Geography

Geography at Corpus Fact FIle

Typical offer: A*AA

Required subjects: None

Typical number of Geography undergraduates admitted per year: 2-3

Submitted written work requirements: See our Written Work webpage

Admissions assessment: None 

Geography at Cambridge

Studying geography at Cambridge will take you from the fenlands of East Anglia, through active volcanic landscapes, into global climate futures – and more. All of these explored through the lenses of social, cultural and historical geographies, as much as through the geology, biology and physics underpinning the processes.

Students in Year 1 are therefore introduced to the wide range of topics, philosophies, methodologies, and skills that characterise modern Geography, before being invited in Year 2 and 3 to choose their specialisms or, as is common, to choose to study papers that straddle, or sample, both the scientific and social science topics on offer. Interdisciplinarity is one of the subject’s greatest strengths and a key skill that Cambridge geographers take with them for life.

Teaching takes place within lectures, lab classes, field trips and, distinctively, small-group ‘supervisions’, which offer unique opportunities for discussion of ideas and details. It is, we think, a rewarding and exciting programme, representative of the importance and substance of the modern discipline of Geography.

The Department of Geography in Cambridge is a welcoming and inclusive environment and our undergraduates, postgraduates and lecturers explore the discipline together through their teaching and research. If you are thinking about applying to study Geography at Cambridge and think that the opportunities and distinctiveness of the course and Department are right for you, then go for it!

For more information about the Geography course at Cambridge, please visit the University website.

Why study Geography at Corpus?

Geography has always been an important subject at Corpus and whilst the intake of geographers is relatively small compared to some colleges, the discipline and the geography community in the college continues to thrive. Geographers at Corpus benefit from working in a relatively independent and interdisciplinary environment, where mixing with students studying other courses is common. The Department of Geography will act as a focus for your intellectual development, as it does for all geography students, and there you will mix with geography students and teachers from other colleges, in addition to the contacts you will make in College.

What do we look for in applicants?

The discipline of Geography reflects a breadth, diversity, and concern for ‘real-world’ issues that cannot be narrowed down into a set of exclusively human or physical questions. As such, we understand that Geography applicants will have a range of interests and passions, and we do not prioritise any one 'type' of geographer over others. The one thing in common amongst all strong applicants is enthusiasm for the subject, and a willingness to get involved in informed discussion and debate. 

Bearing in the mind the breadth of the course and its interconnectivity with other disciplines, students who are able to engage thoughtfully with problems and then build links between different ideas and themes would stand out as an applicant who would thrive here in Cambridge. 

Super-curricular resources

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