Geography

Geography concerns far more than just the physical makeup of our world. Study Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London and you’ll examine the social, political and economic aspects of geography as well as environmental and landscape issues.

This flexible course lets you tailor your learning in years 2 and 3, offering optional modules including Political Geography, Tropical Savannahs and Gender and Development to suit your interests and ambitions. Fieldwork is a key part of the experience of doing Geography at Royal Holloway. As well as being excellent research training, our extensive programme of fieldwork helps bring the department together as a real community. The department offers a substantial and exciting range of field trips in the UK and overseas. Current locations include Cyprus, Spain, Malawi, Sicily, London and New York. The cost of the Year 1 fieldtrip to Spain is included in the student fee.

You’ll study in a department ranked 2nd in the UK for research by the Research Excellence Framework 2014, benefitting from world class research-led teaching by leading academics. You’ll use state-of-the-art equipment, with world-class facilities for GIS, image analysis, advanced cartography and the physical and chemical analysis of soils, sediments and water.

Pursue your passion for Geography at Royal Holloway and you’ll graduate as an attractive prospect for employers in a variety of sectors, environmental conservation and NGOs to media relations and the Civil Service. You’ll develop a diverse portfolio of skills to take into your future career or postgraduate study, and enjoy a rewarding three years challenging and questioning key aspects of contemporary society.

From time to time, we make changes to our courses to improve the student and learning experience, and this is particularly the case as we continue to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. If we make a significant change to your chosen course, we’ll let you know as soon as we can.

Please refer to our website for information: https://royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/geography/geography-ba/

The course has a modular structure, whereby students take four course units per year. Some course units are compulsory while others are options thereby offering flexibility and choice. Assessment is by a mixture of coursework and end-of-year examination in varying proportions, depending on the course units you choose to take. In the final year, you will write a 10,000 word dissertation on a topic of your choice which you will research and write with individual guidance from your tutor. The first year is foundational and marks do not count towards your final degree. The second year and final year marks do count, with more importance being given to the final year marks in order to reward progress and achievement.

You will be taught through a combination of lectures and small seminar groups, tutorials and practical workshops. The department has a substantial and varied programme of field training and laboratory work, giving you the opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge in a practical setting. Private study and preparation are essential parts of every course, and you will have access to many online resources including the University’s comprehensive e-learning facility, Moodle, which provides a wide range of supporting materials.

We use a range of assessment models to suit different learning styles, from fieldwork exercises and reports, individual and group presentations to coursework essays and examinations. In your final year you will have the opportunity to write a research-led dissertation.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• Royal Geographical Society