Program Overview

Discover Geography at Lancaster and overseas with our exciting Study Abroad programme. Explore a range of amazing locations and learn from world-renowned lecturers.

Geography is a distinctive subject: it studies our world in a vast range of areas. Our Study Abroad programme provides a unique first-hand experience of work and life in a different country. You will spend a year exploring the diverse physical environments, societies and culture in North America or Australasia, as well as benefiting from our world-class teaching at the state-of-the-art Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC).

While studying at LEC, you will have access to a host of new facilities including teaching and research labs, computer systems and software, and even our very own weather monitoring station. Working in comfortable class sizes, you will have the opportunity to get to know your lecturers personally, enabling you to benefit from their expert knowledge and helpful one-to-one advice.

Modules taken at Lancaster will make extensive use of the rural settings of the north and the bustling cities of Liverpool and Manchester, allowing you to explore some of the UK’s most unique areas of geographic interest in comparison with another country. You will gain a wealth of hands-on experience with field trips to places such as the Yorkshire Dales, Cumbrian coast and Lake District, as well as international locations including Croatia and Switzerland.

In Year 1, the modules that you take will develop a fundamental understanding of human, physical and environmental geography. These modules equip you with a well-rounded introduction to some of the key themes in geography, as well as providing you with some of the key skills used by geographers to analyse problems in both the human and physical aspects of the discipline.

Specialisation begins in second year, enabling you to choose topics that match your interests. Core modules will focus on practical work, giving you a range of analytical and research project skills, while optional modules feature an exciting field trip to Spain.

You will spend your third year studying at one of our overseas partner universities building your global outlook and connectivity.

In your final year, you will undertake a dissertation project, guided by an academic supervisor, which offers a chance to perform original geographical research on a topic of your choice. While completing the dissertation, you will use the key research, analytical and academic writing skills you have learnt throughout your degree. You will be offered further optional module choices with an emphasis on both human and physical geography, and there will be fieldwork opportunities in a variety of locations.

Lancaster University will make reasonable endeavours to place students at an approved overseas partner university that offers appropriate modules which contribute credit to your Lancaster degree. Occasionally places overseas may not be available for all students who want to study abroad or the place at the partner university may be withdrawn if core modules are unavailable. If you are not offered a place to study overseas, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent standard degree scheme and would complete your studies at Lancaster.

Lancaster University cannot accept responsibility for any financial aspects of the year or term abroad.