Hydrogeology
Independent Study Module
Introduction to Remote Sensing
Landscape Geograpies
Medical Geography
Oceanography
Planetary Geology
Plant and Animal Interactions
Political Ecology
Transport, Environment and Society
Waste Management
Water and Health
Wetland Environments
Modern Langauges
Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements
individual offers may vary
A-levels:
ABB. Should normally include geography.
International Baccalaureate:
34 points, specified subjects.
QAA-approved access course:
acceptable, subject-specific units.
GCSE (minimum grade C):
at least three subjects including English language and mathematics or a science.
Foundation degree/HND
/HNC direct to year 2.
For non-native speakers of English:
IELTS 6.0 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.
Location

Location Moulsecoomb
Career opportunities

The course provides an effective basis for a wide variety of career opportunities and postgraduate study. Recent graduates have secured posts as local council GIS Officers, Asset Systems manager, Environmental Energy Consultant, Waste Manager, Retail Manager, teacher, Insurance Assessor, and City Trader. An innovative career planning element equips students with the knowledge and skills to take ambitious but realistic decisions about their future careers.

Visit the careers centre website.
Fees and costs

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2012-13. Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study.

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take. Different rules apply to research degrees - please contact the Doctoral College for advice.

To help you plan for your time here we will be providing further information about what is included in your tuition fee, and any optional costs you may need to budget for, later in the autumn.

Our website wwww.brighton.ac.uk/money provides advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee paying status.

BSc Hons Geography [P2EG002]

UK/EU (Full Time) 9,000 GBP
Island Students (Full Time) 9,000 GBP
International (Full Time) 12,500 GBP