BSc Geography (Physical) with Professional Experience
-
UCAS code
F839 -
A level offer
BBB -
Year of entry
2025/26 -
Course duration
Full Time: 4 Years Other: including a placement year
-
Year of entry
2025/26 -
Course duration
Full Time: 4 Years Other: including a placement year
Examine the processes and patterns that shape the natural world around us with our BSc Geography (Physical) with Professional Experience degree.
Choose geography at the University of Reading
- Study at the UK’s leading university for environmental and ethical performance (the University of Reading is ranked 1st in the People and Planet University League, 2023/24)
- The University is among the top ten UK universities for Environmental Sciences in world rankings (Reading is 9th out of the UK universities ranked in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2024, Environmental Sciences).
- Ranked 3rd in the UK for research power in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences (Times Higher Education, Institutions Ranked by Subject, based on its analysis of the latest REF 2021)
- Top 125 in the world for Physical Sciences (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024, by Subject)
- In 2023, the University of Reading was the first ever winner of the Times Higher Education (THE) award for Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership
- 100% of our students said teaching staff are good at explaining things (National Student Survey 2024, responders from the Department of Geography and Environmental Science).
- The University of Reading has been named Sustainable University of the Year in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025.
This four-year course will deepen your understanding of how our physical environment works, responds, and adapts to change. It also offers you the chance to help address issues critical to our shared global future, including:
- climate change
- natural disasters
- weather systems.
You'll explore our physical world's diverse landscapes and environments through the study of:
- hydrology
- climatology
- hazards
- soils
- biogeography.
You'll also have the flexibility to decide where to focus your attention as your degree progresses, so you can adapt the degree to suit your interests as they evolve.
BSc Geography (Physical) with Professional Experience placement year
A key component of this degree is a year-long professional placement, which occurs between your second and final year. Placements can help enhance your employability and build your network.
Other opportunities include summer placements and the chance to work with partner organisations on research projects, with some of our recent students working with organisations such as:
- Thames Water
- Environment Agency
- Reading Borough Council
- Earth Trust
- Reading Buses
- West Berkshire Wildlife Trust.
Visit the Geography and Environmental Science placements page for more information.
Accreditation
This programme has been accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).Accredited degree programmes contain a solid academic foundation in geographical knowledge and skills, and prepare graduates to address the needs of the world beyond higher education. The accreditation criteria require evidence that graduates from accredited programmes meet defined sets of learning outcomes, including subject knowledge, technical ability and transferable skills.
Your learning environment
At Reading, you'll learn from internationally recognised academics in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science.
Our experts are researching matters of global importance, including:
- sustainability
- hydrology, landscapes and ecology
- paleoecology
- glaciology.
This research feeds directly into the topics you study, placing you at the cutting-edge of developments in the field.
- Professor Frank Mayle is working to reconstruct the history of the Amazon rainforests, removing long cores of sediment from the earth for microscopic analysis of their content to learn about the long-term dynamics of rainforest ecosystems.
Develop technical laboratory skills to help apply your knowledge in areas such as modelling, surveying and measurement, and technologies such as GIS (Geographic Information System) and remote sensing. You'll gain experience in the field, ensuring you have a balance of practical and theoretical skills.
We'll support you to make a difference as you apply your lessons to what you're passionate about. For example, recent students campaigned successfully for the University's students' union to stop using plastic straws.
- Read about Jack Abrey, a recent graduate who travelled to Madagascar with WaterAid and the Scouts to help improve access to clean water and safe toilets across the country.
You'll have opportunities to work on research projects within the School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science and other departments across the University.
You can also join GeogSoc, a student-run society for geography and environmental science undergraduates. As one of the University's largest student societies, GeogSoc is a great way to meet people, build your network, and participate in events like club nights, quizzes, and the annual summer and winter formals.
Our main campus is the real hub of University of Reading life. Set in 130 hectares of stunning parkland, it offers plenty of places to eat, shop, study and socialise. The site has received 14 consecutive Green Flag awards, recognising it as one of Britain’s top green spaces. The scenic campus includes a lake, woodlands and the popular Harris Garden – all available for students, staff and the local community to enjoy.
Field classes
One of the most popular components of our BSc Geography (Physical) with Professional Experience are its field classes.
All of our compulsory field classes are heavily subsidised by the Department, and the cost of the first-year Southern England class and second-year Scotland class are included in your fees.
We currently offer field classes to:
Year one- Southern England - study a range of social, cultural, economic and environmental issues.
- Stirling, Scotland - expand your knowledge of geomorphology, environmental change and nature restoration.
- Berlin, Germany - explore neighbourhood spaces and social history.
- Iceland - study volcanic processes and glaciology, energy resources, and the history of the landscape.
- Nanjing, China - improve your understanding of approaches used to address a range of environmental issues.
- Southern England and Wales - explore the inter-relationships between a range of social, economic and environmental problems.
Study Abroad
As part of your degree, you can apply to study for a year abroad at one of our partner universities in Australia, Canada, the USA, or across Europe. For example, recent destinations have included Melbourne, Australia and Ottawa, Canada.
In the autumn of your final year, you'll also have the chance to study abroad for a semester – either in the Netherlands (Groningen), Denmark (Aarhus), or Norway (Bergen or Svalbard). All classes are conducted in English and bursaries are available to help with travel and accommodation costs.
Visit our Study Abroad website for further information.