Geography BA (Hons)

What is special about this course?

Geography is the study of the Earth and the link between physical and human landscapes. It explores the inter-relationships between people, place and the environment and how these vary across and between places. Our BA (Hons) Geography considers these links from a humanities and social science perspective, focusing on issues such as land use, planning and development, globalisation, climate change, energy, and tourism, in order to examine human relationships with the environment. 

This course will provide you with the knowledge and skills to understand many aspects of our rapidly changing world, enabling you to tackle real-world problems in a range of organisations and sectors, and with a broad curriculum, created to develop both your specialist and transferable skills. 

Geography graduates are among the most employable: you will leave the course with highly transferable skills, such as: demonstrating ideas via reports and oral presentation;  data collection and analysis; and the use of specialist mapping and statistical software.  

The knowledge and skills taught in this degree are of relevance to many areas of employment, including: renewable energy; energy efficiency; waste management; tourism; rural and community development; agriculture; local government; planning; logistics; and environmental agencies. A significant number of geography graduates also move on to careers in finance, marketing and law, or to further postgraduate study, teaching and research.

Please see our FAQ sheet for further information on this course.

Special features

• This degree is delivered entirely online, by tutors with years of experience of teaching at a distance, and can be studied from anywhere in the world, full or part-time to suit your circumstances 
• To ensure a high quality student experience, numbers enrolled on the course are currently limited to a maximum of 25 students per year, so you will receive a high level of support during your studies 
• According to the UK's Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), Geography graduates are among the most likely to be employed: more than 90 per cent are in work or further study within six months of graduating (Times Higher Education 2017)

Entry requirements

• 3 Scottish Highers at grades BBC or above OR
• 2 A levels at grades BC or above
• At least two of these must be from the list of relevant subjects
• Applicants with other qualifications or experience will be considered on an individual basis
• You must have regular and reliable access to the internet and a computer for any online degree at UHI in order to take advantage of our full range of online learning services, which include support from your tutors and fellow UHI students as well as access to UHI’s Virtual Learning Environment and vast online learning library. Click here for more information on the minimum requirements.

Advanced entry to year 2:

• HNC Social Sciences (12 SCQF credits) with 3 additional SCQF credits at level 7 which is equivalent to 120 degree credit points, and at least grade C in the Graded Unit, will be considered for direct entry to year two

Year 1 - CertHE

You will study the following core modules: 

• Understanding sustainable development
• Introduction to human geography
• Overview of energy use
• Climate, land and people

You will also choose two further option modules from other humanities subjects.

Year 2 - DipHE

You will study the following core modules: 

• Approaches to economic development
• Empowering communities
• Atmosphere, weather and climate
• Introduction to geographical information systems

You will also choose two further option modules from other humanities subjects. 

Year 3 - BA

You will study the following modules*: 

• Globalisation and sustainable development
• Assessment of the environmental impacts of development
• Advanced social research methods 
• Climate change
• Sustainable tourism and the environment

You will also choose one further option module from other humanities subjects. 

*You may elect to choose one different module per academic year.

Year 4 - BA (Hons)

You will study the following modules*: 

• Sustainable energy and waste minimisation
• Geo-political development issues
• Sustainable agriculture systems
• One elective module

You will also complete a geography dissertation.

*You may elect to choose one different module per academic year.

Fees

For students normally domiciled in Scotland, with a term-time address in Scotland, the following fees apply:

This includes

• EU nationals with settled or pre-settled status in the UK,
• EEA/Swiss nationals with settled status in the UK
• EEA/Swiss nationals with pre-settled status who are self-employed or migrant workers in the UK.

Rest of the UK students

For students normally domiciled in the rest of the UK (England, Wales and N. Ireland) or assessed as rest of the UK for fee status the following fees apply:

International students

For students who do not normally reside in the UK studying online from their home country, or living in the UK but assessed as international for fee status, the following fees apply:

This includes EU/EEA and Swiss nationals without settled status in the UK and EEA and Swiss nationals with pre-settled status who are not self-employed or migrant workers in the UK.

A no fee increase guarantee is available for self-funding full-time and structured part-time rest of the UK and international undergraduate students for continuous study for the same award, up to the permitted standard time limit for the relevant award.

Funding

UHI has a number of scholarships, bursaries, awards, and discretionary fund opportunities available to new and current students. Please use the A-Z of funds or use the filter to see which ones may be relevant to you. All students are welcome to apply.

Further information on funding your studies is also available, please see the attached link or contact the relevant UHI partner.

Additional costs

If you wish to attend the residential weekend, or to join other field trips, contributions will be required towards the overall costs incurred. The cost will vary depending on the event, your location and the amount of other funding available towards the event (eg HISA contributions to the Residential weekend may reduce costs for individual students). Attendance at such face to face events is optional and not essential for completion of the course.