Geography and Politics BA (Hons)

Course code L72P

What is special about this course?

Geography is the study of the Earth, and the link between physical and human landscapes. It explores the inter-relationships between people, place, and the environment, and how these vary across and between places. This degree considers these links from a humanities and social sciences perspective, focusing on issues such as land use, planning and development, globalisation, climate change, energy, and tourism, in order to examine human relationships with the environment. The broad curriculum has been designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills to understand many aspects of our rapidly changing world, equipping you to tackle real-world problems in a range of organisations and sectors, and develop specialist and transferable skills.

The relationship between geography and politics is incredibly close, with the study of borders, territory, population shifts, conflict, nationalism, geopolitics, and environmental politics embedded throughout the modules.

The politics modules of this joint degree will follow the four main pillars of political study; you will study International relations, Comparative politics, and Applied politics, all feeding from the central pillar of Political theory. You can apply to this degree with little more than a keen interest in politics: the modules become incrementally more specialised as the semesters go on and you can choose introductory options that will develop your understanding at a steady pace.

The knowledge and skills taught in this BA (Hons) Geography and Politics are of relevance to many areas of employment, including: renewable energy; energy efficiency; waste management; tourism; rural and community development; agriculture; local government; planning; logistics; and environmental agencies. A significant number of geography graduates move on to careers in finance, marketing and law, or to further postgraduate study, teaching and research, and geography graduates are among the most employable, with skills developed in presenting ideas in reports and oral presentations, in data collection and analysis, and in the use of specialist mapping and statistical software.

Please see our FAQ sheet for further information on this course.

Special features

  • Join a course which can be studied from home anywhere in the world, full or part-time to suit your circumstances 
  • Delivered by tutors with years of experience of teaching at a distance, offering a high level of support
  • Online learning materials available 24/7 via laptops, tablets or mobiles, including reading, videos and podcasts
  • Optional study field trip to Iceland as well as opportunities for a student society residential trip in the Scottish Highlands
  • Geography graduates have high levels of employability in a range of sectors

Entry requirements

  • 3 Scottish Highers at grades BBC or above or
  • 2 A levels at grades BC or above
  • At least 2 should be from the list of required subjects
  • Additional qualifications and experiences will be considered on an individual basis

Advanced entry

  • HNC Social Science (12 SCQF credits) with 3 additional SCQF credits at level 7, which is equivalent to 120 degree credit points, and at least grade C in the Graded Unit, will be considered for direct entry to year two

Apply for Geography and Politics BA (Hons)

I want to start in Aug/Sep 2025

We are delighted that you are thinking about studying at the University of the Highlands and Islands. We operate a fair and open admissions system committed to equality of opportunity and non-discrimination. We consider all applications on merit and on the basis of ability to achieve, without discrimination on grounds of gender, age, disability, ethnicity and socio-economic background. We welcome applications from all prospective students and aim to provide appropriate and efficient services to students with disabilities.