LONDON'S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
Geography BA
UCAS code: L700
www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/geography
Geography BA
This is an integrated geography programme
which combines physical and human
geography as well as offering opportunities for
specialisation. Those choosing the BA will
usually have studied social science or
humanities subjects at A level or equivalent, but
it is possible to transfer to the BSc if your
interests develop differently.
Degree summary
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You will gain a broad range of practical skills enabling you to work
successfully in the public and private sectors in the UK and around
the world.
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We offer a wide range of optional courses and have a particularly low
staff-to-student ratio, encouraging individual choice and personal
supervision.
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We are proud of our research record which has been very highly
rated in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (2014).
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Resources include specialist facilities for geographical information
and satellite image analysis; science laboratories; a reference map
collection; a dedicated reading room and first-class library facilities.
The Geography BA and BSc share core elements and it is your personal
interests, and the options you wish to pursue, that should shape your
choice. In your first year you take three core courses and five options.
There is also opportunity to select a specialist pathway upon entry, and
graduate with a Geography with Quantitative Methods (QM) BA.
In year two, compulsory courses are supplemented by your choice of six
options. It is possible to focus your selection around systematic themes
such as development, environmental management, social geography and
climate change.
Your dissertation is the main focus of year three. In addition you take
further options, which may include participation in exchange programmes
with universities in Australia, Canada, Europe or Singapore.
Fieldwork in the first and second years is normally UK-based, but some
third-year options include field trips outside the UK, and it is possible to
base your dissertation on an overseas project. Recent destinations
include Australia, Belize, India, Montserrat and Papua New Guinea.
Some financial support may be available through expedition funds.
Your learning
Your timetable will include lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical classes
and fieldwork. As you progress, the focus shifts to independent and
critical learning, with student-led discussions and presentations becoming
more important.
First-year assessment combines independent coursework completed
throughout the year, with end-of-year written examinations. In years two
and three, assessment may vary, some courses combine written
examinations with independent projects, some assessed solely by written
examination. Your dissertation carries significant weight in your final year.
Your career
Having been trained in both sciences and humanities, UCL geographers
are skilled in taking different perspectives on an issue, working
independently to complete a project and adapting to changing
circumstances.
Geographers embark on many diverse careers: from teaching and
research to commerce, planning and administration. Their expertise is
valuable for environmental and physical planning, surveying and
employment in government, industry and the financial sector.
First career destinations of recent graduates (2010-2013) of this
programme include:
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Geographical Information Systems Analyst, Esri UK
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Finance Trainee, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Policy Officer, Darlington Hall Trust
Social Researcher, Department for Communities and Local
Government
Full-time student, MA in Urban Studies at UCL
Degree structure
In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual courses,
normally valued at 0.5 or 1.0 credits, adding up to a total of 4.0 credits for
the year. Courses are assessed in the academic year in which they are
taken. The balance of compulsory and optional courses varies from
programme to programme and year to year. A 1.0 credit is considered
equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
Year One
Compulsory courses
Data Acquisition and Interpretation
Ideas in Geography
Writing and Analysis in Geography
Students entering the QM pathway will take Introduction to Quantitative
Research Methods (1.0 credit), instead of Data Acquisition and
Interpretation.
Core foundational courses
You will select 2.5 credits from a range of year one Geography courses
and other undergraduate courses, with the exception of QM students who
will select 2.0 credits:
Environmental Change
Environmental Systems and Processes
Global Geographies
Human Ecology: Geographical Perspectives
London: A Geographical Introduction
Year Two
Compulsory courses
Methods in Human Geography
The Practice of Geography
Students on the QM pathway will take Data Analysis (1.0 credit) instead of
Methods in Human Geography, and two approved human geography
courses with QM content to the combined value of 1.0 credit.
Core intermediary courses
Students then select 3.0 credits of intermediary courses from the
specialised areas below:
Human Geography: Cultural and Historical Geography; Development
Geography; Environment and Society; GIS and Geodemographics;
Political Geography and Geopolitics; Urban Geography
Physical Geography: Ecological Patterns and Processes; Environmental
Remote Sensing; Geomorphology; Hydroclimatology; Reconstructing Past
Environments.
Students may also take Statistics for Environmental Geographers or 0.5
credits from outside Geography.
QM students select 1.5 credits, either all from human geography or
including 0.5 credits from outside Geography.
Final Year
Compulsory course
Dissertation
QM students will also take Quantitative Analysis (1.0 credit) and two
approved advanced human geography courses with QM content, to the
value of 1.0 credit.
Core advanced courses
Students select up to 2.5 credits of advanced courses from the specialised
areas below. Students may also attend a field class (0.5 units), undertake
a study abroad term (1.5 units), or enrol for independent study (0.5 units).
Human Geography: Cultural and Historical Geography II; Development
Geography II; Environment and Society II; Geodemographics and
Population Geography; Political Geography and Geopolitics II; Urban
Geography II
Physical Geography: Coastal and Estuarine Environments; Global
Environmental Change; Principles and Practices of Remote Sensing;
Restoration and Management of Freshwater Ecosystems; Wetland
Environments.
QM students choose either one advanced course from human geography
or an approved course from outside Geography.
Entry requirements
A levels
A level grades
AAA-AAB
A level subjects
Geography grade A required. For the Geography
with Quantitative Methods stream, grade A in
Mathematics is also required.
AS levels
For UK-based students a pass in a further subject
at AS level or equivalent is required.
GCSE
English Language and Mathematics at grade C.
For UK-based students, a grade C or equivalent
in a foreign language (other than Ancient Greek,
Biblical Hebrew or Latin) is required. UCL
provides opportunities to meet the foreign
language requirement following enrolment,
further details at: www.ucl.ac.uk/ug-reqs
statement for evidence of your interest in and enthusiasm for geography
and for proficiency in key skills.
Most students are invited to attend an open day once they have been
made an offer based on their predicted or actual A level (or equivalent)
performance and their potential and aspirations. Our open days include
student-led seminars, a tour of UCL and a tutorial with a member of staff.
Fees
UK/EU fee
£9,000 (2016/17)
Overseas fee
£21,320 (2016/17)
Notes
Details about financial support are available at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/study/ug-finance
Contacts
Contact
Dr Jan Axmacher
Admissions Tutor
IB diploma
IB points
36-38
Subjects
A total of 17-18 points in three higher level
subjects including grade 6 in Geography, with no
score below 5. For the Geography with
Quantitative Methods stream, grade 6 in
Mathematics at higher level is also required.
Email
info@geog.ucl.ac.uk
Telephone
+44 (0)20 7679 0520
Prospectus entry
www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/geography
Key facts
REF
81% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3*
(‘internationally excellent’)
Department
Geography
Faculty
Social & Historical Sciences
Other qualifications
Full lists of all degree programmes and other entry requirements can be
found on our website at: www.ucl.ac.uk/otherquals
Undergraduate Preparatory
Certificates
UCL's Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPCs) are intensive
one-year foundation courses for international students of high academic
potential, who are aiming to gain access to undergraduate degree
programmes at UCL and other top UK universities.
For more information see our website: www.ucl.ac.uk/upc
Your application
Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at
school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however,
applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United
Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.
In the selection process we aim for there to be two-way communication
so both you and the department can make the right choices. In addition to
looking at your qualifications we will also be examining your personal
PDF Updated: February 19, 2016
Information correct at time of going to press. See website (www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectus/geography) for latest information