Ever wondered how to plan transport to beat traffic jams, make buses and trains work and deliver all those online orders? How to make cities sustainable and healthy at the same time as provide access to jobs? Would you like to find out how transport professionals achieve their objectives? Explore how transport contributes to quality of life, but also causes problems for society - an issue that has taken it to the top of the political agenda.
This is a degree with a distinctive employability element in which you study human geography alongside modules taught by the University's internationally famous Institute for Transport Studies (ITS). A BA Geography with Transport Studies degree equips you with skills for a multitude of careers in the transport sector in the UK or worldwide, including: transport planning; transport analysis and economics; project management; freight and logistics. You will also graduate with the skills to equip you in roles such as: accountancy and banking; marketing and retail planning.
Graduates from this degree go on to high-level jobs in the transport sector, as well as other sectors (eg retail), and with its unique focus on the interactions between transport, space and place, the course provides specialist knowledge and skills that are in high demand.
You can convert your 3-year degree into a 4-year degree by spending an additional year on an industrial placement or overseas, before returning to Leeds to complete your final year of study. Read "Study abroad and work placements".
We give you a £500 allowance to cover the costs of optional field trips across Levels 2 and 3.
Course content
Each year of this programme is designed around a combination of compulsory Human Geography and Transport modules, with opportunities to take optional and/or discovery modules so that you can follow your own interests. Transport makes up approximately one third of the compulsory modules, with modules providing an overall introduction in the first year, looking at Transport and Society in the second year, and looking at travel activity, analysis and decision making in the third year. The balance of compulsory to optional/discovery modules depends on the year of study and is explained fully in the programme catalogue.
The range of Transport modules on offer provide specific employability skills, as well as allowing you to follow your interests and develop a specialism. Specialisms might include health, safety, appraisal, public transport or freight. The skills our graduates leave with make them especially appealing - many of our graduates receive multiple job offers.
For your third year you can opt to study abroad or to join our year in industry scheme with Geography and/or Transport placements. Once completed you return for your final year of study.
Course structure
These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Entry requirements, fees and applying
Entry requirements
A-level: AAB preferably including geography
If geography is not included then we would expect two A-levels from history, English, economics, sociology, a modern language, psychology, maths, biology, physics, chemistry, computing, law, philosophy and statistics. Offers exclude general studies and critical thinking.
GCSE: A*-B English and maths
Career opportunities
To find out more about our links with industry, read Study abroad and work placements.
Up to 80% of our undergraduates secure appropriate graduate employment within six months of graduating; others go on to do further study.
Here is a snapshot of the kinds of careers our graduates pursue:
Environmental management
Management and consultancy
Using GIS
Government and NGOs
Financial
Further study and training
Find out about your career prospects first-hand from employers and graduates of the School in our employability video!
Careers support
In the School of Geography we take your future very seriously and know that employability is uppermost in many students' minds. If you choose to study geography at Leeds, you can be confident that you're not only joining a university whose graduates are targeted by top employers, but that as geography graduates, your employment opportunities couldn't be more exciting and wide-ranging.
We structure this programme to ensure you develop the key transferable skills sought by graduate recruiters, skills such as: team-working, commercial awareness, report-writing, fluency in oral communication and presentation, numerical analysis, IT expertise and investigative skills.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That's one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
Leeds for Life is our unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development. Find out more at the Leeds for Life website.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
Study abroad and work placements
You can convert your 3-year degree into a 4-year study abroad degree by spending an additional year overseas, before returning to Leeds to complete your final year of study. You don't apply directly to this course, instead you can register your interest with us once you've enrolled on the 3-year degree.
To be eligible for Study Abroad you'll need to maintain a good average in your assessments in years 1 and 2 and, for some destinations, you may have to show you have the necessary language skills. Read more about eligibility on the Study Abroad website.
The Study Abroad Office and the School provide guidance to help you set up a study place at one of the University's partner institutions from around the world. Find out more at the Study Abroad website.
The School of Geography has long-established partnerships with a number of overseas universities who reserve places each year specifically for Leeds geographers.
European (Erasmus) destinations
*Starred institutions may offer a programme in English. Students may apply for department-specific or university-wide destinations. Academic suitability and language requirements should be discussed with your School Study Abroad Coordinator prior to application.
Worldwide destinations
Teaching takes place in English at all these universities:
Find out more from staff and students in our study abroad video
'Recruiters have confirmed that a record 32% of this year's entry-level positions are expected to be filled by graduates who have already worked for their organisations - either through paid internships, industrial placements or vacation work.'
(The Graduate Market in 2016, High Fliers Research)
At Leeds our aim is to ensure our students thrive in their academic studies and leave us as highly employable graduates with a wide range of skills and attributes sought after in today's job market. Leeds is one of the few geography departments in the UK to offer a year in industry scheme which allows you to extend your three-year programme to a four-year industrial degree.
This is a fantastic opportunity to add value to your CV, experience the 'real world' first-hand and, in many cases, be offered a permanent job with the placement company on graduating. With staff dedicated to helping you to secure a placement that is right for you, and by keeping in close contact with you throughout your placement year, we ensure you get the most out of your time with your chosen company.
You don't have to decide to do a placement year before you start your course, you can register your interest with us once you've enrolled on the 3-year degree.
Find out first-hand from employers and year in industry students about your options!
Fieldwork
Ask any of our students and they will tell you that taking part in field trips is one of the most enjoyable and memorable aspects of the geography programmes at Leeds.
We offer BA field trips at each level of study and they provide a great opportunity to study a fascinating subject in contrasting environments away from the University. During the field trips you will learn essential fieldwork and team working skills, transferable skills that will prove invaluable to your future career. Field trips are also a fantastic way to travel and see new places and to get to know your tutors and other students better.
On this course the fieldtrips offered are:
Level 1 - Leeds
Level 2 - Helsinki, Belgrade, Montpellier
Level 3 - Athens, Miami
Watch our field trip video to Montpellier!
