Cornwall HE Advisers

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Cornwall HE Advisers Day Progressing into
Geography
James Ryan University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus,
Tremough
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Presentation Outline

• Why study geography at university?
• What will I learn?
• How will I learn?
• What a typical course looks like
• What careers can it lead to?
• How do I choose the right course?
• Making a successful application
• Questions?

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Why study geography?

• You enjoy learning about people and their
  societies, economies, cultures and the
  environment
• You enjoy working at the interface between
  social sciences, humanities and environmental
  sciences
• You are keen to learn and develop a wide range
  of skills
• You are seeking a broad based academic degree,
  offering above average graduate employability
• You want to make new friends and visit new
  places
• You want to make a difference to your world!

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Michael Palin, President of the Royal
Geographical Society, guardian.co.uk 18 Aug 2011
So many of the world's current issues at a
global scale and locally - boil down to
geography, and need the geographers of the future
to help us understand them.
Many employers prize the knowledge and skills
that studying geography can provide ...
...Geography students are among those gaining
greatest satisfaction from their studies
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Programme pathways and choices
BA (Bachelor of Arts) Geography Investigates the
social and cultural processes underpinning human
understandings of environment and landscape. BSc
(Bachelor of Science) Geography Explores the
natural and physical processes shaping the
Earths surface over different temporal and
spatial scales. Many other options eg BSc
Environmental Science BA/BSc Geography with
European Study BSc Conservation Biology and
Geography BA Geography and English BA History
and Geography BA Politics and Geography
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What will I learn about?

• Why our human and physical environments and
  landscapes appear as they are, and the causes,
  rates and patterns of change in different
  contexts.
• The dynamic interaction between human society
  and the environment, including the integrated
  study of contemporary issues such as climate
  change, land use, energy policy and
  sustainability.
• The importance of different spatial
  scalesglobal
• to localand time scales for physical and human
• processes, and the significance of
• interdependence.

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What other skills will I gain?

• Intellectual skills, such as critically
  evaluating theories and judging evidence in order
  to make informed decisions and to develop
  reasoned arguments.
• Research skills, including how to use a range of
  technical methods for the collection and analysis
  of spatial and environmental data.
• Transferable skills, such as teamwork, problem
  solving, IT skills, communication skills
• (presentation, writing, debating).
• Personal skills, such as time-management,
  development of responsibility, coping with
  uncertainty, self-reflection, motivation,
• flexibility, and creativity.

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How will I learn?

• Lectures
• Labs and Practicals
• Seminars
• Tutorials
• Field Study
• Independent Study (Dissertation)
• Average 10-15 contact hours a week

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Transition to University HE Geography is

• Broad in scope and diverse in topic
• Reflects interests and expertise of staff look
  at websites and attend open days
• Assessed using range of outputs

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Transition to University is a big step In
general it requires

• motivation (from inside and outside)
• maturity
• mentoring and support (from friends, family and
  university staff)
• embracing as a holistic experience
• University in UK today is akin to
• specialist gym membership,
• not a package holiday

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Learning approaches

• Geography involves a variety of lecture, field
  and laboratory environments, including the study
  of techniques such as Geographical Information
  Systems (GIS).
• In the first year of a geography degree you will
  usually begin with more general courses,
  advancing to more specialised research-focused
  courses in years 2 and 3.
• Your skills will grow in parallel, so that by
  the end of
• your degree, you can shape your course to
• reflect your strengths and interests.

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Level One foundational modules

• Tutorials
• Analysis of environmental data
• Investigating social and spatial environments
• Approaches to geographical knowledge
• Earth system science
• Global issues in environmental science
• Environment and society
• Fieldclass (eg. West Penwith)

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Level Two modules increase focus and depth

• Environment, place and the past
• Society, nature and space
• Applied environmental management
• Atmosphere and ocean systems
• Environmental policy and politics
• Fieldclass and lecture course
• eg. California

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Level Three specialist and research-informed
modules

• Sustainable Rural Futures
• Wastelands
• Issues in Climate Change
• The Carbon Cycle
• Energy for a Low Carbon Economy
• China
• Environmental Geomorphology
• Landscape and Environmental Modelling
• Environment and Empire
• Histories of Science
• DISSERTATION

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Geography dissertations allow variation and
specialisation. Eg Recent dissertation topics

• Historical geography of Francophone Methodism in
  Jersey, 1900-1950
• Policy responses to climate change in the
  domestic arena
• Influence of rural politics on wind farm
  development in rural South Devon
• Biogeomorphology of a saltmarsh Saltash,
  Cornwall
• Conflict in leisure spaces surfing and the
  dynamics of localism
• Renegotiating Cornish identity on the border
• Late Holocene palaeoenvironmental changes
• in Northern Patagonia
• Historical geography of the submerged
  forest in Mounts Bay, Cornwall

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Regional and overseas field study
The California fieldtrip was incredible! The
places we visited were amazing and the coursework
that we did there was challenging but really
interesting, and provided training in a lot of
techniques that could be used for dissertation
research.
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Multiple geographical career paths

• Development and Global Issues
• Environment and Sustainability
• Business
• Teaching
• Travel, Tourism, Leisure and Culture
• Physical Systems
• Geographical Techniques
• Research
• Media and broadcasting

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Where could a geography degree take you?
Sam Stibbs Programme BSc Geography
Environmental Management, 2010 Now Remote
Sensing Technician Company Network Mapping
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Where could a geography degree take you?
Sam Gillchrest Programme BSc Geography,
2010 Now Cartographic assistant Company UK
Hydrographic Office
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Where could a geography degree take you?

• Abi Brady
• Programme BSc Geography
• Year of graduation 2010
• 2011 Sustainability Assistant Internshippart-tim
  e Ambassador Project Assistant
• Now Sustainablilty Advisor,
• Investec Bank plc

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Where could a geography degree take you?
James Lythgoe Programmes BA Geography, 2010
MSc Energy Policy, 2011 Now Internship Company
Good Energy
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Recent graduate destinations
Remote Sensing Technician, Network
Mapping European Mobility Administrator,
Unilever Assistant Town Planner, David Lock
Associates Recruitment Consultant, Allen And York
Quantity Surveyor, Chartered Surveyors Environmen
tal Consultant, RPS Group Project Manager,
Coastline Section Coordinator, Marks Spencer
PhD Studentship, Porthcurno Telegraph Museum
Cartographic Assistant, UK Hydrographic
Office Transport Planner, Scott Wilson Ltd Relay
Worker, UCCF
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Choosing a course

• There are approximately 80 Universities with 1600
  geography-related degrees in the UK!
• BA or BSc? (how much flexibility?)
• Joint honours (Geography and.?)
• Do the modules offered reflect your interests?
• How is the course taught and assessed?
• How many taught classes per week
• compared with independent learning?
• Are staff experts in their field?
• What are fieldwork opportunities?
• Study abroad schemes?

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• What are the facilities like?
• How big is the department?
• How many students per staff member?
• Will you get plenty of face-to-face contact?
• What are the entrance requirements?
• What is the reputation of the course/university?
• What opportunities are they for extra-
• curricula activities?
• How expensive will it be? What are
• the opportunities for part-time
• work? Is living at home an option?

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Making a successful application

• Know what you want from a course
• Know what the course requires from you
• Work hard to get your grades!
• UCAS personal statements are important to show
  your passion for the subject, but your 3 best
  A-levels are everything!
• Examine prospectuses and online info eg for
  preferred subjects (generally open for Geog)
• Open days attend as many as you can
• Speak to admissions officers
• Speak to students
• Talk to your teachers

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AAB
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Sources of information

• UCAS see course search and entry profiles
• www.ucas.ac.uk
• Royal Geographical Society
• www.rgs.org
• Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Subject Centre, http//www.gees.ac.uk/home/student
  s.htm
• National Student Survey
• Times and Guardian University Guide
• Other online info
• www.ukstudentlife.com
• www.thestudentroom.co.uk
• www.opendays.com

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Good luck and thank you for listening! Any
questions? Contact James.ryan_at_exeter.ac.uk