Geography

Geography at Cambridge is a discipline that engages with some of the biggest challenges facing humanity, from climate change and urbanisation through pandemics and inequality to the governance of global commons. It is a genuinely broad discipline that encompasses physical geography, human geography and the intersections between them, and Cambridge's programme treats it with the intellectual seriousness that these challenges demand. This three-year full-time degree places you in one of the world's leading research environments, taught by geographers who are actively shaping understanding of the planetary and social changes you will study.

You will study physical geography topics including earth systems, climate science, geomorphology and ecology alongside human geography themes encompassing urban transformation, globalisation, development, migration, political economy and cultural landscape. The discipline requires both quantitative and qualitative methods, from GIS and spatial analysis through to ethnographic fieldwork and qualitative interviewing, and you will develop competence across both traditions. Cambridge's tutorial supervision system provides intensive small-group teaching that complements lectures and practicals, and the quality of intellectual engagement the supervision system enables is one of the distinctive features of a Cambridge geography education.

A typical tariff of around 184 points is stated, though entry is highly competitive.

Geography graduates from Cambridge enter careers across an exceptionally wide range: finance, consultancy, the civil service, international development, environmental management, urban planning, research, journalism and academic geography are all well-trodden paths. The combination of quantitative and qualitative skills, together with Cambridge's reputation, means that graduates are sought after across many sectors. Many proceed to postgraduate study, including doctoral research in geography, climate science, development studies or urban studies.