BA (Hons) Geography Bachelor's degree at the University of Nottingham
BA (Hons) Geography at University of Nottingham. Once you've built a grounding in the discipline, you'll choose from a wide range of optional modules that can take you into political geography, health geographies, global climate change or globalisation, so two students on the same course…
About this course
As you progress, you’ll have the opportunity to follow your interests through a wide range of optional modules covering subjects such as political geography, health geographies, global climate change and globalisation. From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Geography is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at the University of Nottingham. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Human geography graduates from this provider, 82% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 70% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £30,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Sociology & Social Sciences, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Moderate evidence Published sample: 30; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 82% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 98% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year one 8 modules
- Careers Skills for GeographersCore
Module details
Prepare for your future with essential career skills. Learn CV writing, interview techniques and career planning. Attend guest lectures and connect with the Careers and Employability Service to explore postgraduate and employment opportunities.
- Exploring Human GeographyCore
Module details
Discover how people and places shape each other over space and time. This module introduces you to key themes in human geography, including culture, politics, the environment, economy and rural life. Research-led teaching supports your learning through engaging lectures and critical discussions focused on real-world issues, laying a strong foundation for more advanced study of human geography in subsequent years.
- Geographical Field CourseCore
Module details
Dive into the exciting world of geography with hands-on fieldwork. This module examines the rationale and techniques of field study in both human and physical aspects of geography. By working closely with other students and academic staff in small groups, you explore a range of geographical issues in real-world settings.
- Interpreting Geographical DataCore
Module details
Unlock the power of data in geography. This module introduces key statistical concepts and techniques to explore geographical patterns, trends and relationships in the physical and human world. Learn to work confidently with geographical data and apply it to real research questions. You will develop transferable skills, from data visualisation to advanced statistical modelling and everything in between.
- Introduction to Geographic Information SystemsCore
Module details
Discover the principles of geographic information systems (GIS) with this module. Learn theoretical concepts and practical skills to perform spatial analysis using GIS software. Explore applications, spatial data models and cartographic principles and present your findings through hands-on projects.
- Planet Earth: Exploring the Physical EnvironmentCore
Module details
Investigate the dynamic aspects of Earth and its environment. Study processes and changes within Earth systems and environments such as the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, geosphere and biosphere. Develop knowledge for advanced studies in physical geography.
- TutorialCore
Module details
Engage in dynamic small-group tutorials that emphasise discussion, essay writing and seminar presentations. Explore topics from your qualifying year geography modules and develop intellectual skills that are foundational to academic success at university. These include critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills, which you'll hone through interactive and participatory sessions.
- Global ChallengesOptional
Module details
Explore the varied challenges facing our world and investigate the methods used by geographers to understand and address these challenges. This module uses the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals to demonstrate how geographers tackle issues like climate change, food security and social inequality.
Year three 14 modules
- Dissertation PreparationCore
Module details
Prepare for your 10,000-word third-year dissertation with formal lectures, preliminary fieldwork and supervision meetings. Learn about research design, methodology, ethics, risk and safety. Understand the dissertation process, select a topic and develop appropriate methodologies and analysis techniques.
- Research TutorialCore
Module details
Explore the breadth and depth of geographical research and its place within contemporary knowledge debates. Learn about the process of undertaking geographical research and explore differences between geographical sub-disciplines. Discuss research methods, processes and philosophies with academics in small-group tutorials.
- Techniques in GeographyCore
Module details
Explore geographical research methods tailored to your interests. Learn methodologies, participate in practical projects and gain hands-on experience from a choice of human and physical geography techniques. Develop skills in research design, data collection and analysis.
- Cultural and Historical GeographyOptional
Module details
Reflect on the legacies of colonialism, travel and exploration in cultural and historical geography. Study landscape, identity, culture, power and knowledge. Understand debates around the colonial and decolonial and explore theoretical and empirical issues through archives, texts and field studies.
- Earth ObservationOptional
Module details
Analyse remotely sensed images from satellites to study spatial phenomena. Learn the principles, characteristics and methods of image analysis. Gain practical experience with digital image analysis and prepare for advanced studies in Earth observation.
- Economic GeographyOptional
Module details
Explore the changing economic geographies of the world economy. Study global cities, financial geographies, alternative economies, forced labour, migration and feminist economic geography. Understand the evolution of economic geography and its impact on the global space economy.
- Exploring PlaceOptional
Module details
Module description to be confirmed.
- Living with HazardsOptional
Module details
Study environmental hazards like volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, extreme weather, wildfires and floods. Understand their physical basis, causes, impacts and societal implications. Learn principles of risk management strategies and integrate knowledge for scientific communication via a blog.
- Monitoring Planetary BoundariesOptional
Module details
Learn about the concept of planetary boundaries and their critical limits. Study key boundaries like climate change, biodiversity loss and ocean acidification. Engage with real-world examples and explore the socio-political dimensions of managing these boundaries to ensure sustainable development.
- Patterns of LifeOptional
Module details
Study the distribution of organisms in space and time and the theories explaining these patterns. Explore biodiversity, island biogeography, speciation, extinction and evolution through lectures, small-group discussions and digital practicals. Learn to interpret, collate and quantify biogeographic literature to conduct ecological enquiry projects.
- Political GeographyOptional
Module details
Explore the sub-field of political geography, including its history, key concepts and recent developments. Understand how geographical approaches explain contemporary political developments. Analyse historical and economic processes shaping political geographies through various methods.
- Rivers in the LandscapeOptional
Module details
Understand how rivers shape landscapes through hydrological, geomorphological and ecological processes, and how rivers are impacted by anthropogenic processes. Combine theoretical and practical learning to study river dynamics at different scales. Learn to assess river conditions for environmental management.
- Rural Environmental GeographyOptional
Module details
Examine environmental issues in rural areas of the Global North. Explore human-environment relations in the context of food production, recreation and living space and nature conservation. Understand the impacts of agricultural modernisation, agri-environmentalism and rewilding on rural environments and people.
- Spatial Decision MakingOptional
Module details
The module enables you to develop a critical awareness of the ideas and practices underpinning GIS as both a technology-led discipline and as a science. This is achieved through a combination of theoretical learning and hands-on practical elements. You will learn the relative advantages and limitations of contemporary GIS technologies to develop well-informed problem-solving skills that shed light on spatial and temporal patterns.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
The degree is built around a small number of connected strands rather than a rigid list of set texts. You'll cover core theory to give you the concepts and debates that underpin the subject, alongside research & methods training so you know how to design and carry out your own enquiries. Applied practice modules push you to use geographical ideas on real problems, and specialist options, such as political geography, health geographies, global climate change and globalisation, let you specialise in the areas that interest you most. An independent project gives you the space to pursue a substantial piece of work of your own design, and professional skills teaching runs alongside this, helping you translate what you've learned into practice beyond the seminar room. Across three years of full-time study, delivered in English, the balance shifts gradually from shared foundations towards work that reflects your own choices.
Who it's for
This course will suit you if you're someone who's genuinely curious about how places, people and environments interact, and who's happy to sit with open-ended questions rather than always wanting a neat answer. You might be drawn to reading about climate change one week and political borders the next, and you'll want a course that lets you chase both rather than forcing an early choice. Studying geography here will feel like building up a toolkit of ideas and methods early on, then being trusted to apply them to subjects you choose yourself, culminating in an independent project you largely direct. It suits people who like a mix of discussion-based learning and more practical, methods-focused work, and who are comfortable writing, presenting and defending an argument. If you're the kind of student who enjoys connecting what's in the news, a health crisis, a climate summit, a migration debate, back to bigger geographical patterns, and you want a degree that gives you room to specialise gradually rather than immediately, this is worth serious consideration.
Careers & job market
Nationally, across Sociology & Social Sciences courses, 85% of graduates are in work or further study 15 months after finishing, and 55% of those working graduates are in highly skilled roles or further study, figures that reflect the field as a whole rather than any promise tied to this specific course. National earnings data (Graduate Outcomes/LEO) show a starting range of roughly £23,000–£30,000 at 15 months, narrowing to £20,400–£28,800 after three years and rising to £24,650–£34,800 after five years; these are national ranges across the field, not guaranteed outcomes, and individual results vary considerably depending on sector, location and role. Separately, 89% of students nationally in this field continue past their first year, which gives a general sense of how many stay the course once they've started, though again it isn't specific to Nottingham's Geography degree.
University & format
The University of Nottingham is a public, research-intensive university and a member of the Russell Group, founded in 1881. It's and received a Silver award for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023. This BA (Hons) Geography (UCAS code L700) is studied full-time over three years, taught in English, leading to a Bachelor's degree with the BA (Hons) mark. Most accepted students arrive with A-levels or equivalent, around 93% in recent years, and the most common UCAS tariff band among entrants has been 144–159 points, though this reflects typical entrant profiles rather than a fixed requirement.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Optional placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 93% |
| a Baccalaureate | 6% |
| another higher-education qualification | 1% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. Check how your predicted grades compare and whether a contextual offer applies.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code L700). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at University of Nottingham →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Sociology & Social Sciences graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £30,000 | £26,000 – £32,000 | 30 |
| 3 years after | £30,500 | £26,500 – £39,000 | 160 |
| 5 years after | £40,000 | £33,000 – £53,500 | 180 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 30; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in sociology & social sciences · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Sociology & Social Sciences nationally
National figures for Sociology & Social Sciences graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 30; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Sociology & Social Sciences courses at the same study level.
Compared with 751 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Business and public service associate professionalsSOC 2020 35 · 25% of published destinations · ASHE median £38,760
- Finance ProfessionalsSOC 2020 242 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £47,173
- Architects, Chartered Architectural Technologists, Planning Officers, Surveyors and Construction ProfessionalsSOC 2020 245 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £45,972
- Leisure, travel and related personal service occupationsSOC 2020 62 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £22,297
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 105; response rate: 55%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Sociology & Social Sciences graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Sociology & Social Sciences graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Local authorities
- Charities & NGOs
- Research organisations
- Government & universities
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Sociology & Social Sciences graduates.
Sociology AdjunctCommonwealth Of VirginiaSociology ECT - High-Achieving Secondary School in BrightonMarchant RecruitmentHead of Psychology and SociologyTeacherActiveIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
82% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £30,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 9.0 out of 10: NSS 90% · in work or study 82% · continued 98%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
University of Nottingham
Social sciences across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around The University of Nottingham
844 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Sociology & Social Sciences right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Nottingham from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £30,300 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Nottingham’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Nottingham and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at University of Nottingham
Sociology & Social Sciences at other universities
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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