Course summary

Our BSc in Geography and Planning with professional placement year has been specifically designed to provide you with key employability skills that will support you in an increasingly competitive labour market. You will gain an understanding of global, national and local processes of change, key environmental, social, cultural, political and economic trends and the role that planning plays in shaping their effects on different places. You will examine the changing nature of spaces and places, the relationship between society and space, and the roles of the state. Placing local and national issues in a global context, you will study topics which range from environmental change in the UK, and economic and social change in Wales, to regional and international development. The programme combines an appreciation of transnational spatial change with detailed case study work, through field study visits, away days and projects. It fosters an understanding of the main geographical trends in the world today, along with the analytical skills needed to study spatial change. At the same time, students are expected to link the insights derived from the geography modules to the more specific concerns of urban and regional planning. Your field study visits will play a key role in your study experience. Previous destinations include Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Tanzania. The professional placement element of the programme will provide you with the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge and skills you acquire during the first two years of study. It is also a way of gaining practical knowledge and skills of planning in either the public or private sectors. The programme is accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), providing you with a broad-based spatial education that combines the problem-solving approaches of planning with the topical insights of geography, as well as forging strong links between the geography and planning disciplines. Distinctive Features of the Programme

• a condensed but comprehensive coverage of both Human Geography and Planning

• the opportunity to study in a School consistently highly rated for its research excellence

• the involvement of internationally reputed research staff who are active in both scholarly and practitioner/policy networks

• close links with planning institutions, especially in Wales

• access to a laboratory with high-quality printing facilities, GIS (Geographic Information System) and Edina digimap mapping facilities

• excellent library and access to online journals and databases

• a field study visit option to explore issues in a real world case study, and deploy skills acquired through the degree into practice

• the facility to undertake assessments in the Welsh language if preferred.

• a year spent undertaking a professional placement, allowing you to demonstrate the knowledge gained in your first two years of study. You will also have the chance to reflect upon and record your experience, as a key component in the programme’s accreditation by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)