BSc Geography (Human and Physical)

Compulsory modules

Skills in Geography and Environmental Science

Discover the expected academic standards and integrity at the undergraduate level, while being introduced to the Geography and Environmental Science discipline. Through real-world examples and data, learn essential skills for research. 

Global Challenges

Explore interrelated global issues confronting the planet and humanity today. Delve into the human geography, physical geography, and environmental science perspectives surrounding key challenges. Develop the ability to critically analyse and discuss these challenges using academic literature. 

Field Class

Undertake field research in a real-world setting, using contemporary methods and equipment for data gathering and and experience working as part of a team. The training you receive will be authentic and relevant to your ambitions and to the skills you’ll likely need for dissertation field research.  

Restless Planet

Learn about the fundamental processes in the Earth System, encompassing the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Discover the interactions between the spheres, particularly the Earth System's integrated nature and how alterations to key biogeochemical cycles, can have far-reaching impacts across the globe. 

Geographical Imaginaries

Understand how geographical knowledge and methods have changed over time and how these changes are crucial to understanding how and why we do geography today. Recognise how geographical knowledge will evolve in response to changing social, environmental and technological needs and opportunities. 

Optional modules

Approaching Human Geography

Examine 'everyday' matters from disciplinary and sub-disciplinary themes, which will enable you to cultivate a geographer's mindset, actively honing your skills and perspectives in Human Geography through guided instruction and hands-on learning.  

Data Environment

Boost your confidence when using maths and statistical skills for effective planning, organising, fieldwork, lab activities, and subsequent data analysis and interpretation. You’ll learn about statistical packages, their pros and cons, and how to create informative charts for data presentation. 

Contemporary World Cultures: An Introduction to Social Anthropology

Explore human societies and cultures through diverse case studies, focusing on kinship and marriage, gender and sexuality, the roles of religion, ritual and witchcraft in social life, and contemporary hunting and gathering societies. Develop critical thinking about real-world case studies while drawing on the research experience of lecturers. 

Landscapes and Natural Resources

Explore the integrative concept of landscape, with a focus on the component biophysical elements, their patterns and natural processes. You'll also examine the resilience of renewable and living resources in the context of global climate change.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading. 

Compulsory modules

Skills Training and Project Design

Develop professional skills, including research approaches, project management, career awareness and employability. Work closely with an academic mentor to carry out carefully planned and highly professional research, act as consultants, designing, executing and reporting on a research project. 

Field Class 

Put into practice key concepts in Human Geography through field research in a real-world setting through experiential learning and using a range of contemporary field techniques. Explore economic and social change in an urban context and how this relates to globalisation and other global processes. 

Optional modules

Energy Resources

Explore past, present, and future social, environmental, health and political aspects of energy resource use. Gain a holistic consideration of the role of different energy resources in the national, international, and global energy mix.  

Earth Processes and Hazards

Discover the dynamic process and resultant hazards which stem from the tectonic and geomorphological evolution of the Earth including volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, weather events and landslides, and the impact these can have on the natural world and human societies. 

Living Together: Social and Cultural Geographies 

Explore social and cultural issues and concepts, such as analysing census data, iconography and participatory methods to understand local and international geographies. Key topics include identity, inequalities, landscape and consumption. 

Environment and Development

Investigate the two-way relationship between environment and development by exploring the theoretical frameworks such as political ecology and post-colonial theory to assess how societal values and power dynamics drive environmental management approaches and sustain uneven and unequal development.  

Geographical Information Systems

Discover the principles, techniques, and applications of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Work with the storage and management of spatial data, setting coordinate systems and projections, spatial analysis, and geoprocessing, creating and editing data, and cartography and symbology.  

Analysing Social Data

Analyse social data using quantitative and qualitative methods to foster persuasive communication and comprehensive illustrations of your understanding. Become a well-informed, confident, and discerning users of social data.

Monitoring the Earth from above

Develop your awareness of the importance of different spatial and temporal scales. Turn data into useful information for a range of geographical applications. Learn about the importance of resolution when conducting remote sensing analysis.   

Water in the Earth System

Get an introductory understanding of the connections between the abiotic and biotic components of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere. Where relevant these relationships will be considered within the Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact, Response (DPSIR) Framework. 

Climate and Environmental Change

Explore the evolution of atmosphere and climate, alongside ecosystem dynamics. Examine the main processes of climate formation of energy balance and atmospheric circulation and discuss natural climatic variability and climate change. 

Encountering Political Geographies 

Find the geopolitical in unexpected spaces, place the spotlight on the bedroom as much as the battlefield; the body as much as the border; the school as much as the state. Think critically about the geopolitical world, challenge and resist dominant ideas, develop multiple ways of seeing, engaging, and being.  

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading. 

Compulsory modules

Dissertation

All students must produce a dissertation as part of their degree. The dissertation is an original piece of research carried out by the students independently, with support from a supervisor, contributing to knowledge in a particular field of study. 

Optional modules 

Human Geography Field Class

Put into practice key concepts in Human Geography through field research in a real-world setting through experiential learning and using a range of contemporary field techniques. Explore economic and social change in an urban context and how this relates to globalisation and other global processes. 

Climate Change and the Geography of Responsibility

Analyse and discuss the role of businesses in mitigating climate change. Build practical skills relating to corporate carbon accounting and disclosure. Critically engage with corporate climate activities, including carbon reduction claims, science-based climate targets and carbon offsets. 

Consumption, Politics and Space

Appreciate the broad theoretical and empirical links between geography, consumption, media and the politics of sustainability and sustainable behaviour change. Develop a critical understanding of the cultural and geographical politics of contemporary society through the mediatised framings of environmental and social problems and solutions.  

Deathscapes and Dark Tourism

Explore and understand the geographies associated with death, loss and remembrance. Understand the impact of death and remembrance practices on the landscape and environment, including how these change over time, may be contested and require management and planning in the light of multicultural and sustainability agenda. 

Tropical Rainforests and Lost Civilisations

Unravel the long-term history of tropical forests and human-environment interactions using a range of complimentary approaches, with a focus on tropical South America, particularly Amazonia. Integrate physical and human geography, ecology, and archaeology.   

Air Pollution

Explore the history of air pollution, the origins and effects of sulphur dioxide and smoke, nitrogen oxides and particulates, ozone and other secondary pollutants, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, acid rain, indoor air pollution and more. 

Coastal and Estuarine Management

Explore changes in coastal and estuarine environments in response to sea level rise, climate change, and anthropogenic pressures. Discover the processes driving the formation and evolution of a range of coastal environments, the geomorphic and hydrodynamics response to external forcing mechanisms, and the consequences for the natural and anthropogenic environments.  

Volcanic Hazards and Risk Management 

Explore volcanic hazards and risks imposed on societies and the impact of multi-scale volcanic eruptions. Use a wide-range of evidence-based approaches including practical-based investigations of volcanic materials/examples to illustrate the approaches.    

Physical Geography Field Class

Gain field experience in Iceland, where you'll explore a range of natural environments, and investigate natural hazards and their impact on human societies. This field class will include a day long expedition with activities such as ice cave formation, glacier walking, volcanic tephra sampling, volcano monitoring and archaeological investigations.

Geography and Environmental Science Field Class

Exploring the theme of ‘society and the environment’, this UK-based field class will provide a fully integrated understanding of human and physical processes – with an emphasis on authentic, real world issues. You'll examine the geographical and environmental issues that affect our society, while gaining experience in the collection, analysis and interpretation of field data.

Water Resources

Engage with past, current and future water quality problems and critically examine their impact, particularly on public health, as well as effectiveness of water resource management strategies and legislation.  

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/2025 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods. 

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. 

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.