Applied Geographical Sciences
Overview
If you are interested in investigating your own neighbourhood and the wider world using maps, satellite images and aerial photography and other digital data then a degree in AGS will be of interest to you. In this programme of study you will learn about the key concepts that underpin the study of applied geographical sciences and how you can apply these ideas to solve problems using different types of data that you will collect and analyze using the same digital technologies used in the sector today.
A few years ago, most of us would not have envisaged a future where information would become a driving force behind ways of doing business, sharing ideas and understanding the environments we live in, but now geographic information technology (Geotechnology) has become such a driving force and is changing the ways we share information and conduct business. In every type of organization and in every part of our lives, Geotechnology helps people to do a better job and make a difference. Today, it is a multibillion-dollar industry employing hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.
Every time you ask the question “where is..?” you are thinking spatially. Spatial thinking is a common element in all Earth Systems sciences such as Geography, Geology, Geo-physics, and Environmental Studies but recently it has been incorporated into important social and economic areas such as Town and Country Planning, local government and community asset management, retail location analyses, marketing and Customer Relationship Management, Epidemiology (mapping disease) and Criminology, all of which have a spatial element.
This is a Specialised Award. You do not take a second subject in First Year, nor can you combine AGS with other subjects. This is so you will gain the knowledge and skills expected by employers in the geosciences sector, plus that all-important geographical context.
You will study Geographical concepts and principles in both Physical and Human Geography strands in all three years of your degree (Levels 4, 5 and 6) to allow you to gain the knowledge, skills and understanding of the fundamentals of thinking and working spatially. At Level 5 you will undertake a Geosciences Industry Experience placement of your own choice with tutor support while the Digital Cartography module builds on the basic principles of ArcGIS use and application learned in Level 4. At Level 6 you will take more responsibility for your own learning in the Applied Geosciences Dissertation and you will take two practical based modules Geotechnical modules.
The optional modules at all levels enable you to personalise your own degree and specialise further in areas in which you are particularly interested. Options include Development and Sustainability, Public Health Nutrition, Environmental Hazards, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Coastal and River Management and Creating a Business.
The award includes a compulsory Geosciences industry module in the second year. In the course of this module you will undertake a short placement with a relevant organisation of your choice. A community engagement module is also optional in the third year, and involves a period of volunteering with your chosen organisation.
There are various career opportunities available to BSc AGS graduates, from careers in natural resource management, disaster management and public service provision to careers in business, marketing and retail. This course aims to give you the practical training in the latest technologies and provide you with vocational and problem based learning to give you the best chance of securing a good career. In designing this new course we have listened to what employers in the geospatial industry want and we have included those things in our modules.
