Overview
Covering physical landscapes, the natural environment and global change, our Geography BSc (Hons) course can show you how our world is changing.
Having taught geography for over 40 years, Coventry is ranked as one of top 10 universities in the UK for ‘Geography and Environmental Studies’ in the Guardian University Guide 2020.
This course focuses on the dynamics of physical landscapes and their links with people and places. We will cover the natural environment – landforms, glaciers, rivers and coasts, together with the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and geosphere. You should seek new insight into global issues, such as environmental change, climate change, sustainability and pollution.
We offer a common first year across the Geography BSc and the Geography BA courses, so students will touch upon topics covered in the Geography BA, namely human geography. Both degrees have mandatory field trips, here in the UK and overseas, embedded within them (which may be subject to additional costs and meeting applicable visa requirements). Past students have studied natural and cultural landscapes in the Lake District and the processes of change in human and physical environments. They have put into practice various physical geography field techniques in Tenerife examining themes, for instance biodiversity, environmental gradients and hazards such as wildfire and volcanic eruptions, and also considered a range of environmental management issues in Morocco.
Why Coventry University?
An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.
To ensure an optimised and continual student experience, the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via emerging online technologies and methods across all courses.
Global ready
An international outlook, with global opportunitiesEmployability
Career-ready graduates, with the skills to succeedTeaching Excellence
Taught by lecturers who are experts in their fieldCourse essentials
A degree which offers you more, at no extra costAccreditation and Professional Recognition
This course is accredited and recognised by the following bodies:
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Geography BSc (Hons) was accredited by Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) for the 2019/20 intake. Following changes which have been made to improve the courses, we are applying for re-accreditation for entrants of 2020/21 onwards. We anticipate that our application for re-accreditation will be successful. If any changes occur with respect to our accreditation related to these courses, we will seek to notify applicants and students as soon as possible.
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
You will be enrolled for student membership of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) for the duration of your course, which includes a subscription to Geographical Magazine and access to their facilities in London, a programme of talks, as well as information and advice on career planning. Staff and students have presented talks at the annual RGS conference. Students are active members of the RGS Ambassador scheme, which promotes the subject by giving talks at schools.
Our Facilities
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
Informal computer access to all the specialist software required for their students during their. There are bookable spaces where students can meet with academics or work in small groups.
What our students say...
Coventry University has provided an incredible experience. Studying Physical Geography (BSc) has offered opportunities to undertake fieldwork in beautiful destinations, providing hands-on learning. It has been a genuine pleasure to have studied at Coventry, I could not recommend it more for an extraordinary and memorable student life!
Course information
All of our geography degrees are designed to help develop your knowledge of the spatial organisation and evolution of the human and physical environment, within the broad field of geographical and geoscientific inquiry.
In all three years, you will be encouraged to develop your practical, analytical and problem-solving skills, with appropriate training in how to conduct robust independent research in the laboratory and in the field, as well as detailed critical analysis and methods of reporting.
Course specification
Download PDF (310kb)
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.
Our geography and environmental studies courses are ranked 10th in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2020.
In more detail...
You will explore the nature of the physical world; human interaction with the environment and the processes, natural and otherwise, that shape it over time – landscape change, environmental hazards and environmental management. In doing so, our aim is for you to discover ways of protecting finite resources, developing the knowledge and practical skills to help solve environmental problems and make informed contributions to policy.
Past students have gone on to careers in public and private sector organisations concerned with environmental management or promoting sustainable development. For example, recent graduate employers have included the Environment Agency, The Met Office and Ordnance Survey.
All of our geography courses have a strong focus on your future employability. They are designed with the aim to help 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 find employment on graduation. We’ve also had former students return to talk about their experience of life and careers after university.
Throughout your studies, you will be expected to undertake residential field trips* to apply geographical knowledge to real-world concerns. In the first year, all students take part in a three-day residential field trip*, followed in the second year and final years by international field trips*. In the past, students have visited North and South Wales, the Lake District, Tenerife and Morocco to investigate topics such as flooding, ecological succession, habitat management, evidence of land movement over time, and environmental reconstruction from sediments. Students have also previously visited the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) in London to access the wealth of resources owned by the RGS and have seen first-hand what student membership of the RGS can offer. Final year students have the chance to undertake a residential field trip to Norfolk to explore evidence of past environmental change.
In the third year, you can participate in a week-long overseas field trip*, which is strongly focused on student-led, self-reflective independent learning. Previously, we have visited Morocco and Majorca, where after investigating a number of habitats, students carried out their own field project to illustrate the causes and impacts of geomorphological and ecological processes. All these field trips are supported by class-based preparatory work to design and evaluate research conducted in the field.
To augment field trip experiences, you will be taught in the Simulation Centre, which is the most advanced interactive people training and development centre in the UK. Its cutting-edge technology which is unique in the UK, its Learning Curve interactive screen and real-life scenarios using specially-trained actors, can not only improve skills but help develop new ways of working in otherwise inaccessible environments.
*Please note that we are unable to guarantee any trip, placement or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.
- Current research expertise in flood risk, storm water management, sea level change, quaternary environmental change, and ecological monitoring and management
- Coventry is ranked 10th in the UK for ‘Geography and Environmental Studies’ in the Guardian University Guide 2020
- Excellent support for, and track record, in employability
- Large range of optional modules allows you to tailor your degree to suit your interests with topics such as environmental change and management, hazards, biodiversity and conservation, planning and sustainability, Geographical Information Systems and remote sensing
- Opportunities to participate in challenging and exciting residential field trips each year, exploring the UK and overseas*
*Please note that we are unable to guarantee any trip, placement or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.
Our main study themes are:
- Earth and environmental systems: the functioning of the systems that drive the physical environment.
- Environmental issues and their management: the physical and human causes of the issues and what options are available to address the consequences.
- Climate change: The impacts of a changing climate on environment and people, together with techniques needed to mitigate and adapt.
- Scientific techniques for environmental research: Gaining experience in studying the environment and the most appropriate techniques to employ.
- Career management and employment skills: An insight into the skills required for geography-related careers and how these skills are truly transferrable.
The programme can be studied full-time over three years of study with the option of extending this to four years, by taking a sandwich year in the form of an industrial training placement or study abroad between year two and year three*.
In their sandwich year, former students have chosen to study geology and natural hazards in Iceland and environmental change in Sweden, where classes are taught in English. Those undertaking a placement have previously worked in local authority planning and sustainability departments, taught practical skills in field study centres, taught in schools, worked in ecological and environmental consultancies and as flood and water planning officers.
We have a wide range of teaching methods which are an established feature of all of our geography courses. For example, we utilise computer workshops to undertake data analysis using specialist software, such as a GIS system. You will also have the opportunity to use our specialist facilities, where, for example, learning to reconstruct environments from physical data or to assess levels of pollution from chemical and biological samples by undertaking analyses in our environmental laboratories.
The field trips*, which have previously occurred in each year, should provide an opportunity to contextualise classroom-based learning and develop practical skills through real-life application. In addition to the residential field trips, you will have the opportunity to undertake a range of day-trips*, to gain a practical experience to apply your knowledge.
These local trips monitor river flow, for instance, and we offer a number of optional modules which include visits, an example being to consider the implications of conservation management strategies. These UK field trips are included in the course fees*.
You will be taught by teaching staff who aim to bring professional experience and their own research into their teaching. Our current staff members are active researchers in topics including environmental change, ecological monitoring in southern Africa, flood modelling, water management and coastal management. In addition, your personal tutor will review and discuss your progress with you in meetings throughout all years of your course and will be available for advice during published hours.
*Please note that we are unable to guarantee any trip, placement or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.
Meet our staff
Frank Warwick
Frank Warwick is a senior lecturer in Physical Geography at Coventry University.
Read full profileThis course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will could vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods include coursework reports, essays, practicals, presentations, posters, formal examinations and project work.
The Coventry University assessment strategy endeavours to ensure that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes.
On successful completion, you will have knowledge of:
- The nature, practical value and application of geography and the earth sciences and their 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.
- Nature, mitigation and management of contemporary environmental problems and hazards.
On successful completion, you will 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 together with data collection and associated investigative and analytical skills.
- Recognise the moral and ethical issues involved in debates and inquiries.
- Show awareness of how skills and training can be applied to work of a geographical nature.
- Understand the way in which organisations are structured and operate.
- Observe, contextualise and analyse information through field and laboratory studies.
- Demonstrate a range of transferrable professional skills including: intellectual and problem-solving skills; effective team work; initiative and responsibility your own learning and development; self-reflection; time management and personal organisation, including working to deadlines; excellent communication skills, both orally and in writing.
Actual teaching contact hours will vary depending on the level of study and the requirements of a particular semester. In a typical week your contact hours will be divided amongst personal tutorials and small group teaching; medium group teaching (e.g. seminars, tutorial sessions, lab sessions and workshops); and large group teaching (lectures).
In addition, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study each week depending on the demands of individual modules. The number of contact hours may vary from semester to semester, however, on average, it is likely to be around 12-14 contact hours per week.
Geography is a global subject and international themes are core to our teaching. As such, much of our teaching relies on using case studies from overseas and your lecturers will draw on case studies related to their research from around the world. For example, previous cohorts have considered ecological monitoring and management in southern Africa and in the case of South America looked at the impacts of dams on natural river flows, biodiversity, infrastructure management and flood risk.
There are exciting international field trips* in your second and final year. Our students will have the opportunity to travel abroad* to gain field skills to better understand biogeography and ecology, and different natural hazards. Final year students will also be provided with the opportunity to travel abroad* to investigate topics such as flooding, ecological succession, habitat management, evidence of land movement over time, and environmental reconstruction from sediments. You can also apply to work abroad or study at an international university* during your sandwich year – the geology and natural hazards course at Reykjavik in Iceland have previously provided a popular choice for students. Students have also previously participated in a community outreach programme in Jordan, assisting local communities in development projects, while others have spent their summer performing voluntary work in the USA to enhance their skills and experience of an increasingly connected world.
These international experiences aim to provide you with an excellent opportunity to learn more about environmental issues affecting other parts of the world, and to develop and apply your skills as a physical geographer in an international setting*.
*Please note that we are unable to guarantee any trip, placement or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.
Global ready
Did you know we help more students travel internationally than any other UK university according to data from the experts in higher education data and analysis, HESA?
In 2018/19, we were able to provide a total of 5,469 experiences abroad that lasted at least five days.
Much of this travel is made possible through our Global Leaders Programme, which enables students to prepare for the challenges of the global employment market, as well as strengthening and developing their broader personal and professional skills.
Explore our international experiences1st for
international experiences
Sending more students overseas than any other UK uni 2016/17
5,469
Student experiences
The number of student trips abroad for at least 5 days in 2018/19
12,000
and counting
The number of students we’ve helped travel internationally since 2016
12
global programmes
As well as trips, we offer other opportunities like language courses
Entry Requirements
Tuition Fees
We pride ourselves on offering competitive tuition fees which we review on an annual basis and offer a wide range of scholarships to support students with their studies. Course fees are calculated on the basis of what it costs to teach each course and we aim for total financial transparency.
For more information, please visit our Finance pages.
Course essentials at no extra cost
We're committed to communicating study costs clearly to make sure you're not faced with having to make any unexpected payments.
This is why our ‘Flying Start’ package provides you with a few course essentials. Your full-time fee for an undergraduate degree will cover the following:
Course essentials – additional costs
This course may incur additional costs associated with any field trips, placements or work experience, study abroad opportunities or any other opportunity (whether required or optional), which could include (but is not limited to) travel, accommodation, activities and visas.
This course may incur additional costs associated with any equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire.
EU student fees
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year remain eligible for the same fees as home students and the same financial support. Financial support comes from Student Finance England, and covers undergraduate and postgraduate study for the duration of their course, providing they meet the residency requirement.
For tuition fee loans
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland for the three years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that three year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
For maintenance loans
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the UK and Islands for the five years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that five year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
Career prospects
Graduate Immigration Route visa
Based on current information from the UK Government, international students whose study extends beyond summer 2021 may be eligible for a visa under the UK Government’s Graduate Immigration Route, which will enable students to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for up to two (2) years. Check the most up to date guidance available to check your eligibility and any updates from the UK Government before making an application or enrolment decision.
Successful geography graduates possess a number of skills that are considered highly valued by employers, as skills include literate and numerate, experienced in solving complex problems and developing solutions for multiple stakeholders through the collection and analysis of information.
Past students have gone onto a wide variety of roles, such as a GIS officer, data analyst, flood risk analyst, sustainability officer, asset systems manager, planning consultant, environmental energy consultant, public health officer, teacher, meteorologist, insurance assessor or government administrator.
Our Talent Team will help you in applying for work experience while you study and employment on graduation. Choosing to undertake a work placement* should improve your chances of finding graduate employment, while your GIS skills can help enhance the skills required in one of the most important emerging industries.
Coventry University is committed to preparing you with skills and helping you apply for your future career and giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The university’s Talent Team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career.
*Please note that we are unable to guarantee any trip, placement or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.
Where our graduates work
Recent graduates are working for the Environment Agency, environmental departments of local authorities, environmental consultancies, such as Halcrow Group Ltd and Middlemarch Environmental, the Met Office, the Metropolitan Police, various research institutes and utility companies, such as Severn Trent Water. Others have gone on to pursue postgraduate study, teacher training and other professional qualifications.
What our students say...
The course is engaging from the first week to the last. The staff are enthusiastic and very knowledgeable in all areas of Geography. Overall the BSc Geography course covers a full spectrum of Geographical topics and prepares you for any related job after graduation!
Disclaimer
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2020/21 Contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
The tuition fee for the course that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, we 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. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU students should be aware that there may be a change to UK laws following the UK’s exit, this may change their student status, their eligibility to study part time, and/or their eligibility for student finance. We will act in accordance with the UK’s laws in force in relation to student tuition fees and finance from time to time.
For International students the tuition fee that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For international students, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.
