Year 1

This degree is focused on the social science elements of Geography (Human Geography) and the place of Geography within the wider social sciences. As such, it combines Human Geography modules within complementary courses from Politics, Sociology and Modern Languages. There are no Physical Geography modules on this course. Please note that the number of Geographers taking some supplementary subjects may be subject to a cap in numbers. 

Core modules

• Human Geography for a Globalised World
• Skills for Professional Geographers
• The Digital World
• Environment/Nature/Society
• Human Geography Fieldcourse: The dynamics of people and place
• Working with Geographical Information

Option modules

Choose two option modules from:

• The Global Cold War: International Relations 1945-1989
• Sociology in Practice
• Power, Privilege and Diversity
• Order and Disorder: International Relations from 1989 to the Present
• Society in Transformation
• French Language (Beginners) (double module)
• Spanish Language (Beginners) (double module)
• Chinese Language (Beginners) (double module)

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Year 2

In year 2 you will study a diversity of Human Geography themes, including environmental justice, gentrification, and the politics of development. Your second year will also involve an international field trip.

Core modules

• Histories and Philosophies of Human Geography
• Research Design and Methods (with Dissertation Planning)*
• Geographical Research in the Field (Human Geography Overseas Field Course)

* Qualifying mark of 40% in dissertation proposal is required for progression into year 3

Option modules

Choose five option modules from:

• Critical Geographies of Environment and Development
• Economy, Society and Space
• Social and Cultural Geography
• Climate Change: Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation
• Italian Society and Culture under Fascism
• Youth, Young Adulthood and Society
• Live Sociology
• Political Geography: Space, Territory and Power
• Geographical Information Science
• Geography in Education
• Environmental Sociologies
• French Language (Post-Beginners)*
• Spanish Language (Post-Beginners)**

*Students can only choose this module if they have completed French Language (Beginners) in their 1st year.

**Students can only choose this module if they have completed Spanish Language (Beginners) in their 1st year. Places on this module are not guaranteed due to limited provision.

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Year Abroad or in Industry (optional)

If you want to, you can spend your third year studying abroad at one of our partner institutions or working in an industrial placement (eligibility is dependent on your academic performance in Years 1 and 2). Alternatively, you can opt to continue studying at the University and complete your degree in three years.

NB. A year spent abroad or on an industrial placement still incurs a tuition fee, but this is much lower than for a normal year at Leicester. See our Fees and Funding section for details.

Year Abroad

Studying abroad is not just for people who are interested in travelling and meeting new people. It is about acquiring life skills that are becoming increasingly significant for a wide range of jobs in our modern globalised society. Whether you go on to work in the private sector, the state sector, a non-governmental organisation or become self-employed you will find the experience invaluable. Find out more from our Study Abroad team.

Year in Industry

A Year in Industry gives you the opportunity to stand out from the crowd when it comes to applying for graduate jobs with work experience incorporated into your programme of study. If this is for you, in Year 2 you will take a module in which we prepare you for that year in work and support you with your search for a placement in an industry or organisation relevant to your career aspirations. After your year in industry you will return to university for your final year of study.

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Final Year

Your final year incorporates a blend of teaching and research and is constructed largely from optional modules. These allow you to build you degree in a way that most interests you. There is scope to develop specialisms, or remain a generalist. In semester 1 you will develop you own research project with your supervisor as part of the final year dissertation. You will then choose from a wide range of optional modules.

Core modules

• Dissertation

Option modules

Semester 1

Choose two option modules from:

• Contemporary Environmental Challenges
• Geographies of the Market Place
• Critical, Symbolic and Emotional Rural Geographies
• Critical Digital Geographies

Semester 2

Then choose four option modules from:

• Cities of the Global South
• Migration, Place and Diversity
• Geographies of Health and Wellbeing
• Overseas Field Option
• Information Visualisation
• Research Communication

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork is integral to any Geography degree. In the field you develop new skills and apply learning from the classroom to real world problems. Our field trips will be one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences for both Human and Physical Geography students. 

All of our core field course costs are subsidised by the University of Leicester. Optional field courses in Year 3 do come with an additional cost, although there are bursaries available.

If you study on the Geography BA or Human Geography BA, your field trips can include: 

Sheffield (Core - Year 1)

On this residential field trip, you will study Sheffield's fascinating environmental and industrial heritage, via urban exploration and training in creative visual methods.

International field course (Core - Year 2) 

In previous years this course has been run in New York City and Vancouver. In this module students examine topics like multiculturalism, gentrification, migration and settlement in the city. This week-long residential field course includes a variety of day trips that interrogate the composition and evolution of global cities.

Berlin (Option - Year 3)

The Berlin field course is an optional course that considers geopolitics at the urban scale and the ways in which Berlin’s (and Germany’s) geopolitical history continues to shape the geography of the city. The field trip considers Cold War geopolitics, the Berlin Wall and the division of Germany on the city. It also examines Germany’s colonial legacies; the geopolitics of nature; sexual geopolitics; and, everyday life in the DDR (East Germany). The module is an opportunity to apply critical and creative geographical approaches to researching the politics of housing and migration in Berlin.

And you’ll be pleased to know our staff are involved in field-based research worldwide, ensuring that our teaching draws on active field experience.

• Find out more about fieldwork opportunities.

Fieldwork locations may vary and are subject to availability.

Modules shown represent choices available to current students. The range of modules available and the content of any individual module may change in future years.