Physical Geography and Geology with Year in Industry ,BSc

Geographers and Geologists are highly competitive in the job market as their degrees furnish them with a range of highly sought-after skills. As well as studying topics that consider all of the major global challenges of the 21st century, our graduates are equipped with a range of subject specific and transferable skills (e.g. teamwork, communication, resilience, planning, problem solving).

Key statistics

• 97% of graduates in work or further study after 15 months
• Average salary 10 years after graduation is £40,100
• More than 50 companies are actively involved with Geology at Leicester, from funding major research projects to work experience opportunities.
• Recent employers include: Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water, Aon, National Library of Scotland, KPMG, NHS, Cabinet Office, Department of Work and Pensions, HSBC, Network Rail, The British Museum, BP, Rio Tinto, British Gypsum, RSK, Jacobs, Hydrock, Zeiss, The Civil Service, Capita, The Government of South Australia, Isle of Man Government.

Supported by the University’s Careers and Employability Service, employability is embedded in all of our curricula from year one:

• The Leicester Award for Employability personal development programme is embedded in core year one and year two modules, providing students with opportunities to reflect on their motivations, personality traits, transferable skills, and future career goals
• All students have lifetime access to and support from our award-winning Careers and Employability Service.
• We have a dedicated School Careers Tutor who works with the Careers and Employability Service to support careers fairs, disseminate job opportunities and career development courses, and to provide practical information.
• We run a School-wide annual careers day; recent speakers have included the Civil Service, Selfridges & Co, Hatch Regeneris, the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, the Environment Agency, Ordnance Survey and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
• All of our degrees allow include a four year “with a Year in Industry” option, where the third year of the degree is spent on a work placement.

The School has established links with many businesses and Government departments, including Natural England, the European Space Agency, the Home Office and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.

Case studies

Megan Hudson (BSc Geography) is now a General Manager at Fenland SOIL; a farmer-led, multistakeholder research organisation that aims to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from lowland agriculture. Her work involves a wide range of activities, spanning finance and marketing, meeting and day to day work with growers and stakeholders, through to working on research projects with universities and organisations like Natural England.

Momin Ashraf (BA Geography) is a member of the GIS intelligence team at the Satellite Applications Catapult in Didcot. His work is focused on international development and humanitarian aid. He uses satellite and spatial data to monitor issues such as water security, internally displaced people and conflict zones. His skills and interests in GIS allowed him to work in a range of industries during his year in industry, and it was his GIS, Remote Sensing and Information Visualisation courses that provided the key skills shaping his career (skills in critical industry-standards such as QGIS, ArcGIS, Tableau, SQL, Python).

Tara Ahmad (BA Human Geography) joined the Lidl UK Graduate Programme. Tara had a particular interest in economic geography and during her BA Human Geography degree she particularly enjoyed the Economy Society and Space module, which focuses on the commoditisation of foodstuffs. During her second and final years she was a course representative and a co-chair of the student-staff committee. This meant lots of scope to present, collaborate and share her work, providing the confidence to move forward into her future career.

Careers and Employability Service

Get career-ready at Leicester with guidance from our award-winning Careers and Employability Service. We're here to give you a lifetime offer of support, even after graduation. Our team of specialist careers advisers and mentors will help you every step of the way. From supporting you with CVs and interviews, to volunteering opportunities and placements, we’re here to help you reach your professional goals.