Expand+How To Apply

Applications for admission to full-time undergraduate courses at Queen’s should normally be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Full information can be obtained from the UCAS website at: www.ucas.com/...

Hide-How To Apply

Applications for admission to full-time undergraduate courses at Queen’s should normally be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Full information can be obtained from the UCAS website at: www.ucas.com/apply.

When to Apply

UCAS will start processing applications for entry in Autumn 2017 from 1 September 2016.

The normal closing date for the receipt of applications is 15 January 2017.

Applicants are advised to apply as early as is consistent with having made a careful and considered choice of institutions and courses.

Earlier applicants normally receive decisions more quickly, however, UCAS accepts that some applicants, especially those from outside the UK, may find this difficult. Late applications are, in practice, accepted by UCAS throughout the remainder of the application cycle, but you should understand that they are considered by institutions at their discretion, and there can be no guarantee that they will be given the same full level of consideration as applications received by the advisory closing date.

Take care to enter the details of the institutions and courses clearly and correctly on the application. For Queen's, the institution code name is QBELF and the institution code is Q75. These should be entered in the Choices section of your UCAS application. A Campus Code is not required.

Queen’s University Belfast Terms and Conditions 2017 Entry
The terms and conditions that apply when you accept an offer of a place at the University on a taught programme of study.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/Study/TermsandConditions/

Expand+Selection Criteria

In addition to the entrance requirements below, it is essential that you read the How We Choose Our Students pdf prior to submitting your UCAS application.

Entrance Requirements

BSc Geography

A-level: BBB normally inclu...

Hide-Selection Criteria

In addition to the entrance requirements below, it is essential that you read the How We Choose Our Students pdf prior to submitting your UCAS application.

Entrance Requirements

BSc Geography

A-level: BBB normally including A-level Geography + GCSE Mathematics grade C

Irish Leaving Certificate: H3H3H3H3H4H4/H3H3H3H3H3 normally including Higher Level grade H3 in Geography + if not offered at Higher Level then Ordinary Level grade O4 in Mathematics

BSc Geography with a Language

A-level: BBB normally including A-level Geography + GCSE Mathematics grade C
◦For French option: A-level French grade B
◦For Spanish option: A-level Spanish grade B

(Note: you should indicate your preferred language in the choices section of your UCAS application.)

Irish Leaving Certificate: H2H3H3H3H4H4/H2H3H3H3H3 normally including Higher Level grade H3 in Geography + if not offered at Higher Level then Ordinary Level grade O4 in Mathematics
◦For French option: Higher Level grade H2 in French
◦For Spanish option: Higher Level grade B1 in Spanish

International Students

For information on international qualification equivalents, please click on Your Country in the International Students website.

If you are an international student and you do not meet the entrance requirements, you should consider a preparation course at INTO Queen's University Belfast, which will prepare you for successful study on these degree courses. INTO at Queen's is based on the University campus and offers a range of courses including the International Foundation in Engineering and Science.

For students whose first language is not English

An IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each test component or an equivalent acceptable qualification, details of which are available at: http://go.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability to entry to this degree. Please click the links below for more information:
•English for University Study - an intensive English language and study skills course for successful university study at degree level
•Pre-sessional English - a short intensive academic English course for students starting a degree programme at Queen's University Belfast and who need to improve their English

Expand+Learning and Teaching

At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support to enable student to achieve their full academic pot...

Hide-Learning and Teaching

At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support to enable student to achieve their full academic potential.

Within Geography and Archaeology we do this by providing a range of learning experiences which enable our students to engage with subject experts, develop attributes and perspectives that will equip them for life and work in a global society and make use of innovative technologies and a world class library that enhances their development as independent, lifelong learners. Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this course are:
•Lectures: introduce basic information about new topics as a starting point for further self-directed private study/reading. Lectures also provide opportunities to ask questions, gain some feedback and advice on assessments (normally delivered in large groups to all year group peers).
•Practicals: where students will have opportunities to develop technical skills and apply theoretical principles to real-life or practical contexts. Many Archaeology, Geographic Information Systems and Physical Geography modules have associated practical classes, ranging from 3 to 9 hours study per week, depending on the module content.
•E-Learning technologies:Information associated with lectures and assignments is often communicated via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Queen’s Online. A range of e-learning experiences are also embedded in the degree through, for example: interactive group workshops in a flexible learning space; IT and statistics modules; podcasts and interactive web-based learning activities; opportunities to use IT programmes associated with design in practicals and project- based work.
•Seminars/tutorials: Significant amounts of teaching are carried out in small groups (typically 10-20 students). These provide an opportunity for students to engage with academic staff who have specialist knowledge of the topic, to ask questions of them and to assess their own progress and understanding with the support of peers. Students should also expect to make presentations and other contributions to these groups.
•Self-directed study: This is an essential part of life as a Queen’s student when important private reading, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback to date and assignment research and preparation work is carried out.
•Work placements and Field Classes: Students taking ‘Geography at Work’ undertake a work-placement during Level 3 and undertake internal work with the Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork (CAF) as part of ‘Archaeological Excavation’ in Year 2. These modules provide significant learning and employability enhancement opportunities.
•Supervised projects: In final year, students will be expected to carry out a significant piece of research on a topic or practical methodology that they have chosen. They will receive support from a supervisor who will guide them in terms of how to carry out research and who will provide feedback on a number of occasions during the write up stage.
•Personal Tutor: Undergraduates are allocated a Personal Tutor during levels 1 and 2 who meets with them on several occasions during the year to support their academic development.

Expand+Overview

Geography embraces the study of human societies and their environment, and is one of the few subjects in which human and physical aspects of the environment are integrated. Our flexible degree programme enables students to gain an under...

Hide-Overview

Geography embraces the study of human societies and their environment, and is one of the few subjects in which human and physical aspects of the environment are integrated. Our flexible degree programme enables students to gain an understanding of the major global, regional and local processes that shape our world and the challenges we will face in the future.

Why Queen's?

Top ranking: the School has an outstanding reputation for teaching and research with Geography ranked in the world top 100 (QS rankings 2013) and Archaeology ranked 8th in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2014).

Study Abroad: Geography with Extended Studies in Europe students who have qualifications in a language can spend an extra year of their degree studying Geography in a European university.

Expand+Course Content (including module information)

Our degrees provide fundamental skills and knowledge while allowing students to tailor their degree according to their interests and ambitions. There are three levels, outlined below.

Level 1

Stu...

Hide-Course Content (including module information)

Our degrees provide fundamental skills and knowledge while allowing students to tailor their degree according to their interests and ambitions. There are three levels, outlined below.

Level 1

Students take a foundation year of Human and Physical Geography modules:
•Dynamic Earth
•Human Geographies of the Modern World
•Processes and Principles of Physical Geography
•Spaces of Development

Modules are delivered through combinations of lectures, tutorials, practical classes and field work, and provide an introduction to the subject and analysis of the inter-connections between global, regional and local scales. Associated essays, practicals and research projects contribute to the overall assessment.

Level 2

Single Honours students take core modules that explore contemporary approaches to geographical enquiry and the acquisition and analysis of geographical information. Students also select options from a range of human or physical geography modules, which include residential field-based modules such as Techniques in Earth Science and Heritage, Culture and Land Use (Malta) and The Mediterranean: Exploring Dynamic Environments (Mallorca).

Level 3

An element of independent study is required at Level 3, where students carry out a supervised research project on a topic that interests them (the dissertation). Students also select other specialised modules, which vary from year to year, but may include:

•Advanced GIS
•Arid Environments
•Geoforensics
•Geographies of Global Finance
•Geographies of Social Movements and Social Conflict
•Geographies of War and Public Memory
•Geography, Science and Society
•Glacial and Periglacial Geomorphology
•Knowledge, Space and Power
•Quaternary Palaeoecology
•Science and Society
•Sea-Level Change: Past, Present and Future
•Spaces of Urbanisation in Emerging Economies
•Urban Landscapes

Expand+Assessment & Feedback

Assessment (general): The way in which students are assessed will vary according to the Learning objectives of each module. Some modules are assessed solely through project work or written assignments. Others are assessed ...

Hide-Assessment & Feedback

Assessment (general): The way in which students are assessed will vary according to the Learning objectives of each module. Some modules are assessed solely through project work or written assignments. Others are assessed through a combination of coursework and end of semester examinations. Details of how each module is assessed are shown in the Student Handbook which is provided to all students during their first year induction.

Feedback (general): As students progress through their course at Queen’s they will receive general and specific feedback about their work from a variety of sources including lecturers, module co-ordinators, placement supervisors, personal tutors, advisers of study and your peers. University students are expected to engage with reflective practice and to use this approach to improve the quality of their work. Feedback may be provided in a variety of forms including:
•Feedback provided via formal written comments and marks relating to work that students, as individuals or as part of a group, have submitted.
•Face to face comment. This may include occasions when students make use of the lecturers’ advertised “office hours” to help address a specific query.
•Placement employer comments or references.
•Online or emailed comment.
•General comments or question and answer opportunities at the end of a lecture, seminar or tutorial.
•Pre-submission advice regarding the standards you should aim for and common pitfalls to avoid. In some instances, this may be provided in the form of model answers or exemplars which students can review in their own time.
•Feedback and outcomes from practical classes.
•Comment and guidance provided by staff from specialist support services such as, Careers, Employability and Skills or the Learning Development Service.

Once students have reviewed their feedback, they are encouraged to identify and implement further improvements to the quality of their work.

Expand+Career Prospects

Overview: Studying for a Geography degree at Queen’s will assist students in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, professional organisations and academic institutions. Gradua...

Hide-Career Prospects

Overview: Studying for a Geography degree at Queen’s will assist students in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, professional organisations and academic institutions. Graduates from this degree at Queen’s are well regarded by many employers (local, national and international) and over half of all graduate jobs are now open to graduates of any discipline, including Geography.

Although the majority of our graduates are interested in pursuing careers in geography-related areas (town and country planning, environmental impact, Land and Property Services [formerly Ordnance Survey]) significant numbers develop careers in a wide range of other sectors. The following is a list of the major career sectors that have attracted our graduates in recent years:

•Teaching
•Management
•Marketing
•High-level sales
•Commerce
•Publishing
•Civil Service (especially government environment agencies)
•Varied graduate programmes
•Computing (especially using geographic data like Google Maps)

Employer Links – Consultations: We regularly consult and develop links with a large number of employers including, for example, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, National Trust, Geological Survey of N.Ireland, who provide both snapshot advice on their work, as well as run more in-depth advice sessions, the latter often at taught Masters level. We also run a careers seminar programme with guest speaker employers and further study coordinators (teacher training, Masters and PhD degrees).

Placement Employers: Our past students have also gained work placement with organisations such as:

•Marble Arch Caves Geopark
•Geological Survey of N.Ireland
•Ulster Wildlife Trust
•Land and Property Services
•National Trust
•Police Service of N.Ireland

Other Employer Links:One of our key employer links is via our Level 3 module – ‘Geography at Work’, a highly vocational course based largely on a placement that is written up as a project. The module has proven to be of great benefit to students, to the quality of our degree and to employers. Other modules of course maintain employer links with guest lectures and by obtaining recent case studies of work that can be demonstrated in class.

Please take a look at www.prospects.ac.uk for further information concerning the types of jobs that attract Geography graduates.

Further study is also an option open to Geography graduates. Students can choose from a wide range of Masters programmes as well as a comprehensive list of research topics, see: http://www.qub.ac.uk/gap

Other Career-related information: Queen’s is a member of the Russell Group and, therefore, one of the 20 universities most-targeted by leading graduate employers. Queen’s students will be advised and guided about career choice and, through the Degree Plus initiative, will have an opportunity to seek accreditation for skills development and experience gained through the wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer. See Queen’s University Belfast fullEmployability Statementfor further information.

Degree Plus and other related initiatives: Recognising student diversity, as well as promoting employability enhancements and other interests, is part of the developmental experience at Queen’s. Students are encouraged to plan and build their own personal skill and experiential profile through a range of activities including; recognised Queen’s Certificates, placements and other work experiences (at home or overseas), Erasmus study options elsewhere in Europe, learning development opportunities and involvement in wider university life through activities, such as clubs, societies, and sports.

Queen’s actively encourages this type of activity by offering students an additional qualification, the Degree Plus Award (and the related Researcher Plus Award for PhD and MPhil students). Degree Plus accredits wider experiential and skill development gained through extra-curricular activities that promote the enhancement of academic, career management, personal and employability skills in a variety of contexts. As part of the Award, students are also trained on how to reflect on the experience(s) and make the link between academic achievement, extracurricular activities, transferable skills and graduate employment. Participating students will also be trained in how to reflect on their skills and experiences and can gain an understanding of how to articulate the significance of these to others, e.g. employers.

Overall, these initiatives, and Degree Plus in particular, reward the energy, drive, determination and enthusiasm shown by students engaging in activities over-and-above the requirements of their academic studies. These qualities are amongst those valued highly by graduate employers.