Physical Geography and Oceanography BSc (Hons)

About This Course

The land borders the ocean via the coastal zone. Understanding how these environments are related to each other is important for many societal and economic reasons, and requires an integrated approach to the subject, as most of the world’s population lives near, or exploits, the coastal zone. This course will give you research-led teaching of both terrestrial (e.g. rivers, glaciers) and marine (e.g. waves, tides, density currents, sea level) processes. These processes control the movement of water, sediment and biogeochemical components (such as carbon) from the land into the sea. This course also integrates these process to examine the impacts of environmental change, climate, sea level and pollution on the health and sustainability of terrestrial and marine environments.

Why choose Bangor University for this course? 

• This course draws on our expertise in terrestrial and marine sciences that span fluvial, glacial, coastal and deep marine environments. 
• Local fieldwork takes place in the UNESCO designated GeoMôn geopark, Snowdonia National Park, the Menai Strait and the Irish Sea.
• Facilities include a research ship, supercomputers, state-of-the art survey equipment and oceanographic moorings for data collection.
• Our global links include the National Oceanography Centre, the Met Office, and the international offshore, hydrocarbon, and marine renewables industries.

Course Content

This course involves up to 25-35 hours per week of lectures, practicals in the laboratory and the field, private study, tutorials, and project work. Practical work and fieldwork are important elements of this degree. Many modules include day field trips. These provide an opportunity to engage with professionals working in the field and to relate classroom teaching to real-world practice. You will also complete literature reviews, exercises, essays, practical and fieldwork write-ups, and read scientific literature.

Our assessment methods vary. Most of our modules combine coursework and formal exams.