Geography BA

Course overview

A degree in human geography provides the knowledge and skills to understand our rapidly changing world, including international development, population growth, urban transformation, sustainability, global geopolitics, human rights, globalisation, and patterns of inequality (ethnicity, class and gender).

Our graduates are in demand for both their specialist and transferable skills. You’ll build skills in presenting your ideas in reports and orally, in data collection, presentation and analysis, and in the use of specialist mapping and statistical software.

Each year of this programme is designed around a combination of compulsory core modules, as well as opportunities to take optional modules and discovery modules across the University so you can choose additional subjects of interest. This means you are able to specialise in either human or physical geography, or choose modules from a mixture of both.

Broad expertise and knowledge will equip you to tackle important real-world problems in a range of organisations and sectors, from the public sector (such as working for local government), to private industry (as a retail analyst or location planner) and for non-governmental organisations (such as Amnesty International as a policy and campaigns officer).

Why study at Leeds:

• Take advantage of our world-leading research here at Leeds, which has had a pioneering impact on current global agendas, influencing key decision-makers in shaping environmental protection, public health and the economy.
• Tailor your degree to suit your interests. You can specialise in either human geography or physical geography, or opt to study a mixture of our BA and BSc modules.
• Experience expertise teaching delivered by a School that has taught geography for over 100 years. Learn from internationally renowned academics and researchers at the forefront of their fields who specialise in a variety of geography disciplines.
• Benefit from excellent teaching facilities, including specialist labs, lecture theatres and industry-standard software, fully equipped with the latest technology to support your learning and practical fieldwork.
• Put theory into practice with our extensive fieldwork activities located across the world, where you’ll experience ‘real world’ learning that will advance your research, project planning and teamwork skills whilst gaining hands-on experience highly valued by employers in industry.
• Enhance your career prospects and give your CV that competitive edge before you graduate with our paid industrial work placement opportunities. Our close industry links have given previous students the chance to work at — and build professional relationships with — major organisations such as Sainsbury’s, Morgan Stanley and GlaxoSmithKline.
• Gain invaluable life experience and advance your personal development with our exciting study abroad programmes, spanning across many universities worldwide.
• Make the most of your time at Leeds by joining our student society GeogSoc which gives you the chance to meet like-minded students who share your passion for geography. The society organises a range of social activities and trips, and has football and netball teams in the University’s intra-mural league.

Accreditation

Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)

This course is accredited by The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). Accredited degree programmes contain a solid academic foundation in geographical knowledge and skills, and prepare graduates to address the needs of the world beyond higher education.

The accreditation criteria require evidence that graduates from accredited programmes meet defined sets of learning outcomes, including subject knowledge, technical ability and transferable skills.

Course details

Each year of this course is designed around a combination of compulsory core modules that provide essential foundational knowledge and skills, as well as opportunities to study optional modules in both human (BA) and physical geography (BSc), and take discovery modules across the wider University so you can choose additional subjects of interest.

Year 1

You’ll develop a grounding in the foundational concepts and themes of human geography, plus key skills in academic writing, digital learning and data analysis. Core modules explore different geographies of a changing world, including planetary environmental crisis, economic and political globalisation, urbanisation and cities, neighbourhood and population change, migration and development.

We focus on issues of power, justice, difference (including ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and disability), identity, space and place across different scales and ideologies. You have the option to take a physical geography module as well but can choose to focus on human geography.

Quantitative Research Methods pathway

At the end of year 1, you’ll have the opportunity to request a place on our BA Geography with Quantitative Methods course, subject to meeting the entry requirements.

The course will help you to develop advanced analytical skills, which are in high demand across the public, private, and third sectors. You’ll learn spatial and statistical analysis techniques and their application to real-world problems related to crime, health, transport, business, planning and environment.

Find out more about the Quantitative Research Methods pathway.

Year 2

You’ll be provided with a core programme of research and career skills training that you’ll supplement from optional modules that cover geo-politics and international development, service planning for changing populations, economic geography, the development of modern cities, citizenship and identity, natural resource management, and sustainable transport. You can also take a physical geography module in a range of topics spanning natural planetary systems.

Year 3

You’ll undertake a significant independent final year project - currently a dissertation - alongside a suite of optional modules that cover subjects such as urban social movements, creating alternative futures, population and health geographies, retail location planning, global insecurities, the Mediterranean migration crisis, and healthy transport. You’ll also have the choice of a research, work or teacher placement module with an external organisation. You can also take a physical geography module in a range of topics covering water science, the cryosphere, and sustainable development in tropical forests.

Fieldwork

Ask any of our students and they will tell you that taking part in field trips is one of the most enjoyable and memorable aspects of the geography programmes at Leeds.

We offer fieldwork opportunities at each level of study and they provide a great opportunity to study a fascinating subject in contrasting environments away from the University. In year 1, you’ll use Leeds as your ‘laboratory’, carrying out group work around the city you live in, while in years two and three you’ll have the option to undertake residential field classes in the UK and abroad.

During field trips, you’ll learn essential fieldwork and team working skills and transferable skills that will prove invaluable to your future career.

One-year optional work placement or study abroad

To advance your skill set and boost your experience, you can apply to take up an industrial placement or study abroad at one of the many universities we’re in partnership with worldwide. Both of these options will extend your degree by 12 months.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.

Modules

You will study 120 credits per year of study.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

The Urban Age (with tutorials and fieldwork) – 20 credits

You will learn about the dynamic nature of urban and economic geography, exploring the geography of cities and urban settlements and their constitution by environmental, economic, social and political processes through time and space. Particular attention is paid to planetary urbanisation, urban planning, systems of collective consumption, housing and the welfare state, service and retail economy, neoliberal globalisation, post-industrial urbanism, power, austerity and contestation. Key features of the module are small group tutorials and local urban fieldwork.

Planet Under Threat – 20 credits

This module focuses on the major environmental challenges facing humanity and the wider biosphere from both human and physical geography perspectives such as climate change and global warming, biodiversity loss and species extinction, deforestation and desertification, flooding and extreme weather, food and energy shortages, and resource and territory conflicts that generate climate refugees. You will learn how to evaluate the range of political responses and potential solutions at different scales, assess the effectiveness of national and international environmental policies, and acquire a foundation for studying human and physical geography throughout the course.

Digital Geographies – 20 credits

A beginner’s guide to the important and rapidly changing world of geographical data analysis that blends new digital, mobile and spatial technologies with core numerical skills and conceptual understandings of how space and spatial relationships can be represented. You will learn basic techniques of data collection, analytics and mapping, how to design online surveys and collect data using smartphones and other GPS-enabled devices, as well as the potential uses and applications of data from policing to planning, and new forms of data such as crowdsourcing and twitter. The module also explores the pros and cons of citizen science versus designed experiments, as well as the politics and ethics of data use and representation.

Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)

• Global Geopolitics, Migration and Uneven Development – 20 credits
• Population, Society and Space – 20 credits
• Living Earth – 20 credits
• Dynamic Landscapes – 20 credits

Year 2

Compulsory modules

Research Approaches in Human Geography – 20 credits

This is an essential training programme for human geography students in the fundamentals of devising, conducting and writing up qualitative research so that you are equipped to conduct your own final year independent research project. You will first learn about the core ideas and scientific approaches underpinning human geography and be trained in the key skills of compiling, summarising and critically analysing different literatures and data sources. This is followed by training in research design, methodology and a variety of qualitative research methods before putting them into practice through conducting fieldwork, data collection, and data analysis in a research team.

Career Skills in Geography – 10 credits

This module provides you with a suite of insights, skills and experiences that will better prepare you for how to use your geography degree in a future career. This includes: awareness of how the diverse skills possessed by geographers can be most effectively presented to employers; enhanced understanding of the range of employment and other opportunities available to geographers, and how geographical skills can be used effectively in a diversity of workplaces; gaining familiarity with the process of searching, applying and interviewing for a graduate job; and an opportunity to demonstrate skills possessed by geographers whilst undertaking an applied role-playing project and associated pitch presentation.

Social and Spatial Data Analysis with GIS – 10 credits

This module provides human geography students with essential training in quantitative analysis such as social data statistics, spatial data analysis and the theory behind Geographical Information Systems (GIS). You will develop advanced skills in collecting, summarising, and manipulating data as well as exploring spatial data relationships through overlay analysis, sieve mapping, cluster analysis and classification, heatmaps, spatial trends, data projections, network analyses, digital elevation models, and regression. This will be complemented by exploring the potential uses and applications of spatial data through site and location suitability analyses.

Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)

• Zero Carbon Futures Residential Fieldclass - 20 credits
• Political and Development Geographies - 20 credits
• Geographies of Economies - 20 credits
• The Making of the Modern City - 20 credits
• Citizenship and Identity: Comparative Perspectives - 20 credits
• Sustainability: Living within limits - 20 credits
• Planning Services for Changing Populations - 20 credits
• Social Ecological Systems – 10 credits
• Earth Surface Processes – 20 credits
• Ecosystems: process, pattern, and change – 20 credits
• Climate Systems – 20 credits
• Transport Land Use and Development – 10 credits
• Transport, Energy and Environment – 10 credits
• Key Challenges in Transport and Society – 10 credits
• Exploring Transport and Society – 10 credits

Year 3

Compulsory modules

Human Geography Dissertation – 40 credits

This module forms the pinnacle of your degree: a 10,000 word thesis based on an independent research project that is focused on a specific problem or question that you have devised. Doing a dissertation introduces you to the practicalities of doing research, from coming up with a topic, thinking about aims and objectives, planning and working through the different elements of your research (theoretical, empirical, analytical), and writing up your findings. You will be following a very similar process to the one that academics undertake when conducting research and writing books, reports or papers for journals.

Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)

• Residential Fieldtrip (various destinations) – 20 credits
• Retail Location Planning – 20 credits
• Migration Crises in the Mediterranean – 20 credits
• Contested Cities – 20 credits
• Creating Alternative Futures – 20 credits
• Advanced Population and Health Geographies – 20 credits
• Management of Wilderness and Global Ecosystems – 20 credits
• Geocomputation and Spatial Analysis – 20 credits
• Geographies of Global Insecurities – 20 credits
• Spaces of Migration and Encounter – 20 credits
• Professional Development Project – 20 credits
• School and Educational Placements– 20 credits
• Field Research Project – 20 credits
• Water Science and Management– 20 credits
• Environment, Conflict and Policy – 20 credits
• The Cryosphere – 20 credits
• Tropical forests and sustainable development– 20 credits
• Hydrological Monitoring and Modelling – 20 credits
• Introduction to Programming for Social Science – 20 credits
• Travel Activity Analysis – 10 credits
• Social Analysis and Social Psychology for Transport – 10 credits
• Healthy Cities: Transport and Health – 10 credits

Discovery modules

Throughout your degree you will benefit from a range of opportunities to expand your intellectual horizons outside or within your subject area.

This course gives you the opportunity to choose from a range of discovery modules. They’re a great way to tailor your study around your interests or career aspirations and help you stand out from the crowd when you graduate. Find out more about discovery modules on our Broadening webpages.

Learning and teaching

As a geography student at Leeds we ensure that you benefit from a wide range of teaching methods, including lectures, tutorials (groups of eight), seminars (groups of approximately 30), computer classes, lab practical classes, group-work, online exercises and fieldwork, depending on the modules you study.

Independent study is also an important part of this course, and will develop your research and analytical skills in order to think and work independently. You’ll receive guidance and support throughout your degree, and there will be opportunities for extra support through one-to-one assistance, workshops and training.

You’ll be assigned a personal tutor to guide you through your studies, and you will receive support from fellow students through our peer mentoring scheme. Peer mentors are students who are on your course, but are in Years two or three. They’ll help you when you arrive at University and throughout your first year. You’ll meet your peer mentors during your first week for a social activity.

Our Virtual Learning Environment will help to support your studies: it’s a central place where you can find all the information and resources for the School, your programme and modules.

You can also benefit from support to develop your academic skills, within the curriculum and through online resources, workshops, one-to-one appointments and drop-in sessions.

Watch our taster lecture to get a flavour of what it’s like to study at Leeds:

• Unlocking Sustainable Cities

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

You’ll be assessed using a range of methods throughout the course. There will be timed examinations, essay and report writing, presentations, practical exercises, posters, blogs, vlogs, podcasts, research-based projects (such as the dissertation) and reflective logs.

All assessments are closely tied to the learning objectives of the course to ensure you graduate equipped with cutting-edge knowledge and skills, as well as being structured to help you develop the key transferable qualities that employers are looking for within the workplace.

Assessments are reviewed annually to ensure they remain fair and inclusive, and to maintain an element of flexibility within module choices such that you can select a package of learning to best reflect your own learning style and long-term career goals.

Entry requirements

A-level: AAA or AAB including a social science/humanities subject.

Accepted social science/humanities subjects: Ancient History/History; Business/Business Studies; Classical Civilisation; Economics; English; Geography; Government and Politics; Law; Media Studies; Modern Languages or Ancient Languages; Philosophy; Politics; Psychology; Religious Studies; Sociology.

Excludes A-Level General Studies or Critical Thinking.

GCSE: English Language and Mathematics at grade C (4) or above, or an appropriate English and Mathematics qualification. We will accept Level 2 Functional Skills English in lieu of GCSE English.

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), International Project Qualification (IPQ) and Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (ASCC): We recognise the value of this qualification and the effort and skills required to undertake it, where an applicant is taking the EPQ/IPQ/ASCC this may attract an alternative offer in addition to the standard offer. The EPQ/IPQ/ASCC taken with A-Levels, for example, could be AAB with an A in the EPQ/IPQ/ASCC or ABB (including an accepted subject) with A in EPQ/IPQ/ASCC.

Alternative qualification

Read more about UK and Republic of Ireland accepted qualifications or contact the School’s Undergraduate Admissions Team.

Alternative entry

We’re committed to identifying the best possible applicants, regardless of personal circumstances or background.

Access to Leeds is an alternative admissions scheme which accepts applications from individuals who might be from low income households, in the first generation of their immediate family to apply to higher education, or have had their studies disrupted.

Find out more about Access to Leeds and alternative admissions.

Typical Access to Leeds A Level offer: ABB or BBB (including an accepted subject) plus a pass in the Access to Leeds scheme.

If you do not have the formal qualifications for immediate entry to one of our degrees, you may be able to progress through a foundation year. We offer a Studies in Science with Foundation Year BSc for students without a science background at A-level and an Interdisciplinary Science with Foundation Year BSc for applicants who meet specific widening participation criteria.

International Foundation Year

International students who do not meet the academic requirements for undergraduate study may be able to study the University of Leeds International Foundation Year. This gives you the opportunity to study on campus, be taught by University of Leeds academics and progress onto a wide range of Leeds undergraduate courses. Find out more about International Foundation Year programmes.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.0 overall, with no less than 5.5 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English
If you're an international student and you don't meet the English language requirements for this programme, you may be able to study our undergraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

Fees

UK: £9,250 (per year)

International: £24,750 (per year)

Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2022/23
For UK full-time undergraduate students starting in 2022/23 the fee will be £9,250. The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation and as permitted by law. Fees for UK undergraduate students are decided by the government and may vary if policy changes.

Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2023/24
Tuition fees for UK full-time undergraduate students for 2023/24 have been agreed by the UK Government and will remain at the current fee level of £9,250. The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation and as permitted by law. Fees for UK undergraduate students are decided by the government and may vary if policy changes.

Tuition fees for international undergraduate students starting in 2023/24
Tuition fees for international students for 2023/24 should be available on individual course pages from September 2022.

Tuition fees for a study abroad or work placement year
If you take a study abroad or work placement year, you’ll pay a reduced tuition fee during this period. For more information, see Study abroad and work placement tuition fees and loans.

Read more about paying fees and charges.

Additional cost information

Because we recognise the value of field experience, the school heavily subsidises or covers transport and accommodation costs for compulsory taught field courses and many optional field trips. You will have to supplement the cost of some optional field trips.

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There is help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more in our Undergraduate funding overview.

Applying

Apply to this course through UCAS. Check the deadline for applications on the UCAS website.

We may consider applications submitted after the deadline. Availability of courses in UCAS Extra will be detailed on UCAS at the appropriate stage in the cycle.

Read our guidance about applying and writing your personal statement.

International students apply through UCAS in the same way as UK students. Our network of international representatives can help you with your application. If you’re unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2023

This course is taught by

School of Geography

Contact us

School of Geography Undergraduate Admissions

Email: geo-ug-enq@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:

Career opportunities

A degree from Leeds and the experience you'll gain here will give you the edge to find the career you want. Your course will give you the experience and knowledge that employers are looking for to help you secure a graduate job.

University of Leeds students are among the top 5 most targeted by top employers according to The Graduate Market 2022, High Fliers Research.

Studying geography opens up a wide range of exciting careers. Whether your future career plans lie in environmental management, journalism, the financial sector or nature conservation, our degrees are structured to ensure you develop the key transferable skills sought by graduate recruiters, skills such as: team-working, commercial awareness, report-writing, fluency in oral communication and presentation, numerical analysis, IT expertise and investigative skills.

Example of recent destinations include:

• CBRE
• UHY Hackey Young Chartered Accountants
• Proctor & Gamble
• Lloyds Banking Group
• IAEM & Red Cross
• Raw TV Ltd

Read profiles of our alumni to find out more about where some of our graduates are working.

Careers support

At Leeds we help you to prepare for your future from day one. Our Leeds for Life initiative is designed to help you develop and demonstrate the skills and experience you need for when you graduate. We will help you to access opportunities across the University and record your key achievements so you are able to articulate them clearly and confidently.

You will be supported throughout your studies by our dedicated Employability team, who will provide you with specialist support and advice to help you find relevant work experience, internships and industrial placements, as well as graduate positions. You’ll benefit from timetabled employability sessions, support during internships and placements, and presentations and workshops delivered by employers.

You will also have full access to the University’s Careers Centre, which is one of the largest in the country.

Study abroad and work placements

Study abroad

This programme offers you the option to spend time abroad as an extra academic year and will extend your studies by 12 months.

Studying abroad is a unique opportunity to explore the world, whilst gaining invaluable skills and experience that could enhance your future employability and career prospects too.

From Europe to Asia, the USA to Australasia, we have many University partners worldwide you can apply to, spanning across some of the most popular destinations for students.

Once you’ve successfully completed your year abroad, you will be awarded the ‘international’ variant in your degree title which demonstrates your added experience to future employers.

Find out more at the Study Abroad website.

Work placements

The graduate recruitment market is highly competitive so it’s important that you stand out. An industrial placement could be the opportunity you need to impress potential employers and improve your chances of securing the career you want.

Benefits of a work placement year:

• 100+ organisations to choose from, both in the UK and overseas
• All placements are salaried
• Build industry contacts within your chosen field
• Our strong connections with industry mean you’ll be in direct contact with potential employers
• Advance your experience and skills by putting the course teachings into practice
• Gain invaluable insight into working as a professional in a particular company or sector
• Improve your employability

If you decide to undertake a placement year, this will extend your period of study by 12 months and, on successful completion, you will be awarded the ‘industrial’ variant in your degree title to demonstrate your added experience to future employers.

With the help and support of our dedicated Employability team, you can find the right placement to suit you and your future career goals.

Here are some examples of placements our students have recently completed:

• Geospatial Data Science Intern, Sainsbury’s
• Supply Chain Placement, Cummins Emission Solutions
• Project Analyst, Virgin Media
• Urban Planner, Newham Council
• Corporate Affairs Industrial Placement, Morgan Stanley
• Financial Services Consultant, Ernst & Young
• Corporate Social Responsibility, Emerald Group
• Communications Assistant, GSK
• Government Social Research, Office for Statistics Regulation
• Project Controls Placement, Turner & Townsend

During your industrial placement, you will have an industrial supervisor from within the company, plus an academic supervisor who will keep in touch throughout your placement.

Find out more about work experience on the Careers website.

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