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Geography and Geology fieldwork

Fieldwork is a vital part of our Geography and Geology degrees. Whether you travel to Germany, Spain, Italy, Malawi, Hong Kong, Morocco, the Swiss Alps or locations in the UK, your fieldwork adds real-world depth and perspective to what you learn in the classroom and lab.

Where will you explore?

Throughout your degree, fieldwork comprises a key component of many modules in Geography and Geology. Fieldwork can change but no matter where you go you will have the opportunity to explore new places and cultures, study your subject in the real world and develop transferable skills you can use whatever your future career path.

Peak_District

First year: around the UK

All students go on a core residential fieldtrip, where you will get to know your teachers and fellow students, and learn basic fieldwork skills.

In recent years, students have visited Shropshire and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ironbridge, learning how geology, physical geography and human geography are inextricably connected.

Diversity on our doorstep

Other core first-year fieldtrips use the amazing diversity on our doorstep, with day trips to study the geography and geology of Yorkshire and northern England.

In the spring, Geology and Geology and Physical Geography students have a core residential trip, with students currently visiting the Lake District.

All fieldwork for core (compulsory) modules is included in the cost of your degree.

 

Rome

Second year: travel further afield

Before the start of the second year, Geology students get the chance to develop their skills in igneous and metamorphic geology as part of their core programme of study. Previous fieldwork locations include the glorious Scottish island of Skye.

In the spring of the second year, Geography and Geology students take part in a residential fieldtrip, which is also core to our teaching programmes.

Fieldwork tailored to your subject

Where you will go on your fieldwork depends which degree you are studying:

Italy

BA Geography

In previous years, BA Geography students have visited major European cities including Rome, Berlin and Barcelona, to bring an international perspective to urban, cultural and social geography.

Tenerife rock

BSc Geography

BSc Geography students visit environments that challenge their understanding of the physical landscape in locations like Tenerife, Spain and Morocco.

Spain

BSc Geology

For Geology programmes we currently visit Europe's only desert in southern Spain, where students learn how to understand and map rock outcrops.

Alps 2

Third year: the world's your oyster

In the third year, many modules include significant fieldwork.

In recent years, fieldwork options have included excursions to the Alps, Iceland, Malawi, and Hong Kong.

Many modules also include field days or short residential activities, and have seen students investigating the regeneration of Hull - the UK City of Culture 2017 - probing the mudflats of The Humber river, and panning for gold in the Scottish Highlands.

BSc Geology students taking the core Advanced Geological Field Skills module have visited Cyprus, world-famous for its extraordinary geology.

Both Geology and Geology with Physical Geography students carry out their own independent geological dissertation fieldwork, typically in the UK or Ireland, but some students have gone as far afield as Poland, Greece, Canada, and Ghana.

Geography dissertation students also have the opportunity to conduct their own fieldwork or work in the field with an external organisation, such as a local council, national park, or charity.

For students unable to travel abroad we always offer alternative opportunities in the UK.

COSTS

All fieldwork for core (compulsory) modules is included in the cost of your degree, though there may be small contributions you have to make, such as buying your meals.

Fieldtrips for optional modules involve students paying towards the cost of the trips, however, we aim to reduce these costs as much as possible.

Financial support is also available to help towards the costs of your final-year dissertation fieldwork.

CASE STUDY

Karl Collitt, BSc Geology with Physical Geography

What fieldwork trips have you been on while at Hull?

"I’ve been on so many trips. In my first year, I went to the Yorkshire coast, Ingleton in the Yorkshire Dales, and a four-day residential trip to the Lake District.

"In my second year, I went to Burniston on the Yorkshire coast, a nine-day residential trip to the Isle of Skye, the Peak District, and a six-day residential trip to Almeria in Southern Spain.

"I undertook a 35-day independent geological mapping exercise in St Davids in Pembrokeshire in my third year. On top of this, I went on a three-day residential trip to Tyndrum in Scotland, Matlock Bath in Derbyshire, the Humber Estuary and Pickering in North Yorkshire.

karl-collitt

"I have to mention my mapping trip to St Davids in Wales. Designing my own project from the ground up brought lots of benefits. It had a sense of independence that is seldom seen in other field trips.

"Submitting the final piece of work for this project was the single proudest moment I had as a student... besides graduation of course!"

Karl Collitt
BSc Geology with Physical Geography

What was your favourite trip and why was it memorable?

"My favourite field trip was Almeria, as it was the first time I had been abroad. It was memorable for me as I was able to apply myself in a completely different environment. The relationship between the staff and the students was important in making us feel confident. We’d all relax as a group in the evening, which made any work much easier, and we could engage with it more effectively.

"I have to mention my mapping trip to St Davids in Wales. Designing my own project from the ground up brought lots of benefits. It had a sense of independence that is seldom seen in other field trips - you’re completely on your own, so any work you produce is truly representative of you as a geologist and a person. Submitting the final piece of work for this project was the single proudest moment I had as a student…. besides graduation of course!"

How did the fieldwork trips benefit your studies?

"The field trips gave me the chance to truly interact with what I had learned about in lectures. Understanding how things appear in the real world is key to success in the future."

Contact us

School of Environmental Sciences
  • University of Hull
  • Hull, UK
  • HU6 7RX
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