Why do a Geography Degree?
There are at least four good reasons for studying Geography at university: You enjoy it; You want to learn more about societies, environments, landscapes and places of our world; You want to have knowledge and understanding as the basis for informed concern about the earth and its peoples; You are keen to learn and develop a wide range of skills for future employment.
Undergraduates come to study Geography in the UK because of its worldwide, first-class reputation in the discipline. There are excellent teachers and researchers at the 92 Higher Education Institutions where Geography is studied by approximately 25,000 undergraduates at any one time.
Geography is an integrated study of the earth's places, societies, environments and landscapes. It is unique in bridging the social sciences and humanities (human geography) with its understanding of the dynamics of societies, cultures and behaviour, and the earth sciences (physical geography) in the understanding of physical landscapes and the dynamics of environmental processes acting on the surface of the earth. Geography puts this understanding of social and physical processes within the essential context of places and regions - recognising the great differences in cultures, political systems, economies, landscapes and environments across the world, and the links between them. Geographical knowledge and understanding is the basis for informed concern about the earth and its people; this understanding is an area that lies at the heart of Geography, and is essential to the understanding and management of the world today.
By the time you complete a degree programme in this discipline, you should have knowledge and understanding of:
- The world as an integrated system;
- Why our human and physical environments and landscapes appear as they are, how they operate and form, and how they interrelate on various scales;
- Differences and inequality within the human world, especially the economic, social and political causes of inequality and economic development;
- How and why patterns of human and physical features differ from place to place across the earth;
- The way in which particular places and regions have evolved to be distinctive and why;
- The importance of different spatial scales - global to local - and time scales for physical and human processes, together with their interactions and interdependence;
- Change and stability in human and physical worlds, including the causes, rates and patterns of change and the prediction of change to the foreseeable future;
- How to observe, analyse, represent, interpret and report information about the world.
Geography includes both conceptual and data-based (empirical) studies. It involves IT, field and laboratory analytical approaches, including techniques such as Geographical Information Systems, computer-based modelling and remote sensing from satellite imagery. Fieldwork is an integral part of most courses.
What skills will your Geography degree course provide?
On completion of a degree you should have a wide range of skills in preparation for work. These are an integral part of your training and should include:
- Intellectual skills, such as critically assessing theories and judging evidence in order to make informed decisions and develop reasoned arguments;
- Geography-specific skills, such as undertaking a piece of research, using a range of technical methods for the collection and analysis of spatial and environmental information, and undertaking fieldwork;
- Key transferable skills, such as communication, verbal presentation, numerical analysis, teamwork, and various IT skills;
- Personal attributes, such as self-management, awareness of responsibility, motivation, flexibility and creativity.
What type of assessment will there be?
In general, the assessment of Geography programmes includes coursework as well as examinations; the extent of coursework will vary between University courses. Most courses also have a third-year individual project or dissertation, which can be either optional or compulsory.
The specific courses through which the knowledge and skills are taught and learned vary from university to university according to the special interests of the staff. Consequently, some programmes of study will place more emphasis on particular parts of the world, for example, or certain aspects of Human Geography. The extent of choice in each year of study also varies, so it is important to examine a range of universities and select those with programmes that suit your interests and learning abilities, as well as those that are carefully balanced with your location and other preferences.
What about the title of the degree?
Most 'Geography' degrees, no matter whether designated BSc or BA, offer combinations of individual human, physical and environmental courses in each year of study. There is usually the opportunity to plan, with your advisor, a coherent set of course choices that suit your special interests and career plans as they evolve over time. It is often the case that some students choose to specialise in either Human or Physical Geography; others may wish to retain a broader combination of the two.
However, there are a small number of universities that offer specialist degree programmes specifically in 'Physical Geography' or 'Human Geography', in which case course choice is more limited. Please study the details carefully - most are readily obtained from printed or electronic prospectuses, or from the 'Directory of University Geography Courses', published by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).
What it is possible to do with a Geography degree?
You will have three broad choices:
- To use the knowledge you have gained in a career directly related to Geography. A first degree in Geography is an entry point to many careers around the world, such as town and transport planning, chartered surveying, land and water management, environmental consultancy, development, tourism, conservation, demography, housing and social welfare. Further training at Masters level may be desirable or essential for entry to some of these careers.
- To use the wide range of skills you have learned in a more generalist career. Many Geographers choose careers in information technology, administration and management, the financial sector, and marketing. In all these areas, the skills portfolio, together with an interest in the world and people about you, are highly relevant.
- To engage in further full-time specialist study and training in order to develop a career in teaching or research, or to gain advanced technical (masters level) qualifications for entry into some professions.
Author: Lorraine Craig / Rita Gardner, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), www.rgs.org
