Physical Geography, BSc (Hons)

Following early compulsory modules including the earth’s changing face, global environmental change and global shifts, you will be able to craft your own personalised Physical Geography path throughout the degree.

You will select from a wide range of optional modules, leading to a dissertation report in your final year.

A levels: ABB-BBB including Geography or related subject.

BTEC: DDM any subject plus Grade B in A Level Geography.

Scottish Highers: ABBBC to include Grade B in Geography (or a related subject)

Access - Science or Humanities Accepted: 24 Distinctions and 15 merits. Minimum of 3 Distinctions in Geography.

Welsh Baccalaureate: Requirements are as for A levels where you can substitute the same non-subject specific grade for the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Level Core Grade

IB: 32 overall with 5 in Higher Level Geography

IELTS 6.0 (with a minimum of 5.5 in each component) or equivalent English test

All applications will be considered on an individual basis, and we will look at the whole application when deciding whether to make an offer of a place, including: the balance, nature and quality of A-level, AS and GCSE subjects (or equivalent); personal statement and referee’s comments.

General Studies and Key Skills qualifications are normally excluded from our offers.

We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students.

Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching. 

Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study.  

This course offers some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.

Some provision

There are opportunities for Welsh speakers to study some elements of this course through the medium of Welsh but there is not yet enough provision to reach 40 credits in each year.

Academi Hywel Teifi is here to support you throughout your time at Swansea University. We can offer you:

• Access to generous Welsh-language study scholarships or bursaries.
• Access to modules taught wholly or partly in Welsh.
• Access to the Arwain mobile app for the latest information about Welsh-medium courses and modules available to download free on the App Store and Google Play.
• An interview through the medium of Welsh when applying for a place.
• The option to receive your personal correspondence in Welsh, English or bilingually.
• The option to write and submit your coursework or exams through the medium of Welsh (even if you have chosen to study in English), and your work will be marked in Welsh.
• A Welsh-speaking Academic Mentor.
• One-to-one support to improve your academic Welsh language skills.
• An opportunity to gain an additional free qualification that serves as evidence of your Welsh language ability for future employers.
• Opportunity to be a member of the Swansea University Branch of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

To learn more about the above and all the opportunities available to you through the medium of Welsh, visit Academi Hywel Teifi's undergraduate pages.

You will be taught by world-class lecturers who are all active researchers. Their research activities in areas such as climate change, glaciology, poverty alleviation through control of disease and pollution risks from wildfire ash, help to change the world for the better.

• Dr Joanne Maddern Programme Director
• Dr Rhian Meara Admissions Tutor

See all of the Geography staff

Fees for full time Undergraduate UK students may be increased in subsequent years of study by an inflationary amount determined by Welsh Government.

Fees for full time Undergraduate EU/International students will increase by 3% for each subsequent year of study.

During a sandwich year (e.g. year in industry, year abroad or placement year) a lower fee will apply. For more information visit our tuition fees page.

You can find further information of your 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.

Current students: You can find further information of your 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.

Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page.

Our degree schemes in Geography are eligible for the Ysgoloriaeth Cymhelliant scholarships, as we offer 40 credits or more through Welsh at all levels. Our BSc Geography scheme, with 80 credits available at all levels, is also normally eligible for the Prif Ysgoloriaeth scholarship. We also welcome students who may  wish to study just one or two specific modules through the medium of Welsh.

More information on scholarships

Access to your own digital device/the appropriate IT kit will be essential during your time studying at Swansea University. Access to wifi in your accommodation will also be essential to allow you to fully engage with your programme. See our dedicated webpages for further guidance on suitable devices to purchase, and for a full guide on getting your device set up.

You may face additional costs while at university, including (but not limited to):

• Travel to and from campus
• Printing, photocopying, binding, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks)
• Purchase of books or texts
• Gowns for graduation ceremonies

Level 2 Single Honours:

• Students choose from a range of overseas field courses, all of which are subsidised but require an additional payment, which varies according to the destination, e.g. Austria or Berlin, approximately £250; Vancouver or New York, approximately £900.

Level 2 Joint Honours:

• Students may attend an international field course as space allows but pay the full cost of the field course (e.g. currently £450 for Mallorca).
• Non-Physical Earth Science students can select GEL204 which includes a Pembrokeshire field weekend at a cost of £65 (for non-PES students).

Swansea Employability Academy (SEA) will support you at each stage of your career journey helping you build a bright future.

Our career support services include:

• Employability workshops, employers’ talks, bespoke events and careers fairs
• Individual advice and guidance from professionally qualified Careers Advisers
• Help with finding jobs, internships, work placements and volunteering opportunities
• Access to information resources on a wide range of career management topics
• Advice and guidance on postgraduate study and funding
• Funding to support student internship opportunities and Student Society/Club events.

We also provide help and advice for Swansea University Alumni up to two years after you graduate.

Physical Geography is a popular subject because it provides key insights and understanding of the modern world. This understanding can be broadly applied in the world of work, creating a diverse range of employment opportunities for geography graduates.

These are a small number of their recent destinations.

• Multi Site Supervisor (Phase Eight)
• Data Analyst (PHS Group)
• Account Manager Support (Handelsbanken)
• Geographical Data Processor (Western Power Distribution)
• Catchment Scientist (Welsh Water)
• Ecologist (Natural England)

Swansea University helps you to prepare for your future career by helping you to find work placements and relevant part-time jobs, offering year in industry options. In addition, our Geography degree programmes have a bespoke work experience module offered in Year 3 where students can undertake a four-week placement and gain experience as a professional geographer.

As well as subject specific support by college teaching staff and your personal academic mentor, the Centre for Academic Success provides courses, workshops and one-to-one support in areas such as:

• Academic writing
• Maths and statistics
• Critical thinking
• Time management
• Digital skills
• Presentation skills
• Note taking
• Revision, memory and exam techniques
• English language skills (if English is not your first language).

In addition, if you have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), disability, mental health or medical condition, the Centre for Academic Success have Specialist Tutors to support your learning, working alongside the Disability Office and Wellbeing Service to support all your needs and requirements whilst studying at Swansea University.

Our lecturers operate an ‘open door’ policy so you can chat with them about any concerns you may be having. These do not have to be just course related; our academic staff are there to help you with anything at all during your time in Swansea.

Each course has a student rep. They are there to make sure that every student's voice is heard. Their role is to listen and feedback on your opinions, attend regular meetings and make sure that the people who can make changes listen to the people who really matter - you!

We offer both academic mentoring and peer mentoring.  All students on our undergraduate courses are assigned an Academic Mentor, who will offer you not only Academic Guidance but advice on finding and accessing help with personal issues. Our Peer mentoring scheme is in place to help new students settle into university life here at Swansea. You will get a chance to talk to your mentor who can tell you about their experiences as a student and also chat about student life. The peer mentoring scheme is a great way to meet students and widen your friendship circle while at Swansea.

You can also get help with personal issues from our wide range of student support such as CampusLife, Inclusive Student Support Services and The Centre for Academic Success.

To learn more about study abroad, visit our Go Global webpages. Enrolment on a programme with a semester/year abroad does not guarantee you a semester/year abroad placement. Spaces are limited and subject to a competitive selection process. In the event you do not secure a semester/year abroad placement, you will be transferred to the standard variant of your degree scheme without a semester or year abroad.

International summer programmes are open to students from all colleges. Programmes typically range from 2 to 6 weeks, across destinations such as China, Zambia, South Korea, Japan, Canada and across Europe. For more information about programmes and eligibility visit our Summer Abroad webpages.

Apply now – UK, EU and international students.

For further guidance please visit our how to apply pages.

EU students - visa and immigration information is available and will be regularly updated on our information for EU students page.

We recommend that you submit your application to our courses as early as you can in advance of our application deadlines. Courses will close earlier than the application deadlines listed if all available places are filled. You can find further information on our Application Deadlines webpage.

All of our Geography courses have modules that involve a field course. Swansea University is an ideal place to study Geography as we have outstanding locations on our doorstep for both human and physical geography disciplines. We make the best of our locality by visiting the coastal Gower peninsula, the mountainous Brecon Beacons and looking at the local urban and industrial centres of South Wales.

Further afield, past field course destinations have included New York Borneo and Vancouver. These trips of a lifetime are a great way to learn about other environments and people, and also to bond and work collaboratively with your fellow students and lecturers. There is also an opportunity to apply for a place on our field course to Sikkim, in the Indian Himalayas, where you’ll be working with students and staff from our Biosciences department.