Subject overview

Specialist facilities

The University offers extensive computing facilities with a full range of data-processing and communications software. Office space is usually allocated to students taking research degrees. You will have full access to the University’s main Library and its online collection, and to the British Library of Development Studies at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), which is located on the Sussex campus. 

Geography at Sussex has its own vehicles for field trips, specialist cartographic facilities and a well-equipped Physical Geography Laboratory. 

Programme outline

This degree is intended both for those who wish to progress to careers in the professional earth, engineering and sciences communities and those already working within these communities. It provides you with training (or refresher experience) in applied geomorphological skills directly relevant to work in the earth sciences, environmental management and consultancy sectors. 

This MSc covers state-of-the-art imaging, monitoring and modelling of landforms and earth-surface processes, as well as the protocols professional geomorphologists use for carrying out site investigations and terrain evaluation. It integrates key methods of analysing the earth’s surface with the increasingly important issue of responsibly managing this environment. 

A key component of the degree is user-related training, particularly via opportunities for work placements in consultancy companies (eg in the Geomorphology Services Group at Halcrow, a global company specialising in the provision of planning, design and management services for infrastructure development) or environmental organisations. 

You have the opportunity to develop a specialist thematic or regional enquiry in your dissertation during the summer term. 

Assessment 

Each module is assessed by an oral presentation and a project report. 

Entry requirements

UK entrance requirements

A first- or upper second-class undergraduate honours degree in geography, geology, engineering or natural sciences. Applicants with relevant professional experience will also be considered.

Overseas entrance requirements

Overseas qualifications

If your country is not listed below, please contact the University at E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

Country	Overseas qualification
Australia	Bachelor (Honours) degree with second-class upper division
Brazil	Bacharel, Licenciado or professional title with a final mark of at least 8
Canada	Bachelor degree with CGPA 3.3/4.0 (grade B+)
China	Bachelor degree from a leading university with overall mark of 75%-85% depending on your university
Cyprus	Bachelor degree or Ptychion with a final mark of at least 7.5
France	Licence with mention bien or Maîtrise with final mark of at least 13
Germany	Bachelor degree or Magister Artium with a final mark of 2.4 or better
Ghana	Bachelor degree from a public university with second-class upper division
Greece	Ptychion from an AEI with a final mark of at least 7.5
Hong Kong	Bachelor (Honours) degree with second-class upper division
India	Bachelor degree from a leading institution with overall mark of at least 60% or equivalent
Iran	Bachelor degree (Licence or Karshenasi) with a final mark of at least 15
Italy	Diploma di Laurea with an overall mark of at least 105
Japan	Bachelor degree from a leading university with a minumum average of B+ or equivalent
Malaysia	Bachelor degree with class 2 division 1
Mexico	Licenciado with a final mark of at least 8
Nigeria	Bachelor degree with second-class upper division or CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0
Pakistan	Four-year bachelor degree, normally with a GPA of at least 3.3
Russia	Magistr or Specialist Diploma with a minimum average mark of at least 4
South Africa	Bachelor (Honours) degree or Bachelor degree in Technology with an overall mark of at least 70%
Saudi Arabia	Bachelor degree with an overall mark of at least 70% or CGPA 3.5/5.0 or equivalent
South Korea	Bachelor degree from a leading university with CGPA of at least 3.5/4.0 or equivalent
Spain	Licenciado with a final mark of at least 2/4
Taiwan	Bachelor degree with overall mark of 70%-85% depending on your university
Thailand	Bachelor degree with CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or equivalent
Turkey	Lisans Diplomasi with CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0 depending on your university
United Arab Emirates	Bachelor degree with CGPA of at least 3.5/4.0 or equivalent
USA	Bachelor degree with CGPA 3.3-3.5/4.0 depending on your university
Vietnam	Masters degree with CGPA 3.5/4.0 or equivalent

If you have any questions about your qualifications after consulting our overseas qualifications, contact the University at E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

Related programmes

• Climate Change and Development MSc
• Climate Change and Policy MSc
• Energy Policy for Sustainability MSc
• Innovation and Sustainability for International Development MSc
• Sustainable Energy Technology MSc

Fees and funding

Fees

Home UK/EU students: £6,500¹
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £6,500²
Overseas students: £14,000³

¹ The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
² The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
³ The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.

Funding

The funding sources listed below are for the subject area you are viewing and may not apply to all degrees listed within it. Please check the description of the individual funding source to make sure it is relevant to your chosen degree.

Faculty interests

Geography faculty enjoy reputations for world-leading academic research as well as policy-relevant studies on global socioeconomic and cultural transformations, and on climate change and geomorphology. Our research includes a number of projects funded by UK Research Councils such as the ESRC, AHRC and NERC, as well as major contributions to policy debates within the UK Government, the EU, other international organisations and industry. 

The research clusters in Geography are described below. For more information, visit the Department of Geography.  

Climate

In recent years, the spectre of anthropogenic climate change has thrust climate science into the centre of current political and public debates. Climate science is now directly informing policies on how we fuel our economy, which will affect all our lives. The Department contributes to this agenda through research to improve our understanding of fundamental climate processes within the earth system and climate impacts on our life-support systems. 

We focus on climate change and the global water cycle, the role of mineral dust aerosols in the climate system, the role of terrestrial ecosystems in the climate system, and human dimensions of climate change. 

Associated Geography faculty include: 

Dr Mick Frogley Quaternary palaeoecology, and climatic history of lake basins. 

Professor Dominic Kniveton Climate systems, and the hydrological cycle in Southern Africa. 

Professor Julian Murton Permafrost, physical modelling, and Quaternary environments in Arctic Canada and UK. 

Dr David Ockwell Transitions to a low-carbon economy; economics, politics and ecology of fire management in Cape York, Australia. 

Dr Pedram Rowhani Climate change impacts on ecosystems, food security, conflict. 

Professor Martin Todd The role of mineral dust in the climate system, the impact of climate change on hydrological and ecological systems. 

Dr Yi Wang Climate change and earth systems science. 

Economic geographies of globalisation and development

This research cluster focuses on global value chains, developing country industrialisation, industrial change and regional economic performance, the nature and impact of the emergence of China, and spatial price formation. 

Research on regional inequality and regional economic performance has focused on regional economic performance in Europe, including governance and cohesion in an enlarged Europe. Current plans centre on an extension of this research to a comparative study of the EU and China. We are working on an ESRC-funded project in partnership with the Chinese Academy of Sciences on EU-China links and regional development in China.

Our research on global value chains involves close relationships with the research of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Globalisation Group. Scope exists for joint supervision with IDS. Refer to the development studies subject area.

Associated Geography faculty include:

Professor Mick Dunford Comparative regional and urban economic performance; inequality and social cohesion in Europe; and theories of regulation.

Geographies of migration

This cluster constitutes the core of the Sussex Centre for Migration Research. It is a unique venue for migration research in Britain, centred on creating a close-knit, interdisciplinary environment for faculty and graduate researchers alike, and linking research with its well-established MA in Migration Studies. 

Highlights of this research effort have included a six-year ‘Development Research Centre’, funded by the Department for International Development, on the relationship between migration, globalisation and poverty; research on issues of integration, social cohesion and identity among migrants to the UK; and extensive research on migration issues in Europe. The group also supervises a number of doctoral students working on migration issues around the world.

The Centre is home to the internationally established Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, edited by Professor Russell King. Sussex is one of the main agenda-setting centres outside the US for journal-based empirical research on all aspects of migration. 

Associated faculty include: 

Dr Mike Collyer Migration policy, refugees and asylum, and Europe and North Africa.

Professor Russell King International migration in Europe, rural geography, the Mediterranean, and islands.

Professor Ben Rogaly Labour geographies; class and community; identity, place and belonging; temporary migrant workers.

Professor Ronald Skeldon Population migration in the developing world, especially Asia.

Dr Katie Walsh The intersection of migration, home and belonging; transnational spaces and identities; British expatriates; and Gulf region.

Geomorphology

This research cluster focuses on modelling and monitoring of sensitive earth-surface and atmospheric systems. The study of sensitive systems such as mountains, coasts, the atmosphere and the arctic is becoming critical to societies, as they adjust to the impacts of environmental change. Our research investigates sensitive systems by field monitoring, physical and numerical modelling, geotechnical analysis of sediments and rocks, and reconstruction of Quaternary environments. 

Our expertise concerns:

• climate systems
• coastal and estuarine systems
• dryland systems
• permafrost and Arctic systems
• Quaternary palaeoenvironments
• slopes and landslides systems, and
• soil systems.

Key achievements

Recognition for the high quality of our research has led to several recent achievements:

• papers in Nature, Science, Geology and Geophysical Research Letters
• grants: more than £3.5 million (for example from the EU, INTERREG, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, NERC, Royal Society, Environment Agency)
• Beaches At Risk project – a showcase Franco-British project
• Chair of NERC Grant-awarding panel
• Chair of the British Society for Geomorphology
• associate editor of Journal of Geophysical Research – Earth Surface, and
• Dorothy Hodgkins Royal Society Research Fellowship to a former PhD student.

Associated faculty include:

Dr John Barlow Geospatial mapping and image analysis.

Professor Roger Moore Coastal instability and erosion, slopes and landslides, geohazard risk, subsea geomorphology.

Dr Cherith Moses Rock weathering; coastal processes; and karst landforms in the British Isles, the Mediterranean Basin and Australia.

Professor Julian Murton Permafrost, physical modelling, and Quaternary environments in Arctic Canada and UK. 

Dr David Ockwell Transitions to a low-carbon economy; economics, politics and ecology of fire management in Cape York, Australia. 

Dr David Robinson Rock weathering, coastal processes, soil erosion and conservation, and landform evolution.

Geomorphology at Sussex has close links with industry including collaboration through Halcrow Ltd, Royal Haskoning Ltd, Arup, Mott MacDonald and other consultants.

Industry collaborators

Arup 

Mathew Free Geological hazards and tsunamis. 
Jason Manning Remote sensing. 

BP

Chris Martin Engineering geology and drylands.

Halcrow Group Ltd 

Jon Carey Site investigation and landslides.
Paul Fish Quaternary geology and GIS.
Gayle Hough Marine geology and sedimentology.
Andy Mills Fluvial and upland geomorphology.

Mott MacDonald 

Peter Phipps Terrain analysis, coastal and drylands.

Royal Haskoning Ltd 

David Brew Coastal geomorphology. 
Nick Cooper Coastal planning and engineering. 
Mike Walkden Coastal modelling.

Consultants

Mark Lee Landslide risk and geohazards. 
David Norbury Engineering geology.

Histories, cultures, networks

This cluster centres around space and place in colonial and postcolonial worlds. Research is orchestrated around two interdisciplinary research centres: the Centre for Colonial and Postcolonial Studies and the Centre for World Environmental History.

Associated faculty include: 

Dr Grace Carswell Rural livelihoods in eastern Africa, population-environment interactions, agricultural change under the influence of colonialism, and rural change in South India. 

Professor Alan Lester The historical geographies of the 19th-century British Empire, and of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand; histories of humanitarianism and ‘race’.

Dr Simon Rycroft Radical urban cultures in the 1960s, the analysis of such cultures from a counter/cultural perspective showing how they engage with ‘nature’, 20th-century cosmologies.

Dr Katie Walsh The intersection of migration, home and belonging; transnational spaces and identities; British expatriates; and Gulf region. 

Careers and profiles

This degree provides essential skills training and experience to professionals looking for a career in applied geomorphology and associated disciplines in industry and research. It offers enhanced prospects of employment in a wide range of organisations, including: 

• agencies and utility companies 
• applied research organisations 
• central and local government 
• engineering and environmental consultancy firms 
• international funding agencies. 

The project may involve either a placement with a consultancy company or environmental organisation, or a piece of independent academic research. 

School and contacts