Geography BSc (Hons) (with Foundation Year)
UCAS Code: F801|Duration: 4 years|Full Time|Hope Park|UCAS Campus Code: L46Accredited|Work placement opportunities|International students can apply|Study Abroad opportunities
About the course
Geography is about exploring, encountering and engaging with the world around us. It is a dynamic and exciting subject to study. It looks at how the physical world works; how people interact both with each other and with the physical world; how landscapes (both physical and human) evolve; and the ways in which the environment needs to be conserved and managed. Geography covers many different perspectives and brings them together to create a distinctive way of understanding the world. Whether your interests are more towards physical, environmental or human geography, our degree offers you the chance to develop an integrated, enriched understanding of what is taking place on our planet.
Studying Geography means you will look at a wide range of different topics and learn a broad range of skills. For this reason, a Geography degree is one of the most valued subjects among potential employers.
An enthusiastic and friendly team of geographers and environmentalists with wide research interests teach Geography at Hope. You will find that Liverpool is a great place to study Geography, being an excellent case study of economic, environmental and social regeneration, and having surroundings that include stunning upland and coastal landscapes.
A Placement Year option is available for this course. Undertaking a placement year as part of your degree programme offers you the opportunity to gain valuable work experience alongside your studies.
Course structure
Teaching on this course is structured into lectures, where all students are taught together, seminars of smaller groups of around 20-25 students and tutorials which typically have no more than 10 students. There is also the opportunity to have a one-to-one meeting with your tutor each week.
Fieldwork is an important part of this course. Fieldwork destinations include local and regional UK locations such as Liverpool, Chester, New Brighton and North Wales, along with international fieldwork in places such as Berlin and Malta. The course makes use of the university’s own field centre, Plas Caerdeon, set within Snowdonia National Park on the banks of the beautiful Mawddach estuary to explore the human-environment relations in this rural setting.
In your first year there are approximately 12 teaching hours each week. During the second and third years this changes to approximately 10 teaching hours each week as students grow in competence to conduct independent but supported study. Additional teaching hours above the weekly contact hours will come through fieldwork activities. These will vary according to the nature and format of the fieldwork activities.
In addition to the formal teaching contact hours, students are also expected to spend time studying independently each week as well as engaging in group study to prepare for some group assessments.
Assessment and feedback
Throughout your three years of study you will have several forms of assessment. This normally includes written exams at the end of the second and third years, with reports, essays and portfolios throughout the year. In your final year you will also complete an honours project which will either be a research project on a geography topic or an integrated dissertation with your other subject.
You will be given regular written and other feedback on your assessments. You will have opportunities to discuss this feedback with your tutor in more detail.
Curriculum overview
*Please note topics marked with a * are studied by single honours students only.
Foundation Year
The Foundation Year is a great opportunity if you have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualifications required to enter directly onto our degree programmes. A significant part of the Foundation Year focuses upon core skills such as academic writing at HE level, becoming an independent learner, structuring academic work, critical thinking, time management and note taking.
Successful completion of the Foundation Year will enable you to progress into the first year (Level C) of your chosen honours degree. Further details can be found here.
Year One
World Regions: Understanding the World
You will investigate selected world regions and explore themes and topics at a range of scales (global to local) including, for example, the environment (physical and human); globalisation and development; geopolitics; human processes (social, cultural, economic); and tourism dimensions.
Hazards, Risk and Society
You will investigate various dimensions of vulnerability and resilience in relation to the risks associated with natural hazards. These will be explored particularly from a social and cultural perspective and will consider aspects such as impacts on, for example, society; communities; culture; heritage; urban environments; tourism destinations; and tourists.
Exploring Geography and Tourism
You will investigate a range of themes and topics, for example, interpreting and representing the world/place/space; understanding natural and human processes (including tourism) and their interactions; sustainable development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (consideration of geographical and tourism contexts); and data analysis (including statistics and spatial data analysis).
The Dynamic Earth*
An introduction to key concepts in geoscience/geology; the geological history of the Earth, and the geological processes in landscape development.
Applied Environmental Geoscience*
You will investigate applied aspects of environmental geoscience (including anthropogenic dimensions) such as environmental change, environmental resources and environmental resource management.
Earth Materials*
An introduction to the formation and significance of selected Earth materials eg. minerals, rocks, fossils, and sediments/soils and their practical study.
Laboratory- and field-based Practical Investigations
Introduction to, for example, mapping, cartography, statistics, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
Laboratory- and field-based Environmental Investigations*
Fieldwork (residential and/or non-residential)
Year Two
Contemporary Human Geographies and Tourism
You will explore aspects of human geography using, for example, contemporary social, economic, cultural and environmental contexts (e.g. socio-cultural awareness; urban/economic geography; urban regeneration; and tourism dimensions).
Earth Surface Processes
An exploration of geomorphological and biogeographical processes and their contribution to landscape development.
Understanding the Environment
An exploration of the representation and interpretation of landscapes and ways of researching the environment.
Research Methods
You will explore a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods of relevance to human geographical research investigations including consideration of data collection and data analysis.
Environmental Policy, Planning and Management*
An exploration of, for example, legislation; policy; planning; environmental impacts and management.
Landscape Assessment*
An exploration of applied dimensions of environmental geoscience through landscape assessment (eg. Landscape Character Assessment).
Geospatial Data Analysis and GIS*
An exploration of geospatial data analysis/GIS that includes practical applications.
‘Experiential Learning Block’*
An applied project based study block that can be undertaken as one of several formats e.g. fieldwork based (residential and/or non-residential); problem-based task; work placement related; or a block of work-based learning.
Fieldwork (residential and/or non-residential)
Year Three
Advances in Human Geographies
You will undertake advanced investigations of a specific area of human geographies (e.g. social, cultural and economic dimensions of island environments).
Earth’s Dynamic Environments
Advanced investigations of geomorphological processes and change in a specific area of physical geography (e.g. glacial or coastal environments).
History, Development of Current Practice of Geography
You will undertake a consideration and critical evaluation of the history and development of geography will be followed by detailed explorations of the current practice of geography.
Advanced Seminars
You will participate in seminar workshops that revolve around staff leading discussions on their research interests and expertise.
Sustainable Futures*
A consideration and evaluation of themes and debates surrounding the human-environment nexus, for example, sustainability; sustainable development; environmental resource management; climate change; and the Anthropocene.
Environmental Change*
A consideration and evaluation of environmental change throughout Earth history. A key focus will be on environmental change in the Quaternary.
International Fieldwork*
You will undertake fieldwork internationally. Past countries have included Malta. Following a brief introduction to the international fieldwork destination, this will comprise the design and execution of individual project-based fieldwork involving data collection relating to a negotiated topic of relevance to the destination.
Honours Project (dissertation)*
Honours Project (integrated dissertation/research project)
As a combined honours student you have the option to either complete a research project or integrated dissertation (in combination with your other subject).
Entry requirements
There may be some flexibility for mature students offering non-tariff qualifications and students meeting particular widening participation criteria.
Careers
A degree in Geography can open the door to a wide range of careers including working within local government departments or agencies responsible for environmental protection, transport and tourism, housing, environmental services and recycling, sustainability, regeneration and economic development. Other possibilities include town planning, nature conservation, teaching, international development, market research and housing association management. With the increasing demands of UK legislation and global environmental policy, there are growing employment opportunities in environmental consultancy.
You will also have the skills required to go on to further study at Masters and / or Doctorate levels.
Enhancement opportunities
Work Placement Opportunities
The Honours Project may be completed through a work placement. This placement enables you to gain relevant experience so that you can apply your subject and academic knowledge and experiences into a work setting. Please note that you must organise this work placement yourself.
SALA
The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.
Study Abroad
As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2023/24 academic year are £9,250 for full-time undergraduate courses.
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,250.
The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
Additional costs
Purchase of key texts (over the 3 years) – cost approx. £100-150
Costs associated with compulsory and optional residential and other fieldwork (over the 3 years – cost depending on choice and location) – cost approx. £200-250
Personal fieldwork equipment e.g. waterproof coat etc. – cost approx. £100
If once you graduate you wish to become a member of the Royal Geographical Society, there is a registration fee and an annual fee thereafter - full details of costs can be found on the RGS website.
You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.
Scholarships
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
International tuition fees
The International Tuition fees for 2023/24 are £12,500.
Visit our International fees page for more information.
Course combinations
This course is also available with Foundation Year as a Combined Honours degree with the following subjects: