About us

Welcome to one of the longest-established and largest departments of Geography and Earth Sciences in the UK.

The Department of Geography and Earth Sciences is one of the biggest and most experienced of its kind in the UK, specialising in a broad range of themes across the natural, physical and social sciences. We celebrated 100 years of Geography at Aberystwyth in 2017, and have been teaching Earth Sciences for even longer!

We have a long-standing tradition of offering contemporary and exciting degree schemes, and in recent years have added Sociology to our portfolio.

Why choose the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University?

  • Aberystwyth has a fantastic wealth of natural resources right on our doorstep, including mountains, rolling moorland and farmland, rivers, the sea and stunning coastline, plus rural and urban environments too. Here, you can explore Geography, Sociology, Earth and Environmental Sciences in a setting and a way that no other university can offer.
  • Many of our courses are accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) (with the Institute of British Geographers).We offer field trips locally, within the UK and overseas to help you develop your fieldwork skills and explore real-world issues first hand.
  • You will be part of a vibrant campus university with its own sports centre and busy Arts Centre, with the National Library of Wales, only one of five copyright libraries in the UK, situated right next door.
  • Our staff are passionate about what they do. They are dedicated researchers and lecturers, many of whom are at the forefront of their respective fields. Their first-hand knowledge of the world is fed into all our courses through a variety of specialist themes.
  • We provide you with a range of flexible learning opportunities, whether it be in a lecture theatre, seminar class, tutorial, in a laboratory or on a field course. You will be assessed in a variety of ways, including exams, reports, presentations, videos and essays, all of which are designed to enhance your subject-specific, personal and transferable skill sets.
  • We are ranked the Top in England and Wales for Student Satisfaction (NSS 2022) and Top in Wales (NSS 2023). We are also the Welsh University of the Year 2024 (Good University Guide, The Times and Sunday Times).
  • We we're placed Top in Wales and Top 5 in the UK for Student Satisfaction in Human Geography; Top in Wales and Top 10 in the UK for Student Satisfaction in Physical Geographical Sciences; and Top 10 in the UK for Student Satisfaction in Sociology (National Student Survey 2022).

Further information about our research expertise, undergraduate and postgraduate courses can be found throughout our webpages. We invite you to browse and discover more about our community and life in the Department.

If you have any questions, please do get in touch with us - our contact details can be found in the 'Contact Us' section. We encourage those interested in studying with us to visit on an Open Day or Applicant Visiting Day to see what makes Aberystwyth such an incredible place to live and learn.

Professor Sarah Davies
Head of Department