Geography BA at Kings College London

Overview

Studying geography at King’s enables you to examine some of the key issues facing the world today, including sustainability, global inequality, urban regeneration and gentrification, as well as the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation on society.

Our Geography BA course offers an exciting course of study covering Development, the Environment, Urban and Cultural Geography, Geocomputation and Spatial Analysis as well as interactions with Physical Geography.

You will gain advanced analytical and technical skills that can be applied to understanding a range of real world issues through a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials together with workshops, laboratory sessions and international field trips. You will be taught by leading experts and have the opportunity to use London as your laboratory.  

Key benefits

• Hear from some of our students about why they chose to study Geography at King's. 

• All applicants of our full time BSc or BA are eligible for the £9,000 scholarship opportunity, including UK, EU and Overseas students.
• Fieldwork is central to the King's experience. We currently visit Spain in the first year, and China, India, Morocco, and the US in the second year.
• You will have the flexibility to choose to focus on human geography, or to combine it with aspects of physical geography, with the option to switch between the BA and BSc in your first year.  
• Our central London location on the River Thames and a stone’s throw from Parliament provides opportunities for fieldwork, engagement with policy-makers, as well as easy access to a wide range of facilities, experiences and job opportunities. 
• The quality of our teaching is reflected in student progression: In 2016 whilst only 7% of students achieved a first in their first year, by the third year this was 24%.
• We focus on research-enhanced education. In the most recent assessment, almost 80% of our research was rated as internationally excellent or world leading.
• Successful graduates are engaged in a range of different sectors, including the financial services industry, non-governmental organisations and corporate social responsibility.

Description

Based in one of the largest geography departments in the UK, our Geography BA and course combines lectures, seminars and tutorials together with workshops, laboratory sessions and field trips. We will provide frequent opportunities to process, combine and discuss what you have learned in small groups and one-to-one sessions with academic staff.

Your study in the first year will comprise a range of interdisciplinary 15 and 30-credit modules totalling 120 credits. In the second term you will be able to choose whether to continue on the BA or BSc programme of study for the rest of your degree, depending on your choice of programme you will take either Geographical Foundations II: Challenges of the Modern World or The Changing Natural Environment II.

In the second and final years, the BA pathway specialises in areas of development, society and the environment, urban and cultural geography, as well as geocomputation and spatial analysis. The final year also includes a required dissertation, known as the Independent Geographical Study, which is based on individual research in an area of your choice supervised by a discipline specialist. Working and studying at the leading edge of research are considered essential components of a strong Geography degree, and employers value the evidence of analytical and communications skills that a good dissertation demonstrates.

Geography BA will provide opportunities for you to follow your own interests in different fields whilst being taught the core of the discipline. You will also learn advanced analytical and technical skills and apply them to understanding a range of real-world issues. 

Career prospects

Geography at degree level provides a broad education leading to a range of opportunities in research after graduation, or employment in a variety of sectors, from London’s financial services industries to non-governmental organisations in areas such as development and environmental justice. King’s Careers Service ensures that a very high percentage of graduates find suitable employment on leaving the course.

Career destinations

Recent graduates have found employment as:

• Account executive, Mind Share
• Analyst, GPM Trading Ltd
• Company director, a garden equipment company
• Executive risk assessor, a risk management company
• Marketing internship, Jimmy Choo
• Management Training Programme Network Rail
• Public relations officer, Marriott Hotels
• Research assistant/economics & planning consultant, a consultancy company
• Management training programme, Network Rail