BA Geography / Course details

BA Geography allows you to study the interaction between people and their environment - exploring the diverse cultural, economic, urban and political dimensions of current global challenges.

Here at The University of Manchester, we've been teaching Geography for more than 125 years - after all, where better to study the subject than this rapidly changing metropolis, with its surrounding national parks and stretching coastlines?

The city will play an important role in your studies, with plenty of resources for fieldwork right on your doorstep.

Further afield, international fieldwork will take place in your second year, in destinations like Greece, Amsterdam and the Czech Republic.

The wide range of teaching and research interests of our academics - who have an impressive international research reputation - will make it easy for you to be flexible about what, and how, you learn.

This allows you the maximum choice to tailor your studies to suit your interests.

Not sure if you're a human or physical geographer just yet? Don't worry - our course allows you to study both human and physical geography in your first year, before specialising to study for a BA or a BSc later in your course.

You don't need to apply to both courses either - apply for just one via UCAS, and you'll be allowed to switch after beginning your course.

Opportunity to transfer onto a course with professional placement or international study

There is an opportunity to transfer from this course to one of the four year Geography courses `with Professional Placement' or `with International study' at the start of second year. Where the number of available placements is limited, priority will be given to students required to undertake a professional or international placement as part of their studies.

Transfers require a first year average of at least 60% and the application process is competitive.

Employability programme

Our Geography employability programme is designed to support students as they begin exploring their future career paths, and what they need to get there.

This includes practicing core skills, and identifying areas of expertise.

International and local fieldtrips

Fieldwork options during the degree currently include trips to Crete, Spain, Amsterdam, Morocco, and the Czech Republic - and, of course, around the city of Manchester itself.

For more information, see Fieldwork

Manchester University Geographical Society (MUGS)

You can also join the Manchester University Geographical Society (MUGS), a society run by Geography students for Geography Students.

For more information, see MUGS

Pre-course fieldtrip

Our pre-course field trip for new geography students is a tradition amongst Manchester geographers.

The trip takes place in Keswick over three days in the week before Welcome Week in September.

The residential trip is a great opportunity to get to know your fellow students and future tutors.

Teaching methods include fieldwork, lectures, seminars, small-group learning, individual tutorials and team work.

The School of Environment, Education and Development aim to run advertised fieldwork in the 21/22 Academic Year and we very much hope that students will be able to enjoy the fieldwork experience in the usual way.

The ability of fieldwork to proceed, and whether any changes to proposed fieldwork might be necessary, will remain subject to the current global situation and factors such as the:

• rules and guidance on travel and activities implemented and published by the UK and overseas governments;
• outcome of any risk assessments conducted by the University;
• educational value and student experience of the fieldwork, if significant changes to the proposed fieldwork would be necessary;
• availability of appropriate insurance cover; and
• availability of appropriate travel and accommodation and any significant changes to their financial costs.

We will therefore assess on a regular basis the viability of any travel and fieldwork and communicate any decisions to our students at the earliest possible opportunity. Any fieldwork that does go ahead will be subject to a rigorous risk assessment process and the implementation of any protective measures identified by the risk assessment to ensure the health and safety of all of our students and staff.  If the fieldwork does not go ahead as planned then the School's focus will be on seeking to offer a suitable alternative and ensure that the Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) of the programme are met.

Assessment methods include essays, team projects, coursework, presentations, written exams and a dissertation.

We're one of Europe's best-equipped universities for geography, with excellent library, cartography, computing and laboratory facilities.

You can learn professional computer-based skills such as coding and programming - as well as how to use industry-standard software such as image processing, GIS, GPS and cartographic representation - in our Humanities computer labs.

The University's Main Library is the largest university library system in the UK (apart from the copyright libraries) and has a number of different working spaces.

It is home to the University Map Collection, which comprises about 100,000 map sheets of every part of the world.

We also have our very own Kantorowich Library, which contains many of the teaching and learning materials that you will need, from books and journals to DVDs and past dissertations.

Depending on your interests you may also take advantage of our excellent physical geography labs, which offer a wide spectrum of advanced equipment for environmental analyses, including dedicated sediments, microscopy, spectroscopy and X-ray facilities.

For more information, see Facilities .