BSc Geography with International Study / Course details
Year of entry: 2027
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Course description
BSc Geography at Manchester is about understanding the physical processes that shape our planet, and the ways people, places and environments are connected. You’ll explore some of the biggest challenges facing the world today, from climate change, carbon cycling and landscape change to biodiversity loss, pollution, sustainability and environmental restoration.
The course gives you a strong foundation in both physical and human geography before allowing you to focus on the areas that interest you most. In your first year, you’ll study environmental processes, human geographies, global environmental challenges and data science, while developing the academic and practical skills you’ll need for the rest of your degree.
As you progress, you’ll build more advanced skills in fieldwork, laboratory work, GIS, data analysis, digital tools and research design. You’ll learn how geographers collect, interpret and communicate evidence, and how these skills can be used to understand real-world environmental and social challenges.
You’ll also have the flexibility to shape your studies through optional units. As a BSc student, you’ll focus more on physical geography and scientific approaches to research, while still having opportunities to explore human geography topics. Options are linked to themes such as climate, environment and sustainability; dynamic environments; geographical data science; cities; and social and cultural geographies.
Fieldwork is a key part of Geography at Manchester. You’ll begin with our long-running pre-course field trip to the Lake District, which helps you meet other students, get to know staff and start building field skills before teaching begins. You’ll then continue to learn through local field visits and a second-year residential field course.
In your final year, you’ll study specialist, research-led topics and complete an independent dissertation with support from an academic adviser. By the time you graduate, you’ll have developed subject-specific skills in physical geography, data-handling, GIS and research, alongside transferable skills in communication, teamwork, project management and problem-solving.
On the BSc Geography with International Study, you’ll spend your third year studying at one of our partner universities overseas before returning to Manchester for the final year of your degree. This is an opportunity to experience life in another country, broaden your perspective and develop skills that can support your future career.
Special features
Fieldwork from the start
Begin your degree with our long-running pre-course field trip to the Lake District, then continue to build your skills through local field visits and a second-year residential field course. Recent destinations have included the Pyrenees, Morocco, Crete, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Prague.
Build data-handling, GIS and digital skills
Develop practical skills in data science, GIS, data visualisation and digital tools used by geographers to understand landscapes, environments and global challenges.
Study abroad in your third year
On the BSc Geography with International Study, you’ll spend your third year studying Geography at one of our partner departments around the world before returning to Manchester to complete the final year of your degree. This is an opportunity to live and study in another country, broaden your outlook, gain new cultural experiences and build skills that can support your employability. Current partner locations include Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico.
Teaching and learning
Teaching methods include fieldwork, lectures, seminars, small-group learning, individual tutorials, and team work.
Important notice: factors affecting fieldwork and placements
The School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) recognises the value of fieldwork and placements. However, the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff remains our priority.
The School will assess on a regular basis the viability of any travel and fieldwork and communicate any significant changes to our students at the earliest possible opportunity.
Course content for year 1
In your first year, you’ll build a broad foundation across physical and human geography. You’ll study environmental processes, human geographies, global environmental challenges and data science, while developing the academic skills needed for university-level study. You’ll also begin working with the kinds of numerical and spatial data used by geographers, including data analysis, visualisation and GIS. This first year is designed to give you a strong grounding in the subject before you begin to shape your studies through optional units in later years.
Course content for year 2
In your second year, you’ll think more deeply about what it means to study geography and begin developing the research skills that will support your final-year dissertation. Core units focus on geographical ideas, research methods and fieldwork, helping you build confidence in collecting, analysing and presenting geographical evidence. You’ll also choose optional units linked to your interests, with topics across physical geography, environmental change, sustainability, GIS, cities, economies, culture and society.
Course content for year 3
In your third year, you’ll study Geography at one of our partner universities overseas. This gives you the chance to experience a different academic environment, explore geography from new perspectives and develop your confidence living and studying in another country. You’ll return to Manchester for your final year, where you’ll complete your dissertation and choose advanced optional units linked to your interests.
Course content for year 4
In your final year, you’ll study advanced, research-led topics and complete an independent dissertation. This gives you the opportunity to design and carry out your own geographical research project, supported by an academic adviser. As a BSc student, your dissertation and research training will focus more on scientific approaches to geographical research. You’ll also choose specialist optional units that allow you to explore areas such as climate change, GIS, ecology, landscapes, environmental change, cities, energy and society.
Facilities
We're one of Europe's best-equipped universities for Geography, with outstanding computing, laboratory, cartography and library facilities that are used for teaching and research and are available for our students, including:
- World-leading Geography Laboratories with a wide range of advanced capabilities for studying water, soils, sediments and microplastics, including major and trace elemental analysis, spectroscopy, microscopy and X-ray Fluorescence.
- A Geocomputational Suite supporting world-class work in GIS and Remote Sensing, with access to UAVs, and survey tools.
- A Geography Virtual Reality lab for undertaking human and physical geography research and teaching.
- Advanced computing for social sciences coding development.
The University's Main Library is is one of only five National Research Libraries and is a great place to study. It is also home to the University Map Collection, comprising around 100,000 maps of every part of the world.