Physical Geography BSc (Hons)

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.

In your first year you will explore the fundamentals of this exciting and dynamic subject, learning the subject knowledge and practical skills essential for more advanced study. Modules at this level allow you to find out about the fascinating and internationally recognised research and consultancy activities undertaken by staff.       

What really sets this course apart from others is its practical, hands-on emphasis. As a Physical Geography student at Worcester, you will enjoy a generous fieldwork programme, laboratory work, virtual field courses, computer practicals and a  friendly and supportive learning environment. These activities will help you to understand subject knowledge and develop a wide range of transferable skills which are highly valued by employers. This approach, repeatedly praised by external experts, is complemented by an assessment strategy that focuses on coursework rather than formal examinations.

Read our 'Guide to Geography'

You will also have access to a variety of field equipment, including a Teledyne StreamPro Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, a 2D Flow Tracker, Valeport Electromagnetic current meters for measuring velocity, and YSI multi-parameter water quality probes. In addition, the Geography department has laboratories for teaching and research, and industry-standard design software to prepare you for future employment.

Contact time

In a typical week, you will have approximately 12-16 contact hours of teaching. The exact contact hours will depend on the optional modules selected. In the final year, you will normally have slightly less contact time in order carry out more independent study. The type of teaching activities varies per module, but an example of teaching activities for a first year module for one semester are:

• 20 hours of (large group) lectures
• 8 hours of interactive workshops
• 8 hours of computer practicals
• 4 hours of supervised laboratory practical
• 4 hours of fieldwork activities
• 4 hours of seminars

Independent self-study

In addition to the 12-16 hours of contact time, you are expected to undertake approximately 21-25 hours of personal self-study per week respectively. Typically, this will involve visiting the library and carrying out recommended reading, planning and writing assignments, and undertaking group work.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources. 

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes professors in human and physical geography, senior academics with industry experience, demonstrators and technicians. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader.

Teaching is informed by the research and consultancy, and a very high percentage (85+%) of course lecturers have a higher education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or ‘formative’ assignments. Each module has one or more formal or ‘summative’ assessments, which are graded and count towards the overall module grade.  

Assessment methods include written examinations and a range of coursework assessments such as essays, written assignments (including consultancy reports and planning statements), journals, practical investigations, practical reports, portfolios, individual and groups presentations, posters, and a final year independent studies project.

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the mandatory and optional modules taken. You will not be expected to complete all assignments list below (i.e. the exact pattern of assignments depends on your optional modules); however, a typical formal summative assessment pattern for each year of the course is:

Year 1
2 essays
1 written assignment
2 practical investigations
1 individual or group presentation
1 formal examination of 2 hours duration
3 practical reports

Year 2
4 essays
1 written assignment
1 individual or group presentations
3 practical reports
1 research proposal

Year 3
2 essays
2 practical assessments
1 written assignment
1 practical investigation
2 individual or group presentations
3 projects
3 practical reports
1 independent study of approximately 10,000 words

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

This course will prepare you for a range of interesting and diverse careers, including environmental consultancy, geographical information systems (GIS) management, local government and planning (e.g. town and country planning, regeneration managers, tourism officers, climate change development officers, data managers, community service managers), conservation, working with the wildlife Trust or Civil Service, research and teaching. Alternatively you may wish to continue to postgraduate study and other professional qualifications.

Geography graduates have a good track record in gaining employment in a wide range of professions and organisations, as a result of the broad range of skills developed through hands-on learning activities centred on the analysis of real world issues and processes.

There are many opportunities to extend one’s experience and enhance one’s CV by carrying out voluntary work. Staff members in the Institute have links with several local government (such as local authority planning departments) organisations and other environmental and conservation agencies and can help organise voluntary work (which can feed into Independent Studies projects in the final year of study). Numerous undergraduates have volunteered to assist in the collection of River Science field data in recent years and have gained experience in using our state of the art river monitoring equipment. This has helped some of them gain employment after graduation in the water industry, with environmental consultancies and the Environment Agency.