Geography

Geography is one of the most genuinely wide-ranging disciplines available at university. It investigates the physical processes that shape the Earth, from river systems and glaciers to climate and soils, alongside the human processes that determine how societies are organised, how economies develop, how migrations happen and how environments are used and damaged. Few other subjects ask you to think across the natural and social sciences in this way, and the combination makes geographers unusually adaptable in the professional world.

At Leeds Beckett University, the three-year full-time programme develops your analytical and methodological skills in a supportive learning environment designed to foster independent, reflective thinking. You will study physical and human geography across a range of themes and scales, developing the ability to analyse spatial data, interpret maps and satellite imagery, conduct fieldwork and understand the processes that shape landscapes and communities. The degree includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study geography in a different national context and to develop the international perspective that the discipline's global scope demands.

Leeds is an excellent city in which to study geography. Its position in Yorkshire puts you close to a diverse range of physical and human geography environments, from upland moorland and river valleys to a major post-industrial city undergoing sustained regeneration. These are real settings for the questions the degree addresses.

Geography graduates work in environmental consultancy, urban and regional planning, international development, the civil service, education, the charity sector, research, geography information systems and the private sector. The combination of analytical, spatial and communication skills the degree develops is genuinely transferable, and graduates are found across a wide range of industries. Many go on to postgraduate study in geography, planning, environmental management or development studies.