COURSE CURRICULUM

The Marine Geography (BSc) program is structured over three years, progressively building knowledge and skills in physical and environmental geography with a focus on marine systems. In the first year, students study core modules covering oceans, climate, earth processes, global environments, and the fundamentals of geographical science, while developing essential skills in GIS, mapping, fieldwork, and basic data analysis. All students in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences share the same first semester, allowing flexibility to switch degrees if desired. In the second year, the curriculum advances to topics such as marine ecology, coastal processes, and the ocean-atmosphere system, while students gain practical experience in sampling, data collection, and analysis. A residential field course in a Welsh coastal national park provides hands-on training in mapping and surveying. During the summer, students undertake independent research projects in preparation for their third-year dissertation, addressing real-world marine issues such as dolphin disturbance, coral reef ecology, marine litter, and emerging surveying technologies. The final year allows students to tailor their studies according to career goals, with core modules including the dissertation, marine geomatics, and marine environmental systems, alongside optional modules in extreme environments, hazards and risk, and global climate change. An overseas field trip enhances practical experience and global perspective.