Course summary

Physical geography offers the chance to understand, investigate and model the physical interactions and processes that influence our environment and landscape. Study physical geography at Manchester Met and you’ll examine modern environmental phenomena and the long-term evolution of the landscape. You’ll explore Earth’s dynamic nature – not just looking at how it changes, but also how much it has changed over time – and you’ll investigate human impacts upon it, particularly in terms of past and future climate change. While you can learn a lot on campus, there’s no substitute for seeing the physical landscape for yourself. As part of our programme, we regularly engage in fieldwork, from day-long trips to residential trips across the UK and overseas. Being in Manchester also means you’ll have plenty to explore on the doorstep, with four national parks within a couple of hours’ drive. You can even spend a year developing your professional skills working on a placement, or broadening your horizons by studying abroad with the four-year route. FEATURES AND BENEFITS

• We are proud to be the UK’s most sustainable university (People and Planet League 2021).

• Fieldwork opportunities in the UK or overseas are available during each year of the degree.

• We offer free carbon literacy training in person and online to our students, to build their understanding of sustainability and to enhance their employability.

• We are investing £115m to transform the way we teach in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Opening in 2023, our new Dalton building will enhance collaboration between students, staff and industry and provide new and improved teaching spaces, including a 200-student capacity ‘super lab’.

• Our practical facilities include a dedicated instrumentation laboratory with an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectrometer and ion chromatograph (IC) for environmental measurements, a GIS laboratory and a field store with the equipment for sampling and assessing a variety of environments.

• You can progress to our four-year study abroad route which gives you the opportunity to study overseas during your third year, subject to availability.

• You also have the opportunity to transfer to our four-year placement route which offers the chance to spend your third year working on a placement with a relevant employer – gaining the skills and experience that can boost your career prospects.