Geography

Geography

Introduction

Geography is key to understanding and resolving many of the most pressing problems faced by society, including climate change, poverty, energy transitions, sustainable development and environmental conservation. Our degree programmes reflect these modern-day challenges, with core and optional courses aimed at producing highly skilled graduates who can think critically and develop solutions to tackle these problems.

Our Degrees

We offer a range of Geography degrees which you can read more about below.

View available degree programmes

Pathway Programmes

The University of Aberdeen International Study Centre offers preparation programmes for progression to undergraduate degree study at the university.

Discover the International Study Centre

At Aberdeen, you can choose between studying Geography as either a Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Master of Arts (MA) degree programme. Both can be taken as four-year Honours degrees, or three-year designated degree programmes.

The main difference between the BSc and MA programmes is in the subsidiary subjects taken alongside Geography. For the BSc these will be mainly science subjects, while MA students will take subsidiary courses in the humanities and social sciences. Our BSc and MA programmes in Geography are accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

In the First Year of your Geography degree, you will study two courses that provide an introduction to Geography in all its diversity - Creating the Anthropocene and The UN Sustainable Development Goals. In Second Year and Third Year, you will begin specialising in the areas of Geography that most interest you or align with your career aspirations while in the Fourth Year, you will pursue an individual piece of geographical research in your Dissertation Project and choose courses that reflect the truly cutting-edge research strengths of Geography and Environment in Aberdeen (e.g. Rural Geographies, Glaciology, Environmental change, Hydrology).

We run a modular system, so you have the flexibility to follow a Single Honours Degree with plenty of choice and diversity, or to study Geography as part of a Joint Honours Degree with another subject. To a large extent you can shape your own degree, to suit your particular interests and career plans.

A student studying Single Honours in Geography will complete a four-year programme of study specialising in Geography in 3rd and 4th Year.

A student studying Joint Honours in Geography will complete a four-year degree, specialising in both Geography and another university subject during 3rd and 4th Year. You might, for example, qualify with an MA (Hons) Geography-Sociology degree.

Why study STEM?

The University of Aberdeen offers a range of STEM-related degrees, STEM being the collective of subjects covering science, technology, engineering and maths. With world-class academics and cutting-edge facilities like our Science Teaching Hub, we can give you access to some of the best STEM teaching and research in Scotland, maximising your learning potential and preparing you for industry.

Learn More

Why Study Geography at Aberdeen?

  • Our degree programmes focus upon the key environmental, economic, societal and technological challenges we currently face in the world, including climate change, sustainable development, social inequalities and environmental protection
  • Human Geography at Aberdeen is ranked 1st in the UK for student satisfaction in the 2024 National Student Survey, with an overall satisfaction score of 100%
  • Opportunity to study Geography from a social sciences/humanities perspective and/or a physical science perspective
  • Aberdeen is a great place to study Geography, with the region's spectacular mountain and coastal areas, a vibrant city and rural communities, providing perfect field sites
  • Our Royal Geographical Society accredited degree in Geography is designed to provide you with key skills and knowledge (e.g. data analysis, GIS) appreciated and often required by employers
  • Extensive fieldwork options provide core skills for your future career, giving you vital transferable skills and experience of working in teams and independently in some of the world's most dynamic environments
  • We have an engaging and very active Geography Society, where you can build your networks and enhance your employability
  • Courses draw on our research in sustainability transitions, the use of digital technologies, conservation, land management, urban development. rural change, water management, climate change, glaciology, remote sensing and past environmental change

What our Alumni Say

Katherine Andrews

Katherine Andrews

Job Details
Climate Change Coordinator, Highland Council
Graduated 2019

I absolutely loved my time with all the professors, the lecturers and also the student assistants. They allowed us to really connect with a lot of the people that were on our course through field trips and the actual content of those courses, which is really applicable for real life work.

Joanna Duck

Joanna Duck

Joanna Duck

Job Details
Graduate Consultant, AECOM
Graduated 2016

The skills acquired through my undergraduate Geography degree placed me ideally for beginning a career in transportation.

Robert Hobkirk

Robert Hobkirk

Job Details
Head of Sustainability Compliance & Risk, NHS Grampian
Graduated 2016

I gained a large skill set which has served me well, both gaining my current job, acquiring environmental skills, writing skills the dissemination of large bodies of information.

Matthew Cook

Matthew Cook

Matthew Cook

Job Details
Graduate Planner
Graduated 2016

I particularly enjoyed discovering and researching elements within the subject which I did not initially think were geographic.

Katie Black

Katie Black

Katie Black

Job Details
Graduate Development Programme, Scottish Enterprise
Graduated 2016

The various field trip opportunities offered are fantastic, I was lucky enough to spend these trips with a great group of friends.

Get in Touch

Contact Details

Address
Student Recruitment & Admissions
University of Aberdeen
University Office
Regent Walk
Aberdeen
AB24 3FX