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Full Time: 4 Years | including a placement year
Economic and geographic issues dominate the news and shape the world we live in. This BSc Geography and Economics (Regional science) with Professional Experience course covers everything from globalisation and consumerism to sustainability and responses to epidemics.
This joint degree combines the study of human geography and economics by focusing on the spatial implications of economic processes and the economic implications of social processes.
You will gain analytical skills and specialist knowledge of economics as you develop through this course, giving you a valuable edge over other applicants when it comes to getting a job.
Research techniques include a range of methods of quantitative analysis as well as interviewing and ethnographic approaches enabling you to develop a wide range of skills.
Placement
This four-year degree course includes a professional placement which provides you with opportunities to work with partner organisations on research projects. Recent examples include Thames Water, the Environment Agency, Reading Borough Council, the Earth Trust, Reading Buses and West Berkshire Wildlife Group.
You will benefit from the links that members of staff have with industry and with external organisations such as NGOs, local authorities, and government departments. Recently, a final-year student undertook field work for her dissertation at the Environmental Studies Centre in Cyprus, benefiting from the expertise and facilities available in a challenging and exciting environment overseas.
The department also runs study abroad schemes in the UK and enjoys active links with approved partner universities in Europe, Australia, Canada or the USA. In the autumn term of your final year, you will have the chance to study abroad for a term. All classes are conducted in English and bursaries are available to help with travel and accommodation costs.
For more information about securing and completing a placement for your placement year, please visit our Important Information page.
For more information, please visit the Department of Geography and Environmental Science website.
Typical offer A Level BBB | IB 30 points overall
What will you study?
How much will it cost?
New UK/EU students: £9,250* per year
New international students: £17,320 per year
* UK and EU fee changes
UK undergraduate fees are regulated by the government. These fees are subject to parliamentary approval and any decision on raising the tuition fees cap for new UK and EU** students would require the formal approval of both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.
From 2020, the UK government may link tuition fees to the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).
**EU students
For more information on fees, loans and grants for EU students, see fees and funding for home/EU students.
Additional costs
These course fees cover the cost of your tuition. Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.
Placement Year fees
If you spend a full year on placement – including professional and research placements and industrial experience – you’ll pay a discounted tuition fee for that year.
For Home/EU students, the discounted fee is subject to parliamentary approval and is currently capped at £1,385.
For International students, the discount is 15% of your normal tuition fee.
For more information, please contact placements@reading.ac.uk.
Financial support for your studies
You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK and other EU countries may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.
* UK and EU Fee Changes
Subject to the Government passing legislation to raise the minimum fee cap, we will raise undergraduate tuition fees from £9,000 to £9,250 for new UK/EU students applying to start courses in the 2017/18 academic year. You will not be affected by this rise if you have deferred entry to the 2017/18 academic year. The Government will confirm future arrangements for EU students in due course.
The tuition fee will remain £9,000 per year for the full duration of this course if you start in the 2016/17 academic year or have accepted an offer but deferred your entry until the 2017/18 academic year. This is unlike other institutions who are planning to raise fees midway through courses.
For further information, please see our webpage on the Teaching Excellence Framework and future tuition fees.
Additional costs
These course fees cover the cost of your tuition. Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.
Financial support for your studies
You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK and other EU countries may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.
What career can you have?
You will gain the skills for careers in renewable energy, wildlife conservation, development studies, urban and transport planning, biodiversity and climatology.
Graduates have followed careers in retail management, transport consultancy, regeneration management and the Whitehall civil service. Others work in environmental consultancies, hazards and insurance, real estate and property, and international development as flood risk analysts, commercial managers, GIS analysts, portfolio managers, campaign executives, social researchers, nature conservation officers, web designers, human resources officers and quantity surveyors.
Others have secured roles as economists with the Government Economic Service or consultancies such as PwC and KPMG.