Geography BA | University of Leeds (2023)

Each year of this course is designed around a combination of compulsory core modules that provide essential foundational knowledge and skills, as well as opportunities to study optional modules in both human (BA) and physical geography (BSc), and take discovery modules across the wider University so you can choose additional subjects of interest.

Year one

You’ll develop a grounding in the foundational concepts and themes of human geography, plus key skills in academic writing, digital learning and data analysis. Core modules explore different geographies of a changing world, including planetary environmental crisis, economic and political globalisation, urbanisation and cities, neighbourhood and population change, migration and development.

We focus on issues of power, justice, difference (including ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and disability), identity, space and place across different scales and ideologies. You have the option to take a physical geography module as well but can choose to focus on human geography.

Quantitative Research Methods pathway

At the end of year one, you will have the opportunity to request a place on our BA Geography with Quantitative Methods course, subject to meeting the entry requirements.

The course will help you to develop advanced analytical skills, which are in high demand across the public, private, and third sectors. You will learn spatial and statistical analysis techniques and their application to ‘real’ world problems related to crime, health, transport, business, planning and environment.

Find out more about the Quantitative Research Methods pathway.

Year two

You’ll be provided with a core programme of research and career skills training that you’ll supplement from optional modules that cover geo-politics and international development, service planning for changing populations, economic geography, the development of modern cities, citizenship and identity, natural resource management, and sustainable transport. You can also take a physical geography module in a range of topics spanning natural planetary systems.

(Optional) one-year work placement or study abroad

To advance your skill set and boost your experience, you can apply to take up an industrial placement or study abroad at one of the many universities we’re in partnership with worldwide. Both of these options will extend your degree by 12 months and take place between the second and third year. You then return to Leeds to complete your final year.

Year three

You will undertake a significant independent final year project - currently a dissertation - alongside a suite of optional modules that cover subjects such as urban social movements, creating alternative futures, population and health geographies, retail location planning, global insecurities, the Mediterranean migration crisis, and healthy transport. You will also have the choice of a research, work or teacher placement module with an external organisation. You can also take a physical geography module in a range of topics covering water science, the cryosphere, and sustainable development in tropical forests.

Fieldwork

Ask any of our students and they will tell you that taking part in field trips is one of the most enjoyable and memorable aspects of the geography programmes at Leeds.

We offer fieldwork opportunities at each level of study and they provide a great opportunity to study a fascinating subject in contrasting environments away from the University. In year one you will use Leeds as your ‘laboratory’, carrying out group work around the city you live in, while in years two and three you will have the option to undertake residential field classes in the UK and abroad.

During field trips you will learn essential fieldwork and team working skills and transferable skills that will prove invaluable to your future career.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

<p><h3>Modules</h3><h3>Year one</h3><p><strong>Compulsory modules </strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://webprod3.leeds.ac.uk/catalogue/dynmodules.asp?Y=202223&amp;F=P&amp;M=GEOG-1450">The Urban Age (with tutorials and fieldwork)</a>– 20 credits</strong></p><p>You will learn about the dynamic nature of urban and economic geography, exploring the geography of cities and urban settlements and their constitution by environmental, economic, social and political processes through time and space. Particular attention is paid to planetary urbanisation, urban planning, systems of collective consumption, housing and the welfare state, service and retail economy, neoliberal globalisation, post-industrial urbanism, power, austerity and contestation. Key features of the module are small group tutorials and local urban fieldwork.</p><p><strong><a href="https://webprod3.leeds.ac.uk/catalogue/dynmodules.asp?Y=202223&amp;F=P&amp;M=GEOG-1000">Planet Under Threat</a> – 20 credits</strong></p><p>This module focuses on the major environmental challenges facing humanity and the wider biosphere from both human and physical geography perspectives such as climate change and global warming, biodiversity loss and species extinction, deforestation and desertification, flooding and extreme weather, food and energy shortages, and resource and territory conflicts that generate climate refugees. You will learn how to evaluate the range of political responses and potential solutions at different scales, assess the effectiveness of national and international environmental policies, and acquire a foundation for studying human and physical geography throughout the course.</p><p><strong><a href="https://webprod3.leeds.ac.uk/catalogue/dynmodules.asp?Y=202223&amp;F=P&amp;M=GEOG-1400">Digital Geographies</a> – 20 credits</strong></p><p>A beginner’s guide to the important and rapidly changing world of geographical data analysis that blends new digital, mobile and spatial technologies with core numerical skills and conceptual understandings of how space and spatial relationships can be represented. You will learn basic techniques of data collection, analytics and mapping, how to design online surveys and collect data using smartphones and other GPS-enabled devices, as well as the potential uses and applications of data from policing to planning, and new forms of data such as crowdsourcing and twitter. The module also explores the pros and cons of citizen science versus designed experiments, as well as the politics and ethics of data use and representation.</p><p><strong>Optional modules </strong></p><ul><li><p><strong><a href="https://webprod3.leeds.ac.uk/catalogue/dynmodules.asp?Y=202223&amp;F=P&amp;M=GEOG-1500">Global Geopolitics, Migration and Uneven Development </a>– 20 credits</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://webprod3.leeds.ac.uk/catalogue/dynmodules.asp?Y=202223&amp;F=P&amp;M=GEOG-1550">Population, Society and Space</a> – 20 credits</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://webprod3.leeds.ac.uk/catalogue/dynmodules.asp?Y=202223&amp;F=P&amp;M=GEOG-1045">Living Earth</a> – 20 credits</strong></p></li><li><p><strong><a href="https://webprod3.leeds.ac.uk/catalogue/dynmodules.asp?Y=202223&amp;F=P&amp;M=GEOG-1040">Dynamic Landscapes</a> – 20 credits</strong></p></li></ul><h3>Year two and three</h3><p><a href="http://environment.leeds.ac.uk/geography-undergraduate-module-information/doc/ba-geography"><strong>Find out more about modules in years two and three here.</strong></a></p></p>

Discovery modules

Throughout your degree you will benefit from a range of opportunities to expandyour intellectual horizons outside or within your subject area.

This course gives you the opportunity to choose from a range of discovery modules. They’re a great way to tailor your study around your interests or career aspirations and help you stand out from the crowd when you graduate. Find out more about discovery modules on our Broadening webpages.

Learning and teaching

As a geography student at Leeds we ensure that you benefit from a wide range of teaching methods, including lectures, tutorials (groups of eight), seminars (groups of approximately 30), computer classes, lab practical classes, group-work, online exercises and fieldwork, depending on the modules you study.

Independent study is also an important part of this course, and will develop your research and analytical skills in order to think and work independently. You’ll receive guidance and support throughout your degree, and there will be opportunities for extra support through one-to-one assistance, workshops and training.

You’ll be assigned a personal tutor to guide you through your studies, and you will receive support from fellow students through our peer mentoring scheme. Peer mentors are students who are on your course, but are in Years two or three. They’ll help you when you arrive at University and throughout your first year. You’ll meet your peer mentors during your first week for a social activity.

Our Virtual Learning Environment will help to support your studies: it’s a central place where you can find all the information and resources for the School, your programme and modules.

You can also benefit from support to develop your academic skills, within the curriculum and through online resources, workshops, one-to-one appointments and drop-in sessions.

Watch our taster lecture to get a flavour of what it’s like to study at Leeds:

• Unlocking Sustainable Cities

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

You will be assessed using a range of methods throughout the course. There will be timed examinations, essay and report writing, presentations, practical exercises, posters, blogs, vlogs, podcasts, research-based projects (such as the dissertation) and reflective logs.

All assessments are closely tied to the learning objectives of the course to ensure you graduate equipped with cutting edge knowledge and skills, as well as being structured to help you develop the key transferable qualities that employers are looking for within the workplace.

Assessments are reviewed annually to ensure they remain fair and inclusive, and to maintain an element of flexibility within module choices such that you can select a package of learning to best reflect your own learning style and long-term career goals.