Geography BSc (Hons)

Key information

Duration:
3 years full time
UCAS code:
F801
Start date:
September 2025

At Sussex, you’ll cover a truly global range of issues, taught by experts who will help you to understand Earth systems and our relationship with the planet. Whether you are modelling climate impacts, analysing data from coastal, desert and periglacial environments, or using drone and satellite technology to map land cover change and help to understand the carbon dynamics of forests, we’ll guide you through as you develop your own set of interests and expertise. 

Even when you’re working closer to home, our setting – within the South Downs National Park – means you’ll take your learning out into the field. We offer an excellent choice of local and global field-trip destinations, recently including the Mojave Desert, Los Angeles, China and Greece.

From philosophy to law and modern languages, you take electives from other subjects to open your mind to other disciplines and tailor your degree to your interests.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described in this prospectus. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to government or regulatory requirements, or unanticipated staff changes, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.

BSc or BA?

  • BA: explores human geography and the social sciences.
  • BSc: looks at geography from an environmental and natural sciences perspective.

Whichever you choose, you’ll have the flexibility to combine human and physical geography, or focus more on one over the other.

The University’s location is perfect – there are field trips to learn about local geography, including the geology of the South Downs.” Georgia Lilley
Geography BSc

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Entry requirements

Entry requirements for this course are currently under review – please check back in early March 2024.

Modules

This is a single-honours course, allowing you to focus in depth on your core subject.

Find out about our types of undergraduate degrees, their structure, modules and credits

Core modules

Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

Options

Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.

While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.

Explore modules from other subjects as part of your course

At Sussex, you can choose to customise your course to build the sort of degree that will give you the knowledge, skills and experience that could take you in any direction you choose.

As part of this degree, you explore subjects that are different to your course through electives and pathways that complement your main subject. Exploring different disciplines in four electives across Years 1 and 2 helps enrich your learning experience.

Discover our electives and pathways

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.

Check back in January 2025 for more details of the modules running in the academic year 2025/26.

Core modules

Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

Options

Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.

While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.

Field trips

Get involved in fieldwork from the start of your course. You develop research, analytical and team-working skills in regions where our academics actively conduct research. 

In Year 2, you can pick from an exciting range of locations: current destinations include China, the Mojave Desert, Dubai and Los Angeles. There is also a UK-based field trip.

Find out about the 2,000-year-old artefacts found by a Sussex student on a field trip to the Mojave desert

Find out more about Geography field trips at Sussex

Explore modules from other subjects as part of your course

At Sussex, you can choose to customise your course to build the sort of degree that will give you the knowledge, skills and experience that could take you in any direction you choose.

As part of this degree, you explore subjects that are different to your course through electives and pathways that complement your main subject. Exploring different disciplines in four electives across Years 1 and 2 helps enrich your learning experience.

Discover our electives and pathways

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.

Check back in January 2025 for more details of the modules running in the academic year 2025/26.

Study abroad (optional)

Apply to study abroad – you’ll develop an international perspective and gain an edge when it comes to your career. Find out where your course could take you

If your application to study abroad is successful, you’ll have to meet the academic requirements at Sussex and also at the partner university. Find out more about studying abroad as a Sussex student

Beautiful nature, dog sledging in the Arctic, Swedish ‘fika’, and a great social life. I could not have chosen better!”Georgia Donati Clarke
Geography BSc
Studied abroad in Sweden 

Placement (optional)

To help you gain experience and increase your employability, you can apply for an optional placement as part of your course. You’ll be responsible for applying for and securing your placement. Our dedicated careers team can provide you with information and advice. If you’re successful in obtaining a placement, this will form part of your course.

Find out more about placements and internships

Please note that if you’re receiving – or applying for – USA federal Direct Loan funds, you can’t transfer to the version of your course with an optional study abroad period in any country or optional placement in the USA if the number of credits for the placement/internship exceeds 25% of the total credits for your course. Find out more about American Student Loans and Federal Student Aid

Core modules

Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.

Options

Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.

While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.

Check back in January 2025 for more details of the modules running in the academic year 2025/26.

TEF 2023 silver

Silver

The student experience and student outcomes are typically very high quality.
This rating was awarded in 2023, for four years.
(Teaching Excellence Framework 2023)

Find out more about our approach to teaching and supporting you to thrive

Our staff

I work at the interface of terrestrial ecology, land use, hydrology and climate change. This is linked to my teaching.Dr Alexander Antonarakis
Senior Lecturer in Global Change Ecology

Fees

Fees are not yet set for the academic year 2025/26 – please check back in September 2024. Note that your fees, once they’re set, may be subject to an increase on an annual basis.

Find out about typical living costs for studying at Sussex

Find out about our terms and conditions

Scholarships

Details of our scholarships are not yet set for entry in the academic year 2025/26.

Careers

On our Geography BSc, you develop strong research, numerical, analytical and resource-management skills. This means you can go on to careers in a wide range of sectors, including: 

  • environmental conservation and planning
  • civil service and government
  • business sustainability.

Throughout your degree, you will receive support from your department and the university careers and employability centre, and can attend specialist careers events and workshops.

Graduate destinations

Recent graduates have gone on to jobs such as:

  • policy and campaign manager, Wildlife and Countryside Link
  • emergency food security adviser, Oxfam
  • planning adviser, Environment Agency.

(Department of Geography careers database)

Working while you study

Our Careers and Entrepreneurship team can help you find part-time work while you study. Find out more about career development and part-time work

“I now lead a team responsible for assessing the impact of incoming information on navigational charts of the world’s oceans and seas.” Nick BiddiscombeGeography BSc
Team leader, Impact Analysis, UK Hydrographic Office
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