BSc (Hons)
Geography
Three good reasons to study Geography at Salford:
- You will work with internationally renowed academic staff
- Choose free field courses in Switzerland, France and Scandinavia
- You can choose to specialise in physical or human geography or take a mixture of modules
Choose Geography at Salford to experience small-group teaching in one of the UK’s most dynamic universities.
Fieldwork is a key element of this course and you will undertake one day visits to the Peak District and Yorkshire Dales, and residential field courses in Denmark or the European Alps.
Course details
Small group teaching is a feature of Geography (Environmental Management) at Salford and there are strong links between the content of this course and staff research interests. Study and IT skills are embedded in this course, as is the use of computing facilities for data handling, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for environmental mapping and modelling.
Year 1
Year 1 provides a solid foundation across the breadth of the subject, and includes field and laboratory work, study skills development, data handling and interpersonal skills. You take six 20 credit modules in year 1.
Academic skills tutorial (20 credits)
You take a weekly one hour tutorial with a member of academic staff in a group of 6-8 students. The module develops your academic skills and helps you develop your personal and professional skills for study and for work. You will work on a range of geographical/environmental management problems linked to the core first year modules The tutorials involve discussion, debate, and problem-solving, and provide you with a regular forum for monitoring your progress.
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Sustainability and environment (20 credits)
You will examine sustainability at local, national and global scales and explore a range of case studies. Sustainability is a concept that cuts across disciplines and provides a framework for managing environmental issues. Project work will allow you apply your knowledge of the principles of sustainable development to assess and classify real-world problems and suggest solutions.
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Earth surface processes (20 credits)
This module provides a broad introduction to the physical processes that take place within the geosphere and biosphere, focussing on those linked to the nature of landforms, global ecosystems and environmental change. You will develop a sound understanding of the inter-relationships between physical environmental processes and human activity, including natural hazards, climate change and biodiversity.
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People, place and space (20 credits)
This module examines the role of people in shaping the human environment and focuses on key concepts such as place, power, scale and networks. You will learn about how the shape and form of cities is influenced by social and political issues, and how new technologies are changing the nature of human interactions in cities, states and across the world.
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Environmental resources (20 credits)
Environmental resources include food, energy and water, and spatial and temporal variation in the availability of these resources is arguably the most important issue for society in the twenty first century. This module introduces energy and water resources as fundamental concepts and examines current problems related to climate change, food security and pollution.
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Fieldwork and applied skills (20 credits)
The first part of this module provides you with the applied skills to manage and analyse data using descriptive statistics, inference, graphs, hypothesis testing, and correlation and regression. It also introduces information searching and retrieving skills, data presentation and report writing. The second part of the module involves a residential field course in the UK where you will collect, analyse and present data to put into practice what you have learned.
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Year 2
Year 2 extends both knowledge and understanding and increases specialisation with core modules oriented around skills development, and optional modules to provide flexibility for your studies. The course includes an overseas residential field courses in the Swiss Alps, or Scandinavia. You take four core module and two optional modules in year 2.
Research skills and tutorial (20 credits)
This module equips with you with the range of research skills relevant for further study and the workplace, and prepares you for your Dissertation in final year. You will learn about the research process, the nature of scientific writing, research design, risk assessment and ethical considerations, and how to write a research proposal. The work is supported by fortnightly small-group tutorials with a member of academic staff.
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Consultancy project (20 credits)
This innovative module supports the development of personal and professional skills. You will carry out a group-based project for an external client and learn about team work, project planning and time management. You will work with an academic advisor to write a project plan, allocate tasks to the team, carry out an investigation, and report the results to a client.
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Earth observation and GIS (20 credits)
This module introduces the theory and practice of acquiring environmental data using global positioning systems, aerial photography and satellite remote sensing. It develops practical skills in the use of geographical information systems (GIS) that can be deployed in projects, dissertations and work. It places an emphasis on hand-on learning using state-of-the-art mapping software and mapping technologies.
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Economic geography (20 credits)
In this module you will examine the connections between the global economy, and society and environment, in the developed and developing worlds. The scale of study is from local to global and the work involves coursework based on a ‘dragon’s den’ activity where you will work on a project in a group, and the pitch and report your findings to a panel of experts.
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Fluvial and glacial systems (20 credits)
This module introduces the concepts and theories that underpin fluvial and glacial systems including hillslope processes, fluvial network development and glacial teleconnections . You will explore the stability characteristics of fluvial systems in UK-based fieldwork and the hydrological and geochemical properties of rivers in Alpine environments in the Fieldwork module.
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Monitoring environmental change (20 credits)
This module combines fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and computer-based mapping and modelling, to explore ways to monitor environmental change in a range of environments. It covers both biotic and abiotic targets and critically examines the nature, quality and reliability of environmental data.
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Environmental protection (20 credits)
This module is designed to introduce the state’s role as a protector of the environment, and to identify those factors influencing environmental policy and law in the UK. You will explore the relationships between regulatory frameworks and environmental standards, and critically assess case studies relating to the nuclear sector, contaminated land, and air quality management.
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Year 3
In your final year you undertake a research project for your Dissertation and select four optional modules. Field courses are aligned with the specialist modules and include UK-based one day and residential trips, and overseas fieldwork opportunities in the French Alps and beyond.
Dissertation (40 credits)
The Dissertation is a key feature of the course providing you with an opportunity to undertake a challenging independent research project with guidance of a member of academic staff. Your research topic is defined in second year and in third year you focus on data analysis, data interpretation and report writing. The module fine-tunes your research skills and provides you with a wide range of skills that may deployed in further study or the workplace.
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Choose 4 options from:
Cities: Change and Governance (20 credits)
This module examines the ecological modernisation and urban environmental transition of cities in the twenty first century. It focuses on innovative and creative strategies for city sustainability and the emergence of smart, green, knowledge cities, and the role of arts, media and culture in urban regeneration.
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River restoration and management (20 credits)
You will learn about the relationships between fluvial processes and river restoration and management strategies. Underpinning theory on river hydromorphology, fluvial geomorphology, and sediment processes provides a sound basis for evaluating the success of different river engineering strategies. Field work in UK rivers provides practical experience of the impacts of river management, and an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches.
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Climate change, glaciers and hydrology (20 credits)
This module aims to introduce the concepts, current research problems, ideas and thinking, in integrated aspects of glaciology, glacier hydrology and mainstream hydrology. Water quantity and quality measurement techniques are studied in the French Alps and supporting work in the laboratory, and using historical records, leads to a deeper understanding of fluvio-glacial process and their links to climate change.
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Environmental Remote Sensing (20 credits)
This module will develop your understanding of the principles of remote sensing and the issues associated with applying remote sensing data to solve real-world problems. It will expose you to a range of remotely sensed data and help you to develop a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of methodologies that employ such data.
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Environment, health and wellbeing (20 credits)
This module explores the relationships between human health and environment and the epidemiology and geographical distribution of disease. You will assess the availability and accessibility of health services and their influence on ‘well-being’ in communities and explore the principles and techniques for health promotion.
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Environmental Geographical Information Systems (20 credits)
The aim of this module is to develop your knowledge and understanding of the factors controlling the design, and implementation of GIS solutions to map, monitor and model terrestrial environments. You will also examine the major issues and impacts of GIS evolution and diffusion on society.
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Course Enquiries
For course enquiries please call us on:
T: +44 (0) 161 295 4545
Or Email us at:
Home/EU students
E: enquiries@salford.ac.uk
International students
E: international@salford.ac.uk
www.salford.ac.uk/study