Geography

MSci Hons

  • UCAS code 4R61
  • Entry year 2025
  • A level requirements AAB
  • Duration Full time 4 years

We welcome applications from the United States of America

We've put together information and resources to guide your application journey as a student from the United States of America.

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • 11

    11th for Geography and Environmental Science

    The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide (2025)

  • 13

    13th for Geography

    The Complete University Guide (2025)

  • 16

    16th for Geography

    The Guardian University Guide (2025)

You won’t just be sat in lectures at Lancaster. Study geography in our outstanding practical facilities; explore our beautiful surroundings; take part in international field trips; and learn from world-renowned lecturers.

Geography is a distinctive subject: it studies our world in a vast range of areas. Our Geography degree programme explores the Earth’s landscapes, species, places and environment in a dynamic range of modules that draw from the humanities, social science and physical science subjects.

While studying in the Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC), you will have access to new teaching and research labs, computer systems and software and even our very own weather monitoring station. Working in comfortable class sizes, you will have the opportunity to get to know your lecturers personally, enabling you to benefit from their expert knowledge and helpful one-to-one advice.

Our location, between the rural settings of the north and the bustling cities of Liverpool and Manchester, enables us to explore some of the UK’s most unique areas of geographic interest. You will gain a wealth of hands-on experience with field trips to places such as the Yorkshire Dales, Cumbrian coast and Lake District, as well as international locations like Switzerland and Croatia.

You will develop a fundamental understanding of human, physical and environmental geography in your first year Geography modules. These modules equip you with a well-rounded introduction to some of the key themes of geography, as well as providing you with some of the key skills used by geographers to analyse problems in both the physical and human aspects of the discipline.

Specialisation begins in second year, enabling you to choose topics that match your interests. Core modules will focus on practical work, giving you a range of analytical and research project skills. A series of optional modules offer an exciting field trip to Spain.

In the third year, you will be offered further optional module choices, and there will be fieldwork opportunities in locations such as Croatia and Switzerland. Topics may include the study of Natural Hazards, Glacial Systems or Water Resource Management, but could also include elements of human geography such as Global Consumption, Urban Infrastructure in a Changing World or Geographies of Health.

You will also undertake a dissertation project, guided by your academic supervisor, which offers a chance to perform original geographical research on a topic of your choice. While completing the dissertation, you will use the key research, analytical and academic writing skills you have learnt throughout your degree. Alternatively, you may wish to take advantage of the opportunity to collaborate with a business to complete your dissertation research, allowing you to gain valuable work experience at the same time.

Your fourth year of study provides an advanced qualification which will give you a competitive edge in the graduate jobs market by equipping you with the extra experience, knowledge and skills that come with studying Master's-level modules and undertaking a second dissertation. This will enable you to stand out from the crowd in the selection process for graduate roles.

In addition to your subject knowledge, you will gain communication and information technology skills and will become familiar with data handling and environmental sampling and analysis. Throughout your degree, considerable weight is placed upon enhancing your employability and such skills are greatly valued by potential employers.

MSci Hons Geography (Professional Experience)

This programme provides a ten-week placement with a graduate employer. You will also have the opportunity to undertake Master's-level modules.

MSci Hons Geography (Study Abroad)

Broaden your horizons with our Study Abroad programme. You will spend the second year of your degree studying at one of our international partnering universities, allowing you to gain experience of a different culture and society while studying an equivalent set of modules to those we offer at Lancaster.

Assessment

We offer flexible programmes with a strong emphasis on practical learning. You will engage in a wide range of modules that span the breadth of geographical topics and infuse content from the humanities, along with the social and physical sciences. Your work will be regularly assessed by a combination of assignments, written examinations and project reports.

Course accreditation

Royal Geographical Society logo

This programme has been accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). Accreditation recognises programmes that deliver the geographical knowledge, understanding, skills, approaches and professional attributes expected of high-quality geography graduates, as recorded in the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Geography.

Learn more about the Royal Geographical Society accreditation

Careers

Geography helps us to understand the world around us, from the study of cultures and people, to the processes going on beneath our feet that shape the landscapes we live in. A degree in geography will help you get to grips with the many challenges we face with a growing population and an increasingly precarious climate situation by providing you with the opportunity to tackle a wide variety of complex issues. With such a diverse curriculum of topics, our geography graduates go on to work in a diverse range of positions such as Planning Officers, Environmental Consultants, Landscape Architects, Geospatial Analyst, Hydrologist, Emergency Planning and many more. Geographers are also well placed to secure roles and opportunities in sectors that might not be obvious such as marketing and sales, teaching, travel and tourism, and commercial business. This is down to your transferable skills in communication, software competencies, project management and data analysis. Graduates from our courses are also well-paid, with the median starting salary of graduates from Lancaster Environment Centre being £24,347 (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023).

Here are just some of the roles that our BSc and MSci Geography students have progressed into upon graduating:

  • Flood Resilience Analyst – JBA Consulting
  • Research Assistant – Heriot-Watt University
  • Biodiversity Policy Consultant – Holcim
  • Graduate Flood Risk Analyst – JBA Consulting
  • Business Analyst (Water Resources) United Utilities
  • Permitting Support Officer – South West Water
  • JIS and Flood Mapping Specialist – JBA Risk Management
  • Water Service Deliver Operations Graduate – Yorkshire Water
  • PhD Candidate – University of Leeds
  • Graduate Catchment Scientist – Stantec
  • Graduate Modeller – RPS Group PLC
  • Geospatial Analyst – UK Government

Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring you not only gain a highly reputable degree, you also graduate with the relevant life and work based skills. We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which offers you the opportunity to complete key activities such as work experience, employability/career development, campus community and social development. Visit our Employability section for full details.

Entry requirements

Grade Requirements

A Level AAB

Required Subjects A level Geography is recommended, or alternatively one of the following subjects: Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Classics, Economics, English Literature, Environmental Studies, Geology, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, World Development.

GCSE Mathematics grade C or 4, English Language grade C or 4

IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each component. For other English language qualifications we accept, please see our English language requirements webpages.

Other Qualifications

International Baccalaureate 35 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects including Geography or alternative cognate subject at HL grade 6

BTEC Distinction, Distinction, Distinction in a related subject but may additionally require a supporting A level in Geography or alternative cognate subject at grade B. Please contact the Admissions Team for further advice.

We welcome applications from students with a range of alternative UK and international qualifications, including combinations of qualification. Further guidance on admission to the University, including other qualifications that we accept, frequently asked questions and information on applying, can be found on our general admissions webpages.

Contact Admissions Team + 44 (0) 1524 592028 or via ugadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

International foundation programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Contextual admissions

Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.

Course structure

Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and some which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

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Fees and funding

Our annual tuition fee is set for a 12-month session, starting in the October of your year of study.

Our Undergraduate Tuition Fees for 2025/26 are:

Home International
£9,535 £29,820

Fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status:

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

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