University of Brighton
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Geography
BSc(Hons)

  • Course summary and entry requirements

    Course duration Help

    Full-time: 3 years

    Part-time: 6 years

    Sandwich: 4 years

    UCAS code F800

    About the course

    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.

    Typical entry requirements Help

    The entry requirements listed here are for students starting their course in 2013. 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.

  • 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

    You can view the programme specification for this course as a PDF file by clicking on the link below:

    Programme Specification

  • 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 and may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

    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.

    What's included in the fee?

    When costs such as health or criminal record checks, field trips or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

    You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply please check with the school that provides your course using the contact details on the left of this page for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

    Our website www.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

  • Location

    Location Help Moulsecoomb

    Located to the north of Brighton city centre, the Moulsecoomb campus offers students an excellent learning environment and a wide range of facilities. It is the largest of our five campuses with over 8,000 students.

    View campus maps and directions

    Living in Brighton

    Brighton’s rich mix of historic architecture, lively arts scene, varied shopping and cosmopolitan community make it a vibrant, enjoyable place to live. It is no wonder that many Brighton graduates choose to stay here.

    Social scene

    Alongside the traditional seaside attractions, Brighton is famed for its exciting social scene with a wide choice of pubs, clubs and restaurants.

    Music event on the beach

    Arts

    The highlight of the city’s cultural year is the Brighton Festival. The event is held each May and is England’s biggest arts festival, which showcases arts and performance from around the world. Brighton is also home to the UK’s oldest working cinema, the Duke of York’s, which shows alternative and mainstream films. The city is also well known for its exciting music scene and hosts The Great Escape music festival.

    Burning the Clocks winter solstice festival

    Sports

    Whether you take your sport seriously or just want to keep fit, Brighton offers all kinds of sports opportunities and facilities, on and off campus. You can also make the most of the location, and play volleyball, basketball and windsurfing down by the beach. The seafront is also the finishing point for the famous London – Brighton bicycle ride and the quirky veteran car run.

    Playing volleyball on the seafront

  • Staff profiles

    Dr Niall Burnside

    Niall's research interests focus on calcareous grassland ecology, woodland management and conservation, and the development of geographical information systems for landscape management and habitat suitability mapping.

    Professor Callum Firth

    Callum is professor of coastal geomorphology and researches coastal evolution, sea-level change and coastal tectonics.  He also has interests in neotectonics and the deglaciation of Scotland. 

  • 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 service website.

Application process
Book your open day place
Find out more

01273 642288
Email entec@brighton.ac.uk

If you are an international student, contact us on:

+44 (0) 207 250 6749
international@brighton.ac.uk

 

Visit the school that delivers this course

Read the subject brochure