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

• Delivered by tutors with years of experience of teaching by videoconference, online and at a distance, and can be studied from home, full or part-time to suit your circumstances
• According to the UK's Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), Geography graduates are among the most likely to be employed: more than 90 per cent are in work or further study within six months of graduating (Times Higher Education 2017)

Accommodation

We offer modern student accommodation at a number of our locations.

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: 

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

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) 
• Introduction to geographical information systems (S2) 
• History of political ideas (S1)
• Comparative politics (S2)

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

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:

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

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:

• Geopolitical development issues (S1) 
• Sustainable agriculture systems (S2) 
• Sustainable energy and waste minimisation (S1) 
• Democratising Europe (S1)
• Political theory (S2) 
• Geopolitics (S1) 

Fees

Find out more about fees, fee waivers and funding options.

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

If you wish to attend an optional residential weekend, or to join other field trips, student contributions will be required towards the overall costs incurred. The cost will vary depending on the event, your location and the amount of other funding available towards the event (eg HISA contributions to the Student Society Residential weekend may reduce costs for individual students). Attendance at such face to face events is optional and not essential for completion of the course.