Course summary

Human Geography at Kent draws on the traditional foundations of Geography and energises it to address contemporary issues. Our aim is to train the next generation of geographers to creatively address the challenges facing the modern world. We provide opportunities for you to expand your theoretical knowledge across a broad range, while developing practical field skills, research skills and work-related skills. Our programme is a fusion of major geographic themes such as social and cultural geography, economics and development studies, and environmental and landscape planning, with expertise from across the University of Kent including Law, Sociology, Anthropology and Biodiversity Conservation. This exciting approach ensures your learning is grounded firmly in traditional studies of human geography but with opportunities to expand your knowledge beyond a conventional geography course. At its heart, this programme seeks to give students a deep understanding of why the world is changing so quickly, and how these changes affect the environment, culture and economies at local, national and global scales. We also seek to produce graduates with a rich set of skills required for a dynamic and successful career in the business world, government agencies, NGOs, education and development. You study at our Canterbury campus, which is not only beautiful, scenic and rich in history, but perfectly positioned for those with an interest in human geography. Kent is culturally and economically diverse, and our excellent location and proximity to Europe enable us to maximise our strong research and business links. Our degree programme Each year, you engage with core modules that establish your foundational understanding, brought to life through innovative and practical opportunities for learning; these include regular field work and hands-on approaches to analytical tools such as geographic information systems and remote sensing imagery. The programme has been designed to give you a strong core of Geography modules such as Environmental Sustainability, People and Place, Geographies of Environmental Change, History and Philosophy of Geography, and Geographical Patterns and Processes. A large suite of optional modules allows you to tailor your degree to the areas that most interest you, or you can expand into new territory, for example anthropology, biodiversity conservation or project management. Additionally, you could choose to take some ‘wild modules’, which allows you to study topics offered by a range of schools across the University, including economics, politics, sociology, law and languages. This structure provides you with flexibility, choice, creativity and the opportunity to indulge a wide range of passions. More detailed information about the modules offered across the programme can be found within the ‘Course structure’ information. Developing knowledge and skills for your future employment forms a core principle of this programme. Each module contains opportunities for you to develop and strengthen your competence as a geographer as well as the skills sought by employers, for example analytical writing, oral presentations, team working, leadership, initiative and time management. More details on careers and employability are available in the ‘Careers’ section. Year abroad The year abroad allows an immersive experience of living and studying in a different culture. You spend a year, between stages 2 and 3, studying at one of our prestigious partner institutions where you can either specialise or diversify your studies. You can also use this experience to start your dissertation by conducting field work. Alternatively, you can take our three-year Human Geography degree, without a year abroad. For details, see Human Geography (Hons) BSc.

Course details