Geography and Politics BA (Hons)

What is special about this course?

Geography is the study of the Earth, and the link between physical and human landscapes. It explores the inter-relationships between people, place, and the environment, and how these vary across and between places. This degree considers these links from a humanities and social sciences perspective, focusing on issues such as land use, planning and development, globalisation, climate change, energy, and tourism, in order to examine human relationships with the environment. The broad curriculum has been designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills to understand many aspects of our rapidly changing world, equipping you to tackle real-world problems in a range of organisations and sectors, and develop specialist and transferable skills.

The relationship between geography and politics is incredibly close, with the study of borders, territory, population shifts, conflict, nationalism, geopolitics, and environmental politics embedded throughout the modules.

The politics modules of this joint degree will follow the four main pillars of political study; you will study International relations, Comparative politics, and Applied politics, all feeding from the central pillar of Political theory. You can apply to this degree with little more than a keen interest in politics: the modules become incrementally more specialised as the semesters go on and you can choose introductory options that will develop your understanding at a steady pace.

The knowledge and skills taught in this BA (Hons) Geography and Politics are of relevance to many areas of employment, including: renewable energy; energy efficiency; waste management; tourism; rural and community development; agriculture; local government; planning; logistics; and environmental agencies. A significant number of geography graduates move on to careers in finance, marketing and law, or to further postgraduate study, teaching and research, and geography graduates are among the most employable, with skills developed in presenting ideas in reports and oral presentations, in data collection and analysis, and in the use of specialist mapping and statistical software.

Please see our FAQ sheet for further information on this course.

Special features

• Join a course which can be studied from home anywhere in the world, full or part-time to suit your circumstances 
• Delivered by tutors with years of experience of teaching at a distance, offering a high level of support
• Online learning materials available 24/7 via laptops, tablets or mobiles, including reading, videos and podcasts
• Optional study field trip to Iceland as well as opportunities for a student society residential trip in the Scottish Highlands
• Geography graduates have high levels of employability in a range of sectors

Entry requirements

• 3 Scottish Highers at grades BBC or above or
• 2 A levels at grades BC or above
• At least 2 should be from the list of required subjects
• Additional qualifications and experiences will be considered on an individual basis

Advanced entry

• HNC Social Science (12 SCQF credits) with 3 additional SCQF credits at level 7, which is equivalent to 120 degree credit points, and at least grade C in the Graded Unit, will be considered for direct entry to year two

Year 1 - CertHE

You will study the following modules: 

• Evolving politics of the UK (S2)
• Ideas and ideologies in politics (S1)
• Introduction to human geography (S2) 
• Overview of energy use (S1) 

You will also choose two further option modules from other humanities subjects.

Year 2 - DipHE

You will study the following modules: 

• Atmosphere, weather and climate (S2) 
• Comparative politics (S2)
• History of political ideas (S1)
• Introduction to geographical information systems (S2) 

You will also choose two further option modules from across the Humanities subject area, which includes our optional international field trip module, 'Sustainable development approaches in an international context'.

Year 3 - BA

You will usually study the following modules: 

• Assessment of the environmental impacts of development (S1) 
• Climate change (S2) 
• Modern political Ideas (S1)

Plus two of the following modules:

• Advanced social research methods (S1) OR European politics (S2)
• Sustainable tourism and the environment (S2) OR Advanced social research methods (S1)

Year 4 - BA (Hons)

You will complete either a Geography or Politics dissertation. 

You will also study one option module from your chosen dissertation subject, plus three option modules from the other subject.

Modules may include:

• Agroecology: regenerative food systems (S2)
• Democratising Europe (S1)
• Geopolitical development issues (S1) 
• Geopolitics (S1)
• Political theory (S2) 
• Sustainable energy and waste minimisation (S1)

Fees

For students normally domiciled in Scotland, with a term-time address in Scotland, the following fees apply:

This includes

• EU nationals with settled or pre-settled status in the UK,
• EEA/Swiss nationals with settled status in the UK
• EEA/Swiss nationals with pre-settled status who are self-employed or migrant workers in the UK.

Rest of the UK students

For students normally domiciled in the rest of the UK (England, Wales and N. Ireland) or assessed as rest of the UK for fee status the following fees apply:

International students

For students who do not normally reside in the UK studying online from their home country, or living in the UK but assessed as international for fee status, the following fees apply:

This includes EU/EEA and Swiss nationals without settled status in the UK and EEA and Swiss nationals with pre-settled status who are not self-employed or migrant workers in the UK.

A no fee increase guarantee is available for self-funding full-time and structured part-time rest of the UK and international undergraduate students for continuous study for the same award, up to the permitted standard time limit for the relevant award.

Funding

UHI has a number of scholarships, bursaries, awards, and discretionary fund opportunities available to new and current students. Please use the A-Z of funds or use the filter to see which ones may be relevant to you. All students are welcome to apply.

Further information on funding your studies is also available, please see the attached link or contact the relevant UHI partner.

Additional costs

This course includes an option to attend student society residential trips and an optional international field trip to Iceland. You will be required to  pay a contribution towards the cost of the residential and international trips. Further information is available upon request. Attendance at such face to face events is optional and not essential for completion of the course.