Geography/Geology/Earth Science or something else at University?

[Geographyorsomethingelse]

I've name changed for this as you can probably tell!

I've been speaking to DD2 about possible options when she leaves school (currently Yr 12 equivalent).
She has always loved Geography, particularly Human Geography. She loves the broad range of the subject and thinks it is very relevant to the real world and how we live day to day. She is also interested in other related humanities/social sciences such as Philosophy&Ethics, Sociology, Psychology, History, Sustainability and Politics/International Relations. She thinks that Geography overlaps well with these subjects.
She is also really interested in travel, working abroad and different cultures.

Having looked briefly at Geography degrees with her, I think she would be fine with either the BA or the BSc options depending on the exact course and module options. Is either more widely respected? We have also had a quick look at GIS, which seems to be a useful thing to have. We've also been looking at Geology/Earth Science degree options too. She is probably more drawn to Geography as it is more broad but career options look good particularly with Geology. We've also found a course offered at Warwick which is a combination of Politics/International Studies and Sustainable Development which would be the sort of thing that could really interest her. Is anyone familiar with this course?

This is not a field that DH and I are familiar with. In our school days, Geography was less well respected than some degrees, certainly in DH's home country. I don't get the impression that this is the case now.
I doubt she will want to go to a London Uni, nor Oxbridge. She definitely enjoys a good social life but isn't a party animal/drinker. She enjoys having access to some countryside too.

Can anyone advise between the potential career implications/benefits of the BA vs BSc? Can anyone recommend some Universities with good Geography options? Is it best to stick to just Geography/Geology or are combination degrees worthwhile if you have several interests/don't have a definite career aim at this stage? From my description of her likes/dislikes, is there anything else that we should consider studying at Uni? Is a GIS qualification worth having? Are there any relevant degree apprenticeships worth considering?

Thank you for reading!

University of Southampton has a well regarded geography department and the campus is close to the Common which is a large area of beautiful parkland that she will probably enjoy if she enjoys nature/countryside. They have an option of time abroad. Many courses there now offer a year in industry or a summer internship, which I would strongly recommend as these make you a much more attractive proposition in the present jobs market.

Should mention that the year in industry/internship requires a fair bit of work from the student in securing, the university does support/have connections though.

Internships are increasingly difficult to get if you dont have perdonal connections, so bear in mind that they are far from guaranteed.

What A levels us she doing?
Geology usually requires physics and /or chemistry. If she really enjoys human geography I wouldn't have thought geology would appeal.

BSc courses usually have more physical geography modules than the BA courses.

Geography courses vary a lot from uni to uni. Have a look at the course modules very carefully (although all unis will state that the presence of any module is not guaranteed when the student actually comes to choose them).

I looked at Birmingham uni with our eldest when he was considering Geography/ environmental science. They have a good Geography department.
Apprenticeship wise, look at the AECOM website as they have some advertised at the moment that will give you an idea.
Agree though that if she is interested jn Human Geography a BA might be better. Maybe look at something like urban planning as well

Geology graduate here (which was a very well respected degree when I did it 25 years ago, lol!). If her main interests are human geography and the humanities then she should be looking at a BA.

A BSc (particularly in geology/earth sciences or GIS) will have a focus on geochem, geophysics, maths - is she doing any science A levels/equivalent alongside geography?

Geography degrees typically have a high employability score due to the wide range of available modules within the course. It’s a good generalist degree esp if at a good university. If it helps my DC went to Nottingham - their school geography teacher said it was the best course. They have never been unemployed in the several years since they left, even had to take a day off work to go to graduation!! Nottingham is also a great place to be a student!

Geology is a physical science. Some universities accept students without maths at a-level, but that degree won't be worth a lot. Stick to geography if she likes the human aspect. She might also be interested in spatial planning type degrees of she wants something more applied but with the psychology & sociology element.

Btw, GIS jobs tend to be lowish paid and are at serious risk from AI because they're just basic data science with lots of applicants from environmental science type degrees. Most companies will train on the job. What is safe from AI for now is the policy and decision making for which you use the GIS data. Urban resilience in particular because there are so many competing factors.

DH and his sister both did geography at Sheffield. It’s close to the Peak District for field trips. When he did it, it had a good reputation, but he doesn’t know about now. Sheffield is cheaper for accommodation than London, which means students’ money goes further. The area where the students mainly live is lovely. (DD2 went there too, but didn’t do geography)

He did a BA, but preferred the more scientific modules like botany and geology. He did geography, physics and chemistry at A level.

He has earned well, as an accountant all his working life. One of his friends did geography at Cambridge and became an accountant.

Southampton is an excellent university for geography and geology. If human geographer is where her interests lie, I would steer towards pure geography rather than geology as others have said, there is a chemical and physical element. GIS is essential if geography is the career she wants to pursue (and I strongly refute the AI aspect, it will take over the mandrolic but analytical and cartographic work requires intense human input) this will be included in the degree if she doesn't want to go for a GIS degree though.

I studied oceanography but am now a chartered geographer, geographers are highly sought after in various fields and I find it a highly rewarding and interesting career. I'd be more than happy to chat via PM if I can offer any other advice.

I know several geography grads who attended Sheffield. Loved it there. All have gone on to very successful careers in consultancy, professional services etc.

I work in a mapping organisation. We haven't yet moved to AI for making, but most of the GIS work is done by lower paid extremal contractors. The infernal higher value aid is mostly the work of engineers, data scientists and policy experts, who obviously understand GIS. I think part of the problem is a lot of the GIS people come as career changes with degrees in ecology, environmental science and geography, where graduates are 10 a penny without many jobs in field, so they don't need paying much. The ones interested in earning become accountants, as per a PP!

I’m a Chartered Geologist. My career has been a mix of academia, private consultancy and public sector (Environment Agency. I am absolutely convinced that Geographers and Geologists are about to have their “moment”. Future governmental policies, and wars, will be over water resources, mineral reserves, oil and gas production, energy generation & shipping routes. We need to address decarbonisation, deforestation and sustainability in a big way. Natural hazards are worsening, and natural disasters becoming more common as climate changes. This is where “geos” wil come to the fore - add to this some understanding of political science or economics - and you’re golden.

If your DD is interested in the Human side, then that’s really a BA. It’s a respected degree now though, which as pp have said, has professional Chartership.

My undergrad degree was combined geology & physics, and with physics I had to do maths - I also have A level maths. BSc Geology/Earth Science is pretty numbery. I can’t comment on Geography.

Thanks so much for all the replies. Lots of different opinions!

For those who asked if she is taking Science/Maths A levels, she isn't studying A levels at all. We don't live in the UK at present so she is studying a different course. The includes compulsory Maths to quite a high standard and a Science (she chose Biology) as well as English and Humanities. I've checked lots of UK Universities and they just look at the score for the course that she is studying.

I had a look at the Southampton Uni course because of the recommendations and I think a lot of the optional modules would appeal to DD. They also 4 slightly different Geography based degrees which seems to suggest that they have a good department.

I'm surprised to hear that so many of those who are interested in Geography go on to work as accountants/consultants/lawyers. These are not the sort of careers that would appeal to DD at all. I think she would be more interested in something more Geography based, perhaps with some Science/Maths or perhaps something more Environmental or policy based.
Thank you again for all the replies.

I love this post. This is exactly what my DD says about Geographers/Geologists, etc being more in demand in the future for the reasons you give. It sounds very sensible to me.

Thank you so much for the offer to PM you. I may do that if you really don't mind.
I have also ended up looking a bit at degrees like Oceanography/Coastal and Ocean Science and Marine Biology/Marine Geography as I think these things may also appeal to her. Some of these options look good in the Universities where we are currently living too. She is lucky to have lots of choices.

@Geographyorsomethingelse more than happy to help, my personal experience is limited to Southampton but I have some knowledge of other good universities for marine sciences.

This might be a useful recent thread to read: Geography Degree? What is your DC doing now? | Mumsnet

Following, though my DS is only in Y10. He loves geography, physics, chemistry and the great outdoors. Lovely to see the optimism from @IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads re future prospects.

University of Southampton also has the National Oceanography Centre (NOCS), which is an added bonus. I agree with there being a demand in the future for geographers in light of climate change, although there is the issue of at what point humanity will realise that the environment is more important than business and industry.

I did Geography at Cambridge, and lean more towards human geography and GIS. Very happy to answer any Qs if you want to DM me. I spent 10 years working for a big engineering consultancy (like AECOM mentioned above but not that one), in transport planning which used geography and some GIS. Like others said, I'd be wary of doing purely GIS, it's too niche for many jobs, but having some GIS skills/knowledge is very useful. I also did an MSc in Geographic Data Science which was a mixture of GIS, data analytics, stats and coding, which I really enjoyed.

The big consultancies also have teams of ecology/environmental science people if that appealed. A geography degree would be useful for that too.

DS1 got on a competitive business management grad scheme with a Geography degree from UON. Only he and another girl (who did Chemistry) in a room full of business grads were accepted . Very versatile degree. He’s now doing project management.

I did a geography degree - more physical than human - but ended up as a Town Planner. There are lots of different areas of land use planning.

We have just taken on a graduate from Uni of York BA in Global Development - a mix of Environment & Geography and Politics & International Relations, bridging environmental policy, human geography, and global political structures.

1- she’s really good
2- degree sounds fascinating
3 - So fascinating that now DD(15) wants to do it.