Swansea is a research-led University and the Department makes a significant contribution, meaning that as a Postgraduate Geography Student you will benefit from the knowledge and skills of internationally renowned academics.

In the latest Research Assessment Exercise, 95% of Geography research at Swansea was judged to be of international quality, and 60% was regarded as World-leading or internationally excellent.

The Department’s research groups are involved in a number of projects including:

• Advancing application of stable isotopes in tree rings as indicators of climate/environmental change
• Quantification of the past and future contribution of glaciers and ice sheets to Sea level rise
• Understanding the response of the biosphere to variations in climate
• Understanding international migration patterns and processes associated with both forced migration and labour migration and ‘mixed flows’
• Cities and Urban Theory - with a focus on the interface between Human Geography and Continental Philosophy, especially with respect to deconstruction, structuralism and poststructuralism

MSc by Research programmes: We normally require a minimum of an upper second class Honours degree or equivalent in geography or a related field.

IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 6.0 in each component) or equivalent.

International students:  please visit our International pages for information on entry requirements for your country:  Africa, South Asia, East Asia, Europe and Russia, Middle East, North America, South America, South East Asia.  If your country is not listed within these regions, please contact international-science@swansea.ac.uk

Applicants to this programme would normally be expected to meet the minimum entry requirements indicated above. The College/School reserves the right to ask for higher academic grades and qualifications. Admissions decisions take into account not only prior academic qualifications, but also factors including the standard of the research synopsis/proposal submitted by the applicant, their performance at interview (if required), intensity of competition for limited places and relevant professional experience (where appropriate).

Before applying, please identify a research topic or area by consulting our list of current research areas.

Once you have identified a research topic or an area, please complete a Research Proposal Form ‌which can be downloaded, and discuss this with the Admissions Tutor, Dr Natascha Kljun.

Home applicants: you can then submit your application via the Admissions Office.

EU and Overseas applicants: you can then submit your application via the Admissions Office.

Annual tuition fees for entry in the academic year 2019/20 are as follows:

Tuition fees for years of study after your first year are subject to an increase of 3%.

You can find further information on fees and how to pay on our tuition fees page.

Note: The UK/EU fee is indicative pending confirmation from UKRI

If your course starts in January, April or July 2019 please refer to the 2018/19 fee costs on our tuition fees page.

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

International students and part-time study: It is now possible for some students to study part-time under the Tier 4 visa route. This is dependent on factors relating to the course and your individual situation. It may also be possible to study with us if you are already in the UK under a different visa category. Please visit the University information on Visas and Immigration for further guidance and support.

Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

The tuition fees for the MSc by Research Media Geographies do not cover costs incurred personally by the student such as the purchase of books or stationery, printing or photocopying costs.

International students: please visit http://www.swansea.ac.uk/international/students/requirements/

The Geography department is always keen to attract high-quality postgraduate students to join our research groups.

All Geography Research Degrees take 12 months of study, including the dissertation. For MSc by Research programmes you will be guided by internationally leading researchers through an extended one-year individual research project. There is no taught element.

The MSc by Research degrees enable you to pursue a one year individual programme of research and would normally terminate after a year. However, under appropriate circumstances, this first year of research can also be used in a progression to Year 2 of a PhD degree.

The programmes all have a recommended initial research training module (Science Skills & Research Methods), but otherwise has no taught element and is most suitable for you if you have an existing background in geography or cognate discipline and are looking to pursue a wholly research-based programme of study.

The first part shall take the form of a thesis embodying the methods and results of the research project. All theses should be presented in accordance with the University’s Guide to the Submission and Presentation of a Thesis for Research Students.

The second part shall take the form of an oral examination (viva voce).

Business and Community Engagement

As a postgraduate Geography student you will have access to:

• Computer laboratory with 24 computers providing general IT software and programmes dedicated to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing Computer laboratory with 10 high-performance Linux workstations delivering software tools for advanced GIS and remote sensing applications
• Specialist laboratory suites for stable isotope ratio analysis; tree ring analysis; extraction and identification of organic compounds; pollen extraction and analysis; rainfall simulation; tephra analysis; soil and sediment characterisation

In addition, the computing facilities include 15 dual-processor workstations for Earth Observation, a 20-node multiprocessor Beowulf cluster, and the Department’s IBM ‘Blue Ice’ Supercomputer, used mainly for climate and glaciological modelling.

All academic staff in Geography are active researchers and the department has a thriving research culture and a strong postgraduate community.

The results of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 show that Geography at Swansea University is ranked joint 9th in the UK for research impact and 11th in the UK for research environment. 

Research groups include:

• Environmental Dynamics
• Glaciology
• Global Environmental Modelling and Earth Observation
• Migration, Boundaries and Identity
• Social Theory and Urban Space