1st Year

1st Year

In the First Year of your Geography degree, you will study two courses which provide an introduction to Geography in all its diversity. Both courses incorporate a field course and workgroup programme alongside a lecture series covering aspects of Human and Physical Geography.

Complementing your Geography courses, you will also study six other courses during First Year in subjects outside Geography (this is called "Enhanced Study").

For those students studying Joint degrees, two of these courses will reflect your other chosen core subject. For students studying for a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree, four of these courses will be in science. How do I select my courses?

For some helpful guidance on course selection, please see Choosing Your Courses: Some tips for new first‐year Geography students (PDF).

What do you study in geography? A glimpse into our new first year course 'The Anthropocene'

In this exciting new first year course, our first year students learn how humans have shaped the world we live in.

Our new first year course on the Sustainable Development Goals

In this new first year course, our students learn about progress and challenges related to the Sustainable Development Goals, such as responsible consumption, clean water, and climate action.

First year geography courses

Indicative course structures for the 1st year in Geography

The choice of Geography courses is just the same for both BSc and MA students. We welcome students who wish to combine both Human and Physical Geography, or who wish to specialise in one or the other. In Aberdeen you have a wide range of choices to pick courses for your "free choice". These are just examples of how your course structure could look like in your first year with your "free choice" courses.