
- UCAS course code
- FL87
- UCAS institution code
- M20
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BSc Geography with International Study / Course details
Year of entry: 2022
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Course description
BSc Geography with International Study allows you to study the natural processes of the Earth and examine human impact on the global environment - exploring a wide range of topics such as environmental pollution, ecology and environmental restoration, glacial and fluvial dynamics, long-term landscape evolution and climate change, before normally spending your third year overseas, anywhere from Europe, the US and Canada, to Australia or South East Asia.
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 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.
Special features
Employability
Our Skills for Geographers course is designed to support students as they begin exploring their future career paths, and what they need to get there.
This includes practicing core and transferrable skills and identifying areas of expertise.
Fieldtrips
The course has normally included a field trip. Past locations include 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 usually takes place in Keswick, the Lake District, 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.
It's the first chance to meet some friends who you'll remain close to throughout your course and - in many cases - for long after you graduate.
Teaching and learning
Important notice
The School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) aim to run advertised fieldwork as planned 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;
- 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 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.
Coursework and assessment
Assessment methods include essays, team projects, coursework, presentations, written exams and a dissertation.
Course content for year 1
Course units for year 1
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Key Ideas in Geography | GEOG10192 | 10 | Mandatory |
Introducing Human Geographies 1 | GEOG10251 | 10 | Mandatory |
Researching Manchester | GEOG10291 | 10 | Mandatory |
Environmental Processes and Change: The Global System | GEOG10401 | 10 | Mandatory |
Dynamic Earth | GEOG10422 | 10 | Mandatory |
Introducing Human Geographies 2 | GEOG10432 | 10 | Mandatory |
Tutorials and Critical Book Review | GEOG12011 | 10 | Mandatory |
Tutorials and Profile of a Research Geographer | GEOG12012 | 10 | Mandatory |
Creating a Sustainable World: 21st Century Challenges and the Sustainable Development Goals | UCIL20311 | 10 | Mandatory |
Geographies of Globalisation | GEOG10101 | 10 | Optional |
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Course content for year 2
Course units for year 2
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Research Design and Fieldwork | GEOG20072 | 20 | Mandatory |
Skills for Geographers | GEOG20621 | 20 | Mandatory |
Climate Change: Science and Society | GEOG20091 | 20 | Optional |
Economic Geography: Understanding the economy. creating economic spaces | GEOG20101 | 20 | Optional |
Hydrology and Catchment Systems | GEOG20402 | 20 | Optional |
Spatial Thinking with GIS: Constructing and exploring virtual worlds | GEOG20502 | 20 | Optional |
Transport Geographies | GEOG20541 | 20 | Optional |
North American Cities - Change and Continuity in the Metropolis | GEOG20552 | 20 | Optional |
Biogeography | GEOG20771 | 20 | Optional |
Quaternary Climates and Landscapes | GEOG21431 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 3
Your third year is normally spent abroad at a partner university in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore or the USA.
Your dissertation will likely be related to this period of study.
Course content for year 4
Course units for year 4
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Dissertation | GEOG30000 | 40 | Mandatory |
Mediterranean Quaternary Landscapes | GEOG30131 | 20 | Optional |
Energy, Society and Space | GEOG30201 | 20 | Optional |
Life Course Geographies | GEOG30221 | 20 | Optional |
Our Frozen Planet | GEOG30222 | 20 | Optional |
Peatlands Under Pressure | GEOG30231 | 20 | Optional |
Peatlands Under Pressure | GEOG30232 | 20 | Optional |
Dryland Environments: Past, Present and Future | GEOG30531 | 20 | Optional |
Understanding GIS | GEOG30551 | 20 | Optional |
Wildlife in the Anthropocene | GEOG30701 | 20 | Optional |
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What our students say

My course has really helped me mould my path, starting off in first year with really broad topics and then helping me narrow down my interests in second and third year through specific and more niche course units.
It has given me a really good academic grounding through the assessment style and has helped me through networking across the UK and potentially further afield in Canada through the year abroad.
Joshua Emsley / BSc Geography with International Study student
Facilities
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 many 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 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 .
Disability support
Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service.
For more information, email dass@manchester.ac.uk