The physical environment has received increasing interest in recent years. Examples include the impact of natural disasters, effects of global environmental change and the direct environmental impact of human activity throughout the world. Physical Geography gives a holistic view of the Earth system (including its evolution and the interactions of its key components), evaluates a variety of earth surface processes that modify and shape landscape, and, considers the role of human activity in shaping/modifying the physical landscape.
This degree embraces an integrated approach to the investigation of the physical world through the study of environmental geoscience, geology, geomorphology, ecology, biodiversity, sustainability and environmental change. This is important for an understanding of modern environmental processes and the long-term evolution of landscape and landforms. It also informs an understanding of the complex, and often conflicting relationships, between the natural environment and human actions.
An enthusiastic and friendly team of geographers and environmentalists with wide research interests teach on the Physical Geography course at Hope. You will find that Liverpool is a great setting to study Physical Geography due to having surroundings that include stunning upland and coastal landscapes.
A Placement Year option is available for this course. Undertaking a placement year as part of your degree programme offers you the opportunity to gain valuable work experience alongside your studies.
Careers
A Geography degree can open the door to a wide range of careers including local authority planning, environmental assessment, urban regeneration, conservation, sustainable development, tourism planning, renewable energy, and housing association management. With the increasing demands of legislation and global environmental policy, there are growing employment opportunities in environmental management and consultancy. A more specialised Geography degree offers opportunities to focus on specific careers that involve the natural environment and will equip you with the practical, numerical and computational skills that are valued by many employers. A degree in Geography opens the door to a wide range of 'general' graduate careers such as graduate recruitment schemes in business, management, finance, the police service and the armed forces.
Many of our graduates go on to train to be teachers of Geography. Others go on to further study at Masters or Doctorate level. Studying a geographical subject means you will look at a wide range of different topics and learn a broad range of skills that you can take with you into the workplace. You will develop skills in problem-solving, data analysis, report-writing, developing arguments, working both independently and as part of a group, and interpreting data.