Department of Geography

This degree is perfect for you if you wish to specialise purely in physical geography, with training in key technical skills and options to study important contemporary issues in physical geography and the physical sciences. There is a strong emphasis on field work – with trips to the Amazon Rainforest, Mojave Desert in California, SE Spain and the English Lake District. Our research strength in physical geography is in global environmental change. You will be able to take the year abroad scheme with this degree programme.

Courses in the first year explore core aspects of Human and Physical Geography and provide you with a firm foundation for your degree. Years 2 and 3 are structured around subject ‘pathways’ that allow you to specialise in aspects of Geography that you find particularly interesting. Scroll down to learn more about the first, second and third year courses. Click here to learn more about our pathway structure and the different pathways you can follow in years 2 and 3.

There are clearly very good and highly professional staff-student relations in the Department.
External Examiner, Professor David Thomas, Geography, University of Oxford

Year 1

Your first year will be very similar to your new friends taking BSc Geography. In the first year the foundations of a degree in physical geography are laid down. You will acquire a broad grounding in the main areas of physical geography (including the principles of major global geographical processes) and gain foundation skills in IT, critical analysis, reviewing literature, laboratory techniques, debate and communication. You will undertake fieldwork in your first year in Devon (fairly unique amongst British universities) which will allow you to gain essential practical skills. You will take 40 credits of modules drawn from subjects across the science faculty. A brief description of the first year modules is provided:

Credits
120 credits in each year, 360 over three years.
80 Credits of Geography, 40 Credits of Supplementary Subjects. Students should normally chose up to two supplementary subjects and take at least 20 credits in each subject.

CORE MODULES
Semester 1
GY1003	Earth: A Dynamic Planet A		10 credits
GY1019	Working with Geographical Information		10 credits
GY1025	Skills for Professional Geographers (BA, BSc, Phys BSc)		20 credits
Semester 2
GY1004	Earth: A Dynamic Planet B		10 credits
GY1017	Exploring our Digital Planet		10 credits
GY1032	Field and Lab. Techniques for Physical Geographers (BSc, BSc Phys)		20 credits
OPTIONAL MODULES
Semester 1 (choose 20 credits)
MA1011	Methods of Applied Mathematics (requires at least a B at A level Maths)		20 credits
CH1000	Chemical Principles (requires AS Chemistry)		20 credits
CH1541	Environmental Chemistry (requires double Science GCSE)		10 credits
CH0004	Materials Science (requires double Science GCSE)		10 credits
GL1001	Palaeobiology and the Stratigraphic Record		10 credits
GY1018	Environment, Nature and Society A		10 credits
OPTIONAL MODULES
Semester 2 (choose 20 credits)
GL1017	The Sedimentary World		10 credits
GL1019	Geological Maps and Structures		10 credits
GY1037	Environment, Nature and Society B		10 credits

Year 2

In year two students take modules which are primarily grounded in physical geography, combining core modules with free choice modules which make up ‘pathways’ of specialisation in particular areas. Core modules include Geographical Data Analysis, Techniques in Environmental Analysis, Research Design and Planning and the Physical Geography Fieldcourse (South East Spain), which prepare students for their final year research project, the fieldwork for which is usually executed over the summer. There are five physical geography pathways which students can choose to follow, allowing students to combine modules to suit their interests. Pathways and modules include: The Digital Planet (Geographical Information Systems, Remote Sensing for Geographers); Understanding Landscapes (Rivers and Coasts: processes, forms and interactions); Past Environments (Environmental Changes through the Quaternary); The Green Earth (Biogeography: life over space and time); Environmental Issues and Change (Understanding Environmental Issues).

If you have done CH1000 Chemical Principles in Yr 1, you may substitute CH2040 Introduction to Analysis for a 10 credit Geography module in Semester 1 and CH2041 Bioanalytical Chemistry for a 10 credit Geography module in Semester 2.

If you have done MA1011 Methods of Applied Mathematics in Year 1, you may substitute up to 20 credits of Geography modules in Semester 2 with Maths modules.  Available choices are MA1051 Introduction to Newtonian Dynamics, MA2082 Vector Calculus or MAXXXX Scientific computing.  These modules are 10 credits.

Maths modules require at least a B in A level Maths

Year 3

The final year of the degree represents the interface between the Department’s teaching and research, allowing students to use the concepts and general areas of geography covered in year two and apply them critically to current issues within each pathway. Students also submit a dissertation which is an individual research project based on any area of physical geography. Following on from Year Two, students can choose to continue to follow pathways through the degree, allowing them to combine complementary modules. Pathways and modules include: The Digital Planet (Applications of Geographical Information Systems, Applications of Remote Sensing in Geography); Understanding Landscapes (Californian Drylands or Geomorphology of Desert Environments); Past Environments (Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction in Low Latitudes, Biogeochemistry: Past and present environments); The Green Earth (Neotropical Rainforests; Neotropical Rainforests: Research Practical); Environmental Issues and Change (Ecological Futures, Global Environmental Change). Optional fieldcourses in the final year include Californian Drylands and the Amazon Rainforest.

We urge you to come and visit us and speak to our dedicated BSc admissions tutor. Detailed module descriptions for this degree can be found here.

BSc Course Pathways

What is a pathway?
A pathway is a suite of related modules that combine around a common theme. Pathways provide you with a logical and sensible way of combining modules to develop a coherent programme of study. Please note that there is nothing compulsory about the pathways. If you wish, you can ignore the pathway structure and pick and chose modules as that interest you (within normal degree regulations).

What defines a pathway?
There are four elements to a pathway:

• i) Compulsory modules. These are the core modules that all students have to take, irrespective of the pathway they chose to follow.
• ii) Key modules. These are the core modules of the pathway.
• iii) Subsidiary modules. These are modules that sensibly combine with the core modules. They help ‘flesh out’ the pathway.
• iv) Other module choices. These are the other modules that are available to you. In some pathways, the compulsory modules, key modules and subsidiary modules will give you the 60 credits you are required to take in each semester. In this case, you will have to choose whether you wish to follow the complete pathway as specified, or replace one or more of the pathway modules with another. In other pathways, the compulsory modules, key modules and subsidiary modules total less than 60 credits. In this case, you will have to choose other modules to make up the 60 credits (in this scenario, you can still opt to replace recommended pathway modules with other modules).

Physical Geography Pathways
There are five Physical Geography Pathways. The Understanding Landscape, The Green Earth and Past Environments pathways specialise in Geomorphology, Biogeography and Palaeoenvironemnts respectively. They are specialist Physical Geography pathways and are only open to BSc students. The Digital Planet and the Environmental Issues and Change pathways specialise in Geographical Information Systems/Remote Sensing and Global Environmental Issues respectively. They integrate Human and Physical Geography and as such are open to BA and BSc students.

The interactive table below shows the key and subsidiary modules for the five pathways open to Physical Geographers. The key modules are shown in bold, the subsidiary modules are shown in normal type. The compulsory modules are not shown.

• Click to activate table
• Roll the cursor over the pathway titles for a brief description of the different pathways
• Click on the pathway title for further details regarding the pathway structure and pathway recommendations
• Roll the cursor over the module title for a brief description of the module
• Click on the module titles for comprehensive details of the module’s content