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University of Bristol

UCAS Code: 09F4 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

A,A,A-A,B,B

Standard offer: AAA in any subjects, or AAB in three specified subjects. Contextual offer: ABB in any subjects, or BBB in three specified subjects. Please visit: bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/ for more information about contextual offers.

Access to HE Diploma

D:30,M:15

Access to HE Diploma in Science, Humanities or Social Sciences (or similar titles). The 45 graded Level 3 credits must include at least 30 credits at Distinction and 15 at Merit or above. Mature students can contact mature-students@bristol.ac.uk to check the suitability of their Access course.

Requirements for principal subjects are as for A-level, where D1/ D2 is A*, D3 is A, M1/ M2 is B, and M3 is C.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32-36

Standard offer: 36 points overall with 18 at Higher Level, or 34 points overall with 17 at Higher Level, including three specified subjects. Contextual offer: 32 points overall with 16 at Higher Level, or 31 points overall with 15 at Higher Level, including three specified subjects. Please visit: bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/ for more information about contextual offers.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDD

DDD in any Applied General BTEC National Level 3 Extended Diploma.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,A-A,B

Advanced Higher: AA, and Standard Higher: AAAAB, or Advanced Higher: AB in two specified subjects, and Standard Higher: AAABB.

Scottish Higher

A,A,A,A,B-A,A,A,B,B


Advanced Higher: AA, and Standard Higher: AAAAB, or Advanced Higher: AB in two specified subjects, and Standard Higher: AAABB.

Requirements are as for A-levels, where you can substitute a non-subject specific grade for the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate at that grade.

UCAS Tariff

104-159

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course

Course option

4years

Full-time with time abroad | 2025

Subject

Physical geography

Join a University ranked first in the UK for 'Geography and environmental studies' research (THE analysis of REF 2021) with an excellent reputation for teaching and learning (UK top ten for 'Geography and Environmental Science', Complete University Guide 2024).

This four-year course has the same basic structure as BSc Geography but you will spend your third year studying geography and other subjects at an English-speaking university abroad.

In year one you will receive an overview of physical and human geography, and develop a range of geographical and scientific skills. The remaining years are organised around specialist units from physical and/or human geography.

Physical geography units cover a wide-ranging exploration of Earth's dynamic processes, emphasising a multidisciplinary approach to studying the natural environment. You will delve into topics such as climate change, glaciology, and hydrology, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the interconnected and societally-relevant systems shaping our planet.

Human geography units provide in-depth study of cultural, economic and social geography, emphasising the importance of theory and methods for analysing contemporary geographical problems and policies. Topics range from economic development and global politics to inequalities of health and contemporary social theory.

You will also develop skills in the use of specialised computer software, statistics and data collection in the field. Field trips and practical work are key components of the course. There are UK residential trips in year one and in year two there is typically an overseas field trip.

Your third-year abroad will be arranged on an individual basis. We currently have exchange agreements with universities in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Iceland, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland and the US. To find out more about studying abroad, visit the Centre for Study Abroad: bristol.ac.uk/centre-for-study-abroad

The skills that you acquire throughout your studies will be applied in a self-directed dissertation project in your final year.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,535
per year
England
£9,535
per year
EU
£30,400
per year
International
£30,400
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,535
per year
Scotland
£9,535
per year
Wales
£9,535
per year

The Uni

Course location:

University of Bristol

Department:

School of Geographical Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

91%
Physical geography

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Physical geographical sciences

Teaching and learning

77%
Staff make the subject interesting
85%
Staff are good at explaining things
86%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
56%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

75%
Library resources
86%
IT resources
83%
Course specific equipment and facilities
49%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

97%
UK students
3%
International students
44%
Male students
56%
Female students
96%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Physical geographical sciences

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£28,500
high
Average annual salary
86%
med
Employed or in further education
75%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

24%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
12%
Business, research and administrative professionals
11%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Physical geographical sciences

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£25k

£25k

£31k

£31k

£41k

£41k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Lower entry requirements
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UCAS Points: 104-159

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here