In each year you will study aspects of Physical and Human Geography as well as Fieldwork Skills. You will build on the concepts studied in the first year in the second year.

Year 1

1. ‘Physical Geography’: In this unit you will investigate water and carbon cycles and human interaction with these cycles and the impact of global warming on them. You will also study Hazards includes earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tropical storms, and wildfires and how humans manage these and mitigate against disaster.
2. ‘Human Geography’: This unit explores how places change over time through redevelopment, gentrification, immigration, and employment. You will explore two case studies, including St Paul’s in Bristol and Detroit in the United States, as part of this unit.
3. ‘Geography Fieldwork’: You will undertake four days of fieldwork which includes a trip to the Field Studies Centre in Slapton Sands in Devon where you will complete a coastal study, an urban environment study in Plymouth and a water and carbon cycle study.

Year 2

1. ‘Physical Geography’: You will build upon what you have studied in the first year and extend this with a further study of coastal systems and landscapes. You will investigate natural coastal processes, such as erosion, deposition, weathering, and mass movement. You will explore how humans can manage coastal environments in Holderness in Yorkshire and Sundarbans in Bangladesh.
2. ‘Human Geography’: You will also further develop your skills and knowledge in human geography in the second year. You will explore population change and the environment and look at the impact of disease. You will also examine global systems including international trade, trans-national corporations, and the case study of Antarctica.
3. ‘Geography Fieldwork’: - Students are required to undertake an independent investigation. This must incorporate a significant element of fieldwork. The fieldwork undertaken as part of the individual investigation may be based on either human or physical aspects of geography, or a combination of both. This Non-Examined Assessment (coursework) comprises 20% of the final grade.

Geography is a wide-ranging subject, with links across the Arts, Sciences and Humanities. This means that there are lots of possible subject combinations. You may want to combine Geography with Environmental Science if you have a particular interest in the science behind climate change, energy resources or sustainability. Whilst you may also like to combine it with other subjects such as Law, Business, Economics, Politics or Sociology to further the themes studied in the human geography elements of the programme.

If you study Geography, you could go on to do a variety of different degrees in Higher Education in many areas, from Geology, Environment-related courses to Medicine and Law. The skills developed and knowledge acquired are also useful for many careers. There is also a growing number of opportunities to use the skills you have developed in Geography for Higher and Degree Apprenticeships.