Geography

An introduction to the physical processes operating across the geosphere and biosphere to provide a solid basis to understand their influence on the landscape and ecosystems. The module looks at the inter-relationships between both environmental and ecological processes with a focus on the impact on human activity. Case studies explore key concepts such as climate change, geohazards and biodiversity.

Environmental resources include food, energy and water. 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, water, minerals, and food resources as fundamental topics in environmental resources management and examines current problems related to climate change, food security, water availability and pollution. You will explore these themes through a combination of case study work, site visits, and field and laboratory work.

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.

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.

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. Academic Tutorials module comprise lecture\workshop sessions and a weekly one hour tutorial with a member of academic staff in groups of between six and eight. The tutorials involve discussion, debate, and problem-solving, and provide you with a regular forum for monitoring your progress through your first year.

The Applied skills and fieldwork module provides lectures and associated practical activities (in trimester 1) to identify and source data, describe, and utilise environmental statistics to develop writing and analytical skills associated with spatial and temporal variations in real world data.

In Trimester 2 lectures investigate the role of qualitative research methods and build background detail before the residential field course takes place. Post field course sessions provide opportunities for feedback, questions and guidance before the final assessment. This module introduces water, glaciers, climate change and a mixed methods approach to both desk and field based activities. You will explore these themes through a combination of lectures, practical computer lab sessions and field work. 

This module introduces you to the theory and practical implementation of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to solve environmental and geographical problems. The module will explore the principles relating to how we represent the world inside a computer, before looking at the analytical methods that can be applied to solve spatial problems. You will learn how to be a critical user and how to design and implement solutions using industry standard GIS software. Part of the module is delivered in conjunction with industry partners.

This module equips 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. You will gain experience of international fieldwork in an environment relevant to thematic areas being studied. The work is supported by six, small-group tutorials with a member of academic staff.

This module develops an understanding of planning and regulatory frameworks and their role in achieving environmental sustainability. You will learn through a combination of lectures, workshops, field and laboratory work. The learning will draw on case studies from the fields of planning, contaminated land, and noise regulation to enable you to explore the relationships between regulatory frameworks, environmental standards, and sustainable development decision-making. Key agencies, such as ARUP, Jacobs and others, will also play a role in delivery, providing students with a flavour of employment opportunities in the sector.

A key element in your degree programme is a research project, the Dissertation, which you will undertake during your final year of study. A dissertation is an independent piece of research undertaken under the guidance of a Dissertation Supervisor.

This module introduces you to a wide range of issues connected to the research process and prepares you for starting your dissertation work.

This module examines occupational health and safety legislation, policy and practice in a range of contexts including those involving public safety. It explores the concepts and principles of controlling risks to workers, assessing and controlling risks, and the legislation and guidance designed to control workplace risks.

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 teamwork, 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.

Monitoring Environmental Change explores the concepts and provides the practical experience of contemporary techniques for environmental monitoring of human impacts in a range of environments. The module provides necessary skills and techniques to undertake field work in selected environments, generate data and explore its analysis and interpretation.

Courses are available in: Arabic, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

This module gives you the opportunity to undertake a 12-week placement with a company or organisation from the geo-technical, environmental, or sustainability sectors. You will be prepared for placement through a series of workshops run by your academic tutors and employability professionals, with contributions from external industry speakers. You will have the chance to apply for a range of placements developed by academic staff and our industry partners. Where you have a particular interest in a field of geographical, environmental, or sustainability work we help you to find a placement that suits your needs. Students have undertaken placements with Jacobs, Kier, Electricity Northwest, Royal Haskoning DHV, and with universities and local authorities. You can develop a wide range of skills and there are great opportunities for networking with professionals to enhance your job prospects.

You will develop a detailed understanding of the scientific principles underlying how changing climate has an effect on the natural world, urban environments and society. Through this knowledge you will be able to appreciate the implications of climate change on biodiversity, ecosystems and society, and identify what adaptions can be made to mitigate climate change.

Overall, Sustainable Cities is a broad module covering a wide variety of topics, allowing you to focus on elements relevant to your specific field of study. This module will engage with a host of ideas and concepts, from urban agriculture, which involves farming in cities, to methods for greening cities and the role of key actors in managing these spaces. Semester two focuses on the rise of megacities, with a specific focus on the social and environmental issues present in such complex environments; it builds on the themes from semester one and enables you to focus on a topic which is of interest to you.

You will undertake independent research guided by the literature relevant to your chosen field of study, to deploy techniques of analysis and enquiry within the discipline. Provided by the practical skills you will be supported by an academic supervisor to design and execute a dissertation project with an understanding of the roles of ethics and risk assessment.

Corporations and organisations are continuously having to make choices about their products and services which have significant environmental implications. Corporate environmental managers are required to support and ensure organisations and businesses minimise their environmental impact and actively work towards a more global sustainable future. This module looks at the details and gives practical work-based experience for those wishing to explore a career in environmental management. 

In the first part of the module, we will critically engage with the evolution of development theories and approaches, and their relationship with wider global phenomena such as colonialism and globalization. In the second part, we will understand the concept of Sustainable Development and investigate a range of global challenges such as food security, poverty, inequality, migration, energy security and climate change. The module will draw upon a range of diverse case studies from the global south and the global north and will allow students to focus more in depth in the study of one of the indicated global challenges.  

This module will explore the principles and applications of remotely sensed data with an emphasis on terrestrial applications and optical remote sensing systems. You will learn about the use of satellite and aircraft sensor data to solve environmental problems. You will carry out a real-world, group-based, problem-driven project for a client using remotely sensed imagery.

This module will give you an introduction in the role and implementation of models to solve environmental problems. Environmental modelling is an important tool across policy and decision making in fields such as conservation, wildlife management, biodiversity and climate change.  The module consists of a combination of lectures and computer practicals where you will get hands on experience of different types of models and how they are used to inform environmental decision making. The module is focused on the use of models rather than on mathematical or technical aspects of model development, and so will benefit anyone interested in the rapidly increasing role of models in environmental policy.

Courses are available in: Arabic, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

This module will explore in detail the concepts and theories that underpin fluvial and glacial systems including hill slope processes, fluvial network development and glacial systems. You will explore the stability and characteristics of fluvial systems in UK-based fieldwork, and undertake detailed site and desk-based methodological approaches to build your understanding of natural dynamic systems and managed river environments. 

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. The module is set in the context of the impacts that environmental factors (including socio-economic factors) have on health and wellbeing.

This module examines the role of decision-making in the management of natural resources and ecosystem services. You will investigate the role of environmental modelling in supporting environmental decision-making and assess the effectiveness of decision-making tools including Environmental Impact Assessment, hazard and risk analysis, and life-cycle analysis.