Marine Geography

Overview and aims of the Programme The world’s oceans and coasts are full of amazing habitats and wildlife and they sustain many important and growing industries including shipping, tourism and renewable energy. As a marine geographer you will have the skills and knowledge needed to keep our oceans healthy and support traditional and emerging marine industries to be sustainable.

As the only Marine Geography degree in the UK, you will study a unique mix of physical and environmental geography. You will explore the science behind the relationship between society and the sea and investigate global challenges like ocean acidification and rising sea levels.

We make the most of our location and take regular trips to the Bristol Channel, the Glamorgan Heritage Coast and the Gower. There will also be opportunities to do overseas trips, in the past we’ve been to Malta, Jersey and Greece. You will get involved in activities like offshore surveying, water quality monitoring, ecological mapping and beach profiling.

Students on this course are usually concerned about the health of the oceans and want to make a positive difference. Graduates leave with the skills to solve a range of complex marine environmental problems and with experience of hands-on fieldwork and cutting-edge research with world-leading scientists.

Distinctive Features of the Programme

Professional accreditation - our Marine Geography degree is accredited by international bodies IMAREST and RICS. These accreditations keep us well connected to industry, so students graduate with employable skills and up-to-date, industry-specific knowledge. You will also get the opportunity to work towards a ‘chartered’ status.

Student satisfaction - belong to a small and friendly community voted top among all Russell Group Universities in the main category of Overall Satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2018. In 2019 our Marine Geography and Environmental Geography degree were jointly ranked 1st out of 63 Physical Geography and Environmental Sciences undergraduate courses.

Flexible degree schemes - all of the School’s degrees have a common first semester that introduce you to geosciences and geography. You can then decide whether to stay with your chosen degree or switch to another in the same School.

Hands-on fieldwork in the UK and overseas - you will get plenty of opportunity to develop your field and boat work skills with regular day trips and residential trips along the Welsh coast and overseas. South Wales has a rich and diverse marine environment including estuaries with large tidal ranges, islands thriving with wildlife, offshore renewable energy and the largest oil port in the UK in Milford Haven.

World leading experts and facilities – you will be taught by world-leading scientists and have access to: the latest technologies in offshore surveying and mapping equipment, chemical laboratories, laboratories with GIS (Geographic Information System) and a 12-metre research boat, the RV Guiding Light.

Industry connections - we have excellent links with our alumni working across the world and with local organisations like Natural Resources Wales and the Severn Estuary Partnership. These connections help students to find relevant and highly topical research projects and will often offer practical help, advice and summer placement opportunities.