Environmental Geography
Environmental geography sits at the interface between the physical sciences and the social sciences, addressing the relationships between natural environments and human societies with both empirical rigour and conceptual depth. It asks how climate, hydrology, geomorphology and ecology shape the conditions in which human communities live, and how human activities in turn alter, degrade and sometimes restore natural systems. Climate change, sea-level rise, flooding, drought, soil degradation and biodiversity loss are all questions that environmental geography is centrally placed to investigate, making the discipline both academically rich and practically urgent.
At the University of Stirling you will develop expertise across the range of environmental geography, studying physical processes and systems alongside human dimensions including environmental policy, sustainability, resource management and the politics of environmental change. The programme runs over four years full time, reflecting the Scottish honours degree structure, and includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to pursue environmental geography questions in a different national and institutional context and to develop the international perspective that is increasingly important in a discipline dealing with global challenges.
You will develop skills in fieldwork, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, GIS and remote sensing, environmental assessment, policy analysis and academic writing. The ability to move between the physical and human dimensions of environmental questions is a distinctive and transferable competence that employers across environmental consultancy, government, NGOs and research organisations value highly.
Graduates from environmental geography programmes move into careers in environmental consultancy, climate change adaptation and policy, conservation, planning, sustainability management, international development and government agencies. Postgraduate study in environmental science, physical geography, climate change, sustainability or related fields is also a well-established route for those seeking specialist expertise or research careers.