As the learned society and professional body for geography, the Society is concerned about the current situation in many UK universities where academic and professional staff are at a risk of redundancy and departments at threat of merger or closure.
The Society has a remit to promote and safeguard geographical knowledge and expertise in research, teaching and learning in higher education across the UK, as well as working directly with governments on relevant policy matters. We also undertake a wide range of other activities supporting the teaching and learning of geography in schools, and with public and professional audiences.
Geography is at the forefront of addressing key global challenges
With expertise which spans from the natural sciences to the humanities, geography as a discipline is at the forefront of addressing key global challenges including climate change, biodiversity loss, sustainability and social and economic inequalities. Geographers play a leading role in developing the knowledge and skills needed for more just and sustainable futures.
Demand for geography courses is growing
Not surprisingly therefore, demand for the subject is high and on an upward trajectory. In 2024, the uptake of geography at GCSE was at an all-time high and had risen by 100,000 students over the previous decade. Numbers at A Level have also risen in recent years.
This represents a huge opportunity for the expansion of geography as an area of study at university, but as departments contract and the range of departments and institutions offering geography degrees decreases, so do the number and range of opportunities for students. This impacts on the ability of the discipline to be accessible to all, and any reduction in the diversity of voices and experiences in geography will be a loss to us all.
Geography graduates are sought after by employers
Employers across the public and private sectors are increasingly expressing a need for geography graduates – people with the knowledge and skills fit for a green and digital economy and capable of developing a more equitable future. Any contraction in the availability of geography at universities will result in the loss of this strong pool of graduates with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that geography delivers so well and that employers value highly. In addition, for society at large, there is the loss of the social, cultural and economic benefits that engagement with geography brings.
Cuts threaten the diversity, interdisciplinarity and specialist skills which characterise excellence in geography
Geography is a broad discipline with intensive and specialist teaching and learning needs including fieldwork, laboratory work, and spatial data and analytical training. This breadth of expertise is needed for a geography department to deliver a quality programme and a lively and stimulating learning environment. It is also one of the attributes which makes geographers skilled in the kinds of interdisciplinary working and thinking needed to address contemporary global challenges. Reducing the number of staff in a department, or merging and redistributing geography staff across other subfields, stifles innovation and, inevitably, leads to a less attractive environment for potential students. In contrast, sustaining staff levels allows departments, and their wider institutions, to seize opportunities and realise plans to expand into areas of growth.
In short, university geography departments create an environment and culture where research and scholarship is world leading and outputs of that work have genuine impact in addressing key global, regional and local challenges. They train students who highly value their learning experience and who graduate with a distinctive suite of skills, knowledge and behaviours that are in demand by employers.
We strongly encourage all higher education institutions to sustain their geography departments at their current level and to invest in future developments to ensure they are able to help meet the changing educational, cultural, personal and career needs of students of all ages.
If any UK geographers find their department at risk of closure, or posts within their department are at risk of redundancy, please contact us on .