Human Geography (Placement Year)

BA Hons

  • UCAS code L723
  • Entry year 2026 or 2025
  • A level requirements ABB
  • Duration Full time 4 years

We welcome applications from the United States of America

We've put together information and resources to guide your application journey as a student from the United States of America.

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • 11

    11th for Geography and Environmental Science

    The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide (2025)

  • 13

    13th for Geography

    The Complete University Guide (2025)

  • 16

    16th for Geography

    The Guardian University Guide (2025)

Given the pace at which our planet is changing, there has never been a more important time to study Human Geography. With a unique blend of social sciences and geography, gain first-hand experience of the ways in which people interact with their environment and how they form communities, cultures, and economies. Learn to make sense of the complex interactions between humanity and our planetary environment and discover how you can make a positive difference.

Develop the skills and knowledge needed to help you advance professionally in a range of sectors, including but not limited to energy, food and agriculture, construction and housing, hazard mitigation, environmental consultancy, local and national government, urban planning and landscape architecture, geospatial analysis, and emergency planning. Explore the full range of human and environmental issues tackled by modern geographers, with an emphasis on the relationships within society and the lasting impacts of complex issues such as slavery.

What to expect

At the beginning of our four-year BA Hons Human Geography (Placement Year) degree you will be introduced to key themes in human geography and will undertake practical work to gain the analytical and research skills used by geographers.

In Year 2, you will have the opportunity to tailor your interests around a range of human-centric options covering cultural, developmental, and economic geography. As you specialise, you will continue to enhance your understanding of key topics and reinforce your research skills through lectures and practical work.

As you progress into Year 4, you will tailor your studies even further with a dissertation. Here, you will be guided by an academic advisor to deliver an independent research topic of your choice. This can be completed in collaboration with a regional organisation such as Lancaster City Council, where you will gain valuable work experience in a real-world environment. Alongside your research project, you will complete further optional modules, including national and international residential field trips. Topics you may choose include global consumption, urban infrastructure, and geographies of health.

Getting out in the field

With our location near major urban centres, rivers, coasts, and the Lake District World Heritage Site, you will be able to explore beyond the campus and gain hands-on experience through field work. Trips include studying rural communities built around renewable energy projects and examining urban regeneration and reimagination in Manchester. You will also have the option to expand your perspective through trips overseas, such as to Switzerland, where you will see your learning brought to life.

Your placement

In Year 3, you will undertake a placement that will enable you to apply the knowledge and skills learnt so far and gain invaluable experience that will then inform your studies in Year 4 and your career beyond.

Although it’s up to you to find your placement, we will support you all the way. Our Careers Service will provide guidance on CVs, applications, interview techniques and creating a digital profile.

Personal development

In addition to subject knowledge and field experience, you will gain essential communication and geographic information systems skills. You will become familiar with data generation through qualitative techniques, as well as data handling, environmental sampling, and analysis. With a year’s experience added to your CV, you will be a standout graduate.

3 things our Geography students want you to know:

  • The Lancaster Environment Centre is one of the most popular spaces for Geography students on campus, where you will be surrounded by active researchers shaping current thinking, outstanding practical facilities, and even our own weather monitoring station. You will be assigned an academic tutor at the beginning of your degree, meaning there’s always someone nearby to give you support
  • The theme of sustainability is woven throughout the degree and life on campus. Many students are part of LUSU Green, a group run by the Students’ Union that is driving change across the campus and beyond to create a thriving natural environment, reduce carbon emissions, and train the sustainability leaders of the future
  • Our degree programme focuses on helping you prepare for your future career, with modules that prioritise the development of essential skills and opportunities to undertake enriching hands-on experience in real-world environments. You will graduate ready to enter a number of thriving industries in an increasingly environmentally conscious market

Careers

Studying human geography provides you with insights into the complex relationship between people and place – insights which can lead you into a multitude of fascinating careers. Our graduates have found work in a diverse range of institutions, from city councils and secondary schools to architecture firms and environmental consultancies. Human Geographers are also well placed to secure roles and opportunities in sectors that might not be obvious such as marketing and sales, travel and tourism, and commercial business. This is down to your transferable skills in communication, software competencies, project management and data analysis. Graduates from our courses are also well-paid, with the median starting salary of graduates from Lancaster Environment Centre being £24,347 (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023).

Here are just some of the roles that our BA and MArts Human Geography students have progressed into upon graduating:

  • Senior Policy Advisor - Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
  • Trainee Teacher – Teach First
  • Graduate Planner – Savills UK
  • Digital Marketing Executive – Newicon Ltd
  • Town Planner - Cassidy + Ashton Architects, Building Surveyors & Planners
  • Sustainability Consultant – Evora Global
  • Modular Planning Analyst – ASDA
  • Sustainability, Communications and Engagement Assistant – University of Nottingham
  • Court Clerk - HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS)
  • Academic Development Assistant – Fauna and Flora International

Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring you not only gain a highly reputable degree, you also graduate with the relevant life and work based skills. We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which offers you the opportunity to complete key activities such as work experience, employability/career development, campus community and social development. Visit our Employability section for full details.

Entry requirements

These are the typical grades that you will need to study this course. You may need to have qualifications in relevant subjects. In some cases we may also ask you to attend an interview or submit a portfolio. You must also meet our English language requirements.

Find more about these qualifications and others not shown here

Learn about how we will assess your application

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Contact Admissions

If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, please complete our enquiry form and one of our team will get back to you.

International foundation programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Contextual admissions

Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.

Course structure

Enhancing our curriculum

We continually review and enhance our curriculum to ensure we are delivering the best possible learning experience, and to make sure that the subject knowledge and transferable skills you develop will prepare you for your future.

We will publish more detailed information about the structure of this degree course for 2026-entry in June 2025, ahead of our summer undergraduate open days. This will include overviews of the core modules you will take and examples of optional modules which may be available to you.

Fees and funding

We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2026/27 entry fees have not yet been set.

As a guide, our fees in 2025/26 were:

Home International
£9,535 £29,820

Fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

Details of our scholarships and bursaries for students starting in 2026 are not yet available.

You can use our scholarships for 2025-entry applicants as guidance.

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2026/2027 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

Undergraduate open days 2025

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