Course summary

Geography is the study of the Earth’s surface, with particular emphasis on the relationships between people and their environment. Geography is, therefore, key to understanding and resolving many of the most pressing problems faced by society, from climate change to food security and our curriculum reflects the changing nature of these problems and current approaches to addressing them. Few other subjects cover such a diversity of phenomena, combining elements of the natural sciences, the social sciences and the humanities. During the first two years, students are taught across the full breadth of the subject, covering major theories, perspectives and approaches in both human and physical geography. Your Honours years, (third and fourth year) allow for deeper specialisation, when you will engage with your chosen area in greater depth. Honours courses link directly to staff research areas and include, for example, topics such as transport, rural change, sustainability, environment and conservation, hydrology, and glaciology. These options complement a set of core courses which deal with major conceptual and theoretical debates, as well as techniques and methods in Geography, including data analysis, GIS, mapping, and classic field-based and remote sensing techniques. At Aberdeen, you can choose to study Geography through either the Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Master of Arts (MA) degree programmes. The main difference between the BSc and MA programmes is the other subjects you will study alongside Geography. For the BSc, these will be mainly science subjects, while MA students can choose subsidiary courses from across the humanities and social sciences. Both the BSc and MA Geography degree are accredited by the Royal Geographical Society.