Marine Geography with a Year of Study Abroad (BSc)

at Cardiff University

Year abroad

Learn while you travel and experience the landscapes or coastlines, education and culture of a different country with the opportunity to complete a year studying at a university abroad.

Strong connections

Our excellent links to local organisations, such as Natural Resources Wales and the Severn Estuary Partnership, helps our students to find projects and placement opportunities.

High quality facilities

Access the latest technologies in offshore surveying and mapping equipment, chemical laboratories, labs with GIS, and a 12-metre research boat.

Fieldwork opportunities

Regular field trips in the UK and overseas will help you to develop strong fieldwork skills. The cost of field trips is included in your course fees.

Professionally accredited

This course is accredited by the RICS which means that we have the recognition of a professional body. Accreditation is important when you start your career and it will help you obtain chartered status in your profession.

The world’s oceans and coasts are full of amazing habitats and wildlife and they sustain many important and growing industries including shipping, tourism and renewable energy. As a marine geographer, you will have the skills and knowledge needed to keep our oceans healthy and support traditional and emerging marine industries to be sustainable. 

Our Marine Geography course explores a unique mix of physical and environmental geography. You will study the science behind the relationship between society and the sea, and investigate global challenges like ocean acidification and rising sea levels.

South Wales has a rich and diverse marine environment including estuaries with large tidal ranges, islands thriving with wildlife, offshore renewable energy and the largest oil port in the UK in Milford Haven. We take regular trips to the Bristol Channel, the Glamorgan Heritage Coast and the Gower, where we complete activities like offshore surveying, water quality monitoring, ecological mapping and beach profiling. There will also be opportunities to go on overseas trips, in the past we’ve been to  Malta, Jersey and Greece. 

During this four-year programme, you can spend one academic year studying at one of our partner universities abroad. Studying abroad is a fantastic opportunity to experience other cultures and viewpoints, learn the different styles and approaches to your subject in another country and explore new physical environments, landscapes and coastlines. You will get the chance to make new friends and contacts from around the world. Plus, you will have the opportunity to develop a wealth of life skills and strengths that will help you to compete in an increasingly global workplace, such as adaptability, resourcefulness, and resilience.

Our Regrow Borneo project allows you to offset your flight’s carbon emissions by making an affordable donation to support our tree-planting project in the Lower Kinabatangan rainforest, Sabah, Borneo.