Geography BA (Hons)

Study level: Undergraduate
Geography students on a field trip in Gambia.

This course aims to give you a comprehensive understanding of the complex reciprocal relationships between human societies and the physical components of the Earth.

Year of entry

2025-26

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time
Sandwich

Duration

3 years full-time
4 years sandwich

Course code

L700

Start date

September 2025


Course overview

The aim of this course is to provide you with experiential learning and field work to develop an applied knowledge and critical understanding of human environments and society.

  • Develop your understanding of the evolution and significance of the distinctiveness of places, and the inter-relationships between people and the environment.
  • Engage with opportunities to learn about how diverse communities interact with pressing socio-economic, geo-political and environmental concerns, such as climate change, poverty, social exclusion, population growth and sustainable living in a competitive global economy.
  • The course is designed to equip you with core knowledge, skills and expertise within the broad field of geography, together with a range of analytical abilities and transferrable professional skills, to help you secure employment upon successful graduation.
A star in the centre of a rosette.

Rated Gold Overall

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023

Five stars in a speech bubble.

5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

City buildings next to a tree.

Top 5 Student City in England (Coventry)

QS Best Student Cities Index 2025

Why you should study this course

  • The Geography BA (Hons) course has fieldwork embedded at every level, with a minimum of three mandatory field trips2 that aim to enhance your applied geographical skills (these trips are at no additional cost to you).
  • There is a strong career/employability focus throughout the course, which is manifested in the four-year sandwich degree, where the third year offers the option of a year in industry or study abroad, based on our long experience of organising placements with a wide range of professional contacts2.
  • You will acquire basic capabilities in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), a key skill sought by many employers. All students will receive a certificate of GIS training upon successful completion of an appropriate exercise.
  • You will also utilise the Simulation Centre, which enables geographical and environmental phenomena to be visualised in a safe setting that allows you to grasp issues and implications. This aspect of studying geography at Coventry facilitates an experience of fieldwork, research methods and hazard simulation, all within a monitored and recorded environment that allows you to develop skills, receive immediate feedback on your development and prepare for the transition into the workplace, after graduation4.

Accreditation and professional recognition

This course is currently accredited1 by the following accrediting body for the 2025 intake.

Royal Geographical Society with IBG accredited programme

Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)

This programme has been accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). Accredited degree programmes contain a solid academic foundation in geographical knowledge and skills, and prepare graduates to address the needs of the world beyond higher education. The accreditation criteria require evidence that graduates from accredited programmes meet defined sets of learning outcomes, including subject knowledge, technical ability and transferable skills. See their website for further details: https://www.rgs.org/.


Studying a Geography degree

Matthew Hoult is a second-year geography student at Coventry University. Find out about his experiences, highlights and his opinions of studying the subject.

Read Matthew's story
Matthew Hoult standing with two lecturers looking over a water tank

What you'll study

This course has a common first year.

The common first year enables you to work alongside students doing similar courses to you, to widen your knowledge and exposure to other subject areas and professions. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other students, so you can share your insights and experience which will help you to develop and learn.

If you discover an interest in a specific subject you have studied, upon successful completion of your first year, you could swap degrees with another course in your common first year (subject to meeting progression requirements).

Common first year courses

  • Geography BA (Hons)
  • Geography BSc (Hons)
  • Geography and Environmental Hazards BSc (Hons)

In the first year, the curriculum is shared across related courses allowing you to gain a broad grounding in the discipline before going on, in the second and third years, to specialist modules in your chosen field.

Modules

In your second year, you will develop more advanced knowledge and skills to do with society, culture and space, climate change and development, culture and change, amongst others.

Modules

There’s no better way to find out what you love doing than trying it out for yourself, which is why a work placement2 can often be beneficial. Work placements usually occur between your second and final year of study. They’re a great way to help you explore your potential career path and gain valuable work experience, whilst developing transferable skills for the future.

If you choose to do a work placement year, you will pay a reduced tuition fee3 of £1,250. For more information, please go to the fees and funding section. During this time, you will receive guidance from your employer or partcipating institution, along with your assigned academic mentor who will ensure you have the support you need to complete your placement.

Modules

The final year of this course aims to bring you to the level to enter the world of work by consolidating your knowledge and skills from previous years. You should develop more advanced knowledge and skills to do with feminist geography and gender, humans and hazards, and global and comparative field studies, amongst others.

Modules

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.


How you'll learn

You will be taught by experienced, qualified teaching staff who bring professional and research expertise into their teaching (staff may be subject to change).

The mandatory field trips provide an opportunity to contextualise classroom-based learning and develop practical skills through real-life application. These mandatory trips occur in each year, they could be in the UK or abroad, but incur no extra cost to you. Additionally, we aim to give you opportunities to undertake a range of optional day and UK-residential trips, to gain practical experience of applying your knowledge2 (see the 'Fees and funding' section for more information).


Teaching contact hours

As a full-time undergraduate student, you will study modules totalling 120 credits each academic year. A typical 20 credit module requires a total of 200 hours study. This is made up of teaching contact hours, guided and independent study.

Teaching hours:

Teaching hours vary each semester, year of study and due to module selection. During your first year you can expect 15-18 teaching hours each week. You will also have the option to attend optional sessions including time with a progress coach or to meet with staff for advice and feedback. As you progress through your studies, teaching hours may reduce.

Guided and independent study:

Throughout your studies, you will be expected to spend time in guided and independent study to make up the required study hours per module. You’ll be digging deeper into topics, review what you’ve learned and complete assignments. This can be completed around your personal commitments. As you progress through your studies, you’ll spend more time in independent study.

Online learning:

As an innovative university, we use different teaching methods including online tools and emerging technologies. So, some of your teaching hours and assessments may be delivered online.


Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module.

Assessment methods may include:

  • phase tests
  • essays
  • group work
  • presentations
  • reports
  • projects
  • coursework
  • exams
  • individual assignments.

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.


International experience opportunities

Geography is a global subject and international themes are core to our teaching. As such, much of our teaching relies on the use of case studies from around the world; your lecturers will often draw on examples related to their research, such as child-headed households in post-conflict Rwanda (staff may be subject to change).

There are exciting international field trips2 throughout the course, at no extra cost to you. Our students have previously had the opportunity to visit Berlin to explore themes such as memory, conflict and reconciliation. Final year students have previously had the opportunity to explore The Gambia in West Africa to experience first-hand the workings of village communities and the challenges they face in education and health. Students were given strategic briefings by government officials, investigate the relationship between trade, aid and development and conduct fieldwork in rapidly urbanising environments throughout the duration of this trip.

Please note that all international experience opportunities may be subject to additional costs, competitive application, availability, and meeting applicable visa and travel requirements, and are therefore not guaranteed.


Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements:

Requirement What we're looking for
UCAS points 112
A level BBC
GCSE 5 GCSEs at grade 4 / C including English and Mathematics
BTEC DMM
IB Diploma 29 points
Access Grades To include 30 Level 3 credits at Merit. Plus GCSE English and Mathematics at grade 4 / C or above.

Other qualifications and experience

Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, each with a unique story. We recognise a breadth of qualifications. If your qualifications differ from the above, contact our Admissions Team who will be happy to discuss your qualifications and routes into your chosen course.

Contextual offers and Fair Access Scheme

If you meet the criteria for our Fair Access Scheme, you could automatically receive a contextual offer that may be up to 24 UCAS points lower than our standard entry requirements. View the criteria for our Fair Access Scheme.

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:


You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6.0 overall (with at least 5.5 in each component area)

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course. 

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.


Fees and funding

Student Full-time Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man 2025/26 fees TBC
2024/25 fees - £9,250 per year
Not available
EU 2025/26 fees TBC
2024/25 fees - £9,250 per year with EU Support Bursary**
2025/26 fees TBC
2024/25 fees - £19,850 per year without EU Support Bursary**
Not available
International 2025/26 fees TBC
2024/25 fees - £19,850 per year
Not available

If you choose to study this course with a professional placement2 or study abroad year, you will need to pay a tuition fee3 of £1,250 to cover your academic support throughout your placement year.

For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see the university’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permits an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

We offer a range of international scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

  • any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip
  • any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

Find out what's included in your tuition costs.

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**EU Support Bursary

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.


Facilities

Your studies will be centred in high-specification learning environments that benefit from extensive social learning facilities, well-appointed laboratories, industry-standard equipment, lecturing facilities and classrooms, facilitating our innovative teaching methods across a diverse suite of courses.

  • Geotechnics Laboratory - Contains triaxial cells, direct shear box apparatus, a dimensional compression oedometer, California Bearing Ratio apparatus, soil classification equipment and Marshall test apparatus for asphalt mixes.
  • Computer Laboratory - This computer laboratory is equipped with access to ArcGIS for mapping and geographical information systems. It is also equipped with Petrel/Eclipse software for oil and gas reservoir simulation and calculation.
  • Informal Study Areas - Our open access spaces provide you with informal computer access to all the specialist software required for your studies. There are bookable spaces where you can meet with academics or work in small groups.

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.


Careers and opportunities

Upon successful completion, you should have knowledge of:

  • the nature, practical value and application of human geography and its concepts, methods and techniques
  • the constitution and character of space, place and landscape
  • concepts of spatial and temporal scale, variation and change in the human and physical worlds
  • reciprocal relationships between physical and human aspects of environments and landscapes
  • patterns, processes and consequences of uneven development, difference and inequality
  • the relationship between place, society and culture
  • nature, mitigation and management of contemporary environmental problems and hazards.

You should be able to:

  • plan, design and execute a piece of rigorous research or enquiry using appropriate methods and strategies of acquiring, interpreting and analysing information
  • conduct field and laboratory work effectively utilising data collection and associated investigative and analytical skills
  • recognise the moral and ethical issues involved in debates and inquiries
  • think critically and analytically about the world around you
  • show awareness of how skills and training can be applied to work of a geographical nature
  • observe, contextualise and analyse information through field and laboratory studies (including computational)
  • demonstrate a range of transferrable professional skills including intellectual and problem-solving skills; effective teamwork; initiative and responsibility for your own learning and development; self-reflection; time management and personal organisation, including working to deadlines and excellent communication skills, both orally and in writing.

Successful geography graduates should possess a range of skills that are highly valued by employers. They should be experienced in solving complex problems and developing solutions for multiple stakeholders through the collection and analysis of information. As such, excellent employment prospects should be available to graduates.

Where our graduates work

Recent examples of graduate employers include Transport for London, KPMG, Barclays Bank, Grays Travel, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Football in the Community, Urban and Transport Planning, Network West Midlands, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Concern Universal and various graduate training schemes, including that of the Civil Service.

Further study

You may be entitled to an alumni discount on your fees if you decide to extend your time with us by progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate study.

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