Newcastle University

Geography BA Honours
UCAS Code: L701 (3 Years)

• Course Overview
• Modules
• Entry Requirements
• Careers
• Finance

Geography at Newcastle helps you to develop into the geographer that you want to be, with degrees that offer both a wide variety of topics and the opportunity for specialisation.

Our Geography BA Honours degree offers an extremely flexible study programme. We offer an unrivalled breadth and depth of study options, from the development geography of Latin America and Africa to the political geography of international conflicts, from major road and rail infrastructures to the pressure on future global water resources.

• Select from a wide range of topics in human and physical geography, as well as in complementary areas such as modern languages, history, politics and mapping
• Choose how you want to balance the amount of human and physical geography you study, to tailor the degree to your interests
• Enjoy a high level of fieldwork in both the UK and abroad, with field visits ranging from nearby Northumberland to New York, Morocco and Iceland
• Complete a dissertation in third year, which gives you the chance to construct your own piece of research from scratch in an area of geography that particularly interests you

Geography has been taught at Newcastle University for almost 90 years, and we enjoy a leading international reputation for teaching and research.

Our degrees enable you to engage with our cutting-edge research in areas like climate change, economic development and international geopolitics, providing you with an exciting and insightful degree.

You will graduate with a highly developed understanding of the changing world around us and the specialist skills to address the key societal, economic and environmental challenges facing us today. 

Teaching and assessment

Throughout its near 90-year history, Geography at Newcastle has developed a leading international reputation for research that engages with the key societal, economic and environmental challenges of our time. All of our academic staff are active researchers which contributes to a vibrant research environment that you will soon be part of. The research findings of our staff are also intricately integrated into the curriculum of our degrees. This allows us to offer you an extremely broad range of topics that bring you to the forefront of current issues in geography.

All of our geography courses enjoy a high level of staff and student interaction, including tutorials, lectures, laboratory work and seminars.

You will be assessed by a combination of examinations and course work, which may include reports, essays, presentations and data analysis. All modules also require a considerable amount of independent study, culminating in a dissertation under expert supervision in Stage 3. Teaching and assessment methods may vary from module to module; more information can be found in our individual module listings.

Quality and ranking

Geography at Newcastle ranks in the top 30 universities in the world in the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork is a particular focus of Geography at Newcastle, which integrates experiential learning ('learning by doing') at every Stage. This provides key skills for geographers, especially as part of the ever popular Dissertation module which is the defining feature of your degree and is often the first thing that employers ask about.

In second year, you undertake a fieldcourse exploring elements of economic, political and social geography from a choice of residential and non-residential destinations. These currently include:

• Amsterdam
• New York
• Ireland

Newcastle itself is located in a geographically-rich region, allowing us to integrate fieldwork opportunities throughout the degree in topics such as industrial change, urban geography and economic development, examples of which are right here on your doorstep. Find out more about fieldwork at Newcastle in the Geography section of the School's website.

We also encourage you to organise your own expeditions. The University Expedition Committee may be able to provide funding towards a student-led expedition to carry out research. Previous Newcastle University expeditions have been carried out in a wide range of countries including those as diverse as Brazil and Bulgaria, Iceland and Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Kenya, Greenland and Ghana, Tibet and Tanzania, Norway and Namibia, and Peru and the Philippines. See the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology’s website for details of previous expeditions by our students.

You may also apply for funding from The Sonia Stonehouse Expedition Fund (SSEF) to assist with overseas fieldwork, as part of your compulsory dissertation in physical or human geography.

Study abroad

UK and EU students have the chance to broaden their academic experience by taking part in a study exchange abroad.

Facilities

The home of Geography at Newcastle is the University's Daysh Building. It houses a variety of different learning spaces, including three lecture theatres and a series of state-of-the-art laboratories:

• Geomorphology Laboratory
• Cosmogenic Isotope Laboratory
• Spatial Analysis Laboratory
• Chemistry Laboratory

School of Geography, Politics and Sociology

As a geography student at Newcastle, you will be based in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology.

We pride ourselves on making you feel at home and helping you make the transition to university life. Our extended induction programme helps you feel part of our inclusive community right from the start. This support continues with close interaction with teaching staff, including weekly drop-in sessions, a personal tutor system and student mentoring programme.

You’ll become part of a really lively community of staff and students. Our student-run society, GeogSoc, is one of the University's largest.