BSc Geography and Economics (Regional Science)

Compulsory modules

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. 

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. 

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. 

Principles of Economics 1

Gain an analytical introduction to the modern concepts of economics. You'll learn how the real world works by developing your understanding of key economics concepts, mathematical tools and, microeconomics.    

Principles of Economics 2

Gain an analytical introduction to the modern concepts of economics and develop your understanding of key economics concepts and mathematical tools. You’ll learn concepts of macroeconomics and how they overlap with microeconomics. You’ll also consider key topics such as what can markets do and cannot do, and when can government improve economic performance. 

Quantitative Methods and Data Analysis

Learn quantitative techniques useful in economics and gain the necessary background to understand more specialised techniques taught in Year 2. You'll undertake statistical analysis using Excel and explore issues involved in data collection and classification.

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

Intermediate Microeconomics

Develop an in-depth and rigorous understanding of the core concepts and methods of microeconomics. You’ll learn more about consumer and producer theory, and discover new topics including game theory, bargaining, market competition, general equilibrium and welfare. 

Intermediate Macroeconomics

Develop in-depth understanding of the fundamental principles and analytic concepts related to economic growth, inflation, unemployment and interest rates. You’ll gain a deeper appreciation of the interrelationship between macroeconomic variables and government policy, and be able to analyse relevant issues discussed by news and politicians.

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. 

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. 

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.  

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. 

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.  

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.  

Business Economics

Develop your understanding of a number of areas of business economics, with a focus on theory. Topics include Economics of entrepreneurship, small business, international business and theories of the firm.

Games and Economic Behaviour

In this module, you’ll actively participate in one or more models of economic phenomena through an online gaming platform. You’ll gain greater insight into the assumptions and mechanisms underlying models of economic behaviour with the game-based versions of each model. 

Economics of Social Policy

Develop your understanding of how economic analysis can be applied to the real-world problems faced by policy makers. You’ll study socioeconomic problems and the role of government policy. You’ll learn techniques from both microeconomics and macroeconomics to analyse topics such as poverty and inequality, housing, crime, health and education, economics. 

Economic History 

Understand how the world economy got to be where it is today, focusing on significant periods of economic change from the commercial revolution of the medieval period through to the modern digital revolution.

Environment and Development

Examine how approaches to environmental management are shaped by the values, discourse, social relations and distribution of power in society, and – conversely – how approaches to environmental management can reflect, shape or reproduce unequal development. You'll explore various theoretical approaches, including political ecology, development geography, environmental values, and post-colonial theory.

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

Work on an independent dissertation project of 8,000 words, under the guidance of a supervisor. You’ll identify the research question, critically evaluate the relevant literature, apply theoretical frameworks and research methods to your research questions, and learn to analyse and synthesise the research findings.  

Optional modules

Climate Change and Responsibilities

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.    

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. 

Public Economics

The module aims to examine the rationale for government intervention in the economy. You’ll apply microeconomic theory to contemporary policy issues, analysing some of the principles involved in tax design and the equity and efficiency implications of taxation. 

Environmental Economics

Get an overview of the theories, methodological tools, and evidence to understand contemporary environmental problems such as climate change, pollution, and sustainable development. You’ll learn the framework to evaluate various important policy questions.  

Behavioural Economics

Understand the limitations of the neo-classical theory in explaining many economic phenomena. You’ll become familiar with the common biases and their implications on decision-making. You’ll also gain knowledge of basic theories of behavioural economics and an understanding of games used to test these theories.

Industrial Organisation

Learn from theoretical industrial economics  to understand corporate decision-making, such as price-setting, output-setting,  advertising, product differentiation,  and collusive behaviour. In this context, you’ll learn about the role of industrial competition, reflecting on market structure and competition policy intervention.  

Financial Economics

Learn about the economic reasoning that underpins much of modern finance, including portfolio theory and asset pricing. You’ll apply neoclassical financial analysis  to financial decision making in the world of uncertainty and market imperfections. You’ll also learn about the role of financial intermediation in facilitating investment. 

International Economics

This module is concerned with economic interactions among sovereign nations in terms of trade in goods and services as well as investment in financial and real assets. You’ll explore answers to questions such as fair distribution of benefits, regulation of trade, and financial relations. You’ll also learn to apply the theoretical concepts and models introduced to the policy context of Brexit and EU integration.

Development Economics

Apply economic tools to the study of issues that are of particular importance to low-income countries, such as microeconomic theory to understand the causes and consequences of underdevelopment. You’ll be equipped with an understanding of relevant economic theory, evidence, and implications for policy.  

Money and Banking 

Build on your knowledge of intermediate macroeconomics as you study the economics of money, banking, and financial markets. You’ll gain in-depth knowledge about financial markets and institutions, central banking and monetary policy, with a focus on analysing the role of money and understanding the financial structure of financial institutions, businesses and the process of banking. 

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. 

Spaces of Care and Wellbeing

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.