Course summary

Learn about the climate emergency and responding to it, how the natural world interacts with today’s changing society and how we can plan for the future Geography is a subject valued by employers and graduates have high employability rates. The course prepares you for a variety of potential career paths. Experience a wide range of teaching and learning methods, including fieldwork, class seminars and workshops, laboratory and IT sessions and independent research. From glaciers to megacities, geography is the study of the earth’s processes, both natural and human. As a subject it has the capacity to take you almost anywhere, and field exploration is a major component of study. Our course explores some of the most pressing issues facing the planet in the 21st-century: climate change, pressures on the natural world and society and how these can be mitigated and managed. The course takes a hands-on, practical approach. You could be advising imaginary governments on globalisation, population growth, resource shortages, geopolitical instability and managing natural hazards. You could be planning and carrying out a day surveying a site subject to sea level rise and erosion threats, or gathering samples from the field to analyse past climates. We are set on the edge of the South Downs National Park half an hour from the coast and an hour by train from London. We are perfectly placed to make the most of the diverse and beautiful landscapes that surround Winchester, for both fieldwork and for recreation. The Foundation Year (first year of study) gives you the chance to commence your studies with us if you have not quite achieved the entry qualifications required or if you feel you would benefit from the opportunity to develop your study skills and subject knowledge prior to embarking on your degree. Through a range of engaging, small-group lessons and practical placements, you will be equipped with the academic, professional and personal skills to help you succeed at university. Each year of study has a distinctive emphasis. In Year 1 (second year of study) you receive a broad introduction to geography and geographical issues. You receive detailed teaching on the climate emergency, consequences for society and responses. In Year 2 (third year of study), you are encouraged to develop your geographical practice through specialised modules including the option for international fieldwork, laboratory and technology-based elements. An international study abroad semester is available. Skills development (geodata analysis and GIS) and ‘cultural agility’ (the ability to understand and work across cultures and environments) are emphasised strongly. By the final year (fourth year of study), you are ready to apply your expertise to understand complex geographical problems through original research and to understand the potential external impacts of your work. You will engage in critical thinking and more complex data analysis, building on your studies to date. A final-year project enables you to work alongside our highly respected research staff and showcase your skills to employers. This combination of solid world knowledge and awareness of impact produces well rounded, confident graduates ready to enter a variety of growing areas of employment in government, science and industry. Throughout your studies, your future employability is a key priority for us and careers guidance is on hand. Our Geography graduates have the analytical and research skills to secure roles within the Government, the public, private and voluntary sectors, teaching, cartography and surveying, planning, environmental consultancy, nature conservation and sustainability. The University of Winchester ranks in the top 10 in the UK for graduates in employment or further study according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2021, HESA