Fieldwork

Geography is all about studying physical and social dynamics in real-world contexts. By studying for a Geography degree at Durham you will have the opportunity to go on a range of compulsory and optional fieldtrips. These range from an introduction to the Durham and Newcastle region in your first week, to designing team research projects for overseas fieldwork in your final year. Your knowledge, skills, and understanding will expand as you apply theory to real problems in interesting locations, both in the UK and abroad. 

Our fieldtrips are not only about observing the social and natural world, they are about you doing research. Every fieldtrip supports you with thorough training before departure, support in data collection and analysis, and skills to interpret and communicate high-quality research. 

We currently run field trips to: 

BA 

• Year 1: Newcastle and Durham coast
• Year 2: Bristol, Liverpool, Glasgow, Manchester
• Year 3: Rotterdam, Jerusalem, Chicago, Berlin, the Arctic

BSc 

• Year 1: Newcastle and Durham coast, Portugal
• Year 2: Isle of Skye, Lake District, Whitby, Keswick
• Year 3: Switzerland, Iceland, Nepal, Mallorca, Norway

In addition to these organised fieldtrips, you can also pursue your own independent fieldwork and research in your dissertation. Some of the colleges even offer generous scholarships to support dissertation fieldwork. You can find out more by visiting the college websites and coming to an open day.