Geography with Global Development with a Year Abroad

Geography with global development is a combination that takes the spatial perspective of geography and focuses it explicitly on questions of development, inequality, and the uneven distribution of resources and opportunity across the world. Geography provides the conceptual tools for understanding how physical and human processes interact across different scales, from the local to the global, while development studies brings in political economy, sociology, international relations, and the ethics of addressing global poverty and inequality. Together, they produce a degree with both analytical rigour and genuine social purpose.

At the University of East Anglia, this four-year full-time programme with a year abroad is strengthened by UEA's long-standing strength in development studies: the university's school of international development is one of the most respected in the UK, and studying geography alongside development studies means you will benefit from that research expertise directly. The year abroad gives you the opportunity to study at a partner institution in another country, which is particularly valuable for a degree concerned with understanding the world beyond your own national context. You will study both physical and human geography alongside development-focused content covering international aid and development policy, poverty and inequality, gender and development, and the politics of global institutions.

Research methods, including both quantitative and qualitative approaches, are a core component of the degree. Fieldwork is central to geography, and you will engage with real places and real development challenges as part of your academic formation, not merely as abstract case studies. Writing, analysis, and the ability to synthesise evidence from diverse sources are skills developed throughout.

Graduates in geography with global development move into careers in international development organisations, NGOs, government and public policy, environmental consultancy, humanitarian work, teaching, research, and the international private sector. The year abroad adds a practical international dimension to your record that is particularly valued by employers with a global remit. Postgraduate study in development studies, international relations, geography, or public policy is a common route for those who want to specialise or move into research.