Physical Geography
Physical geography is the scientific study of the Earth's surface processes and the environmental systems that shape the landscapes we inhabit. It encompasses geomorphology, climatology, hydrology, glaciology, ecology and biogeography, asking how rivers, coasts, glaciers, soils and atmospheric processes interact to create and transform physical environments over time. Physical geography sits at the core of our understanding of climate change, natural hazards, ecosystem services and the environmental consequences of human activity.
At the University of Lincoln, this four-year full-time programme includes a sandwich year in professional placement, a year abroad and a work placement, giving you extensive practical and international experience alongside your academic study. You will study the physical processes that shape environments, the methods used to measure and monitor environmental change, and the connections between physical and human geography that make the discipline so relevant to contemporary challenges including climate change, food security, natural hazard management and health inequalities. The programme emphasises the unity of geography as a discipline, exploring the links between humanity and the environments we inhabit through both teaching and research-connected fieldwork.
Graduates from physical geography programmes work in environmental consultancy, environmental impact assessment, climate science, hydrological research, coastal management, ecological surveying, urban planning, disaster risk reduction and international development. Many find roles with the Environment Agency, Natural England, local authorities, research institutions and private environmental consultancies. The combination of scientific rigour, fieldwork skills and data analysis that physical geography develops is also valued in remote sensing, geographic information systems and environmental monitoring.
Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in physical geography, environmental science, climate science or earth system science.