Geography

About the course

Geography provides a diverse interdisciplinary degree that bridges the natural and social sciences. It provides enhancement of a broad range of transferable skills, and an education encompassing pressing issues at a range of scales, from local up to global.

The degree spans such key topics as:

• climate and environmental change
• inequality
• social, economic and cultural transformation
• biodiversity loss
• geomorphological processes in drylands
• geographical data science
• post-colonialism
• globalisation.

The Oxford Geography degree provides a holistic view of the workings of physical and human environments, the ways in which humans are transforming the world and the implications for human societies.  

Students are introduced to the full range of geographical topics in the foundational courses, which they can then follow up in more detail in the optional papers, shaping their programme to match their developing interests.

There is emphasis placed on interdisciplinary approaches within the course, with opportunities to explore the intersections between geography and other disciplines from the humanities, social and natural sciences.

The facilities available at Oxford are among the best in the country. Field equipment used by students for fieldwork reports and dissertations include:

• Lidar systems for remote sensing of winds
• theodolites for tracking balloons to calculate winds in the lower atmosphere
• high specification systems for working with climate data.

The department also has well-equipped Geolabs for practical physical courses and individual research projects. These include the Geography Research and Teaching Labs, the Oxford Luminescence Dating Lab and the Oxford Resilient Buildings and Landscapes Lab.

Students are also trained in qualitative research methods that are particularly useful for human geography, such as:

• interviewing
• literature reviews
• archival research
• focus group and workshop facilitation
• ethnography.

There are opportunities to learn advanced data analysis and coding skills. The central and collegiate Library resources, electronically and in print are second to none. 

Fieldwork and international opportunities

The School of Geography and the Environment emphasises the importance of fieldwork since we believe there is no substitute for teaching subjects first-hand.

In the first year, all students take part in:

• a four-day physical geography field trip in the first term
• a one-day trip to the university research site in Wytham Woods,
•  a day of human geography fieldwork in Oxford.

Second-year students will undertake a week-long overseas residential field course (currently to the Netherlands and Tenerife). All of this fieldwork is funded by the department.

Independent research, whether field-based, employing geocomputational tools, remote-sensed data, in laboratories, or archives, is also a key element of the dissertation. 

'I chose to study geography at Oxford because I loved the idea of being able to study a diverse range of topics that covered all my interests as I enjoy both physical and human geography equally. So far, it has been great to have a range of different ways to learn, such as lectures, classes and tutorials. This means no day is the same and you can explore in detail such fascinating ideas and gain new skills from tutors and lecturers that are some of the best in their field.' Maddy	'I enjoy the course because it allows for breadth across a wide range of topics and depth into the important issues facing the world. Studying both human and physical geography in first year, whilst gaining proficiency in statistical analysis and field methods, means that no day is the same and there is always something interesting and novel to explore. Having a solid basis of knowledge across the discipline then provides you with the skills to specialise in the final two years. The system of lectures in the department and tutorials in your college means that you learn a range of content but have the opportunity to delve deeper into content through writing essays and participating in tutorials that are often 2/3 students to 1 tutor – an offering that you don’t get at most other universities.' Ted	'I love how much variety there is in the geography course! Everyone studies both human and physical in 1st year with options to specialise in 2nd and 3rd year. I arrived thinking I was a human geographer, but I’ve now chosen to study both physical and human modules! This also means I’ve learnt so many new skills- I’ve learnt how to interview, code, and even track wind patterns using balloons.' Maya

Unistats information

Discover Uni course data provides applicants with Unistats statistics about undergraduate life at Oxford for a particular undergraduate course.

Please select 'see course data' to view the full Unistats data for Geography.

Please note that there may be no data available if the number of course participants is very small. 

Visit the Studying at Oxford section of this page for a more general insight into what studying here is likely to be like.

Academic requirements

Wherever possible, your grades are considered in the context in which they have been achieved.

Read further information on how we use contextual data.

Subject requirements

Applying

All candidates must follow the application procedure as shown on our Applying to Oxford pages.

The following information gives specific details for students applying for this course.

Admissions test

You do not need to take a written test as part of an application for this course. 

Written work

You do not need to submit any written work when you apply for this course.

What are tutors looking for?

Applicants will need to display evidence of a strong academic record.

At interview tutors are looking for a candidate’s ability to deploy their knowledge in ways that show initiative and an awareness of the world around them. Interviews are not a test of knowledge but give candidates the opportunity to respond in a thoughtful way to unpredictable questions and ideas. 

Visit the Geography website for more detail on the selection criteria for this course.

Fees

Additional Fees and Charges Information for Geography

First year students attend a four-day residential field course in the UK during their first term. The cost of the field trip is borne by the School of Geography and the Environment and there is no charge to students.

Students are also required to undertake a one-week field trip in their second year and currently have a choice between trips to the Netherlands or Tenerife. There is no additional charge to students for the fieldtrip.

These field trips provide students with the opportunity to learn and practice the field research skills that they will employ in their own dissertation research.

Some of the projects students have had the opportunity to undertake on previous trips include pilot balloon tracking of trade winds and monitoring of microclimates using i-button data in Tenerife and studying urban natures and environmental governance of transport systems in the Netherlands. Students have to write a report of their research which is assessed as part of the final examinations.