ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Undergraduate qualifications

Our normal minimum requirement is a good second class Honours degree or equivalent in geography or a related subject. For the MSc in Catcment Dynamics and Management and the MSc in GIS for CDM we require a minimum of an upper second class Honours degree. However, many candidates are still in their final year of undergraduate study when they first apply, in which case we take note of what your academic referee's assessment of your abilities.

Successful candidates in recent years have included those with good first egrees in related subjects such as ecology and environmental science, or economics, sociology, politics, english and business studies. If you think that you might be interested in our course, but feel unsure as to whether you have the necessary background, get in touch with us to discuss your position. The same may apply if you have been away from geographical study at a university level for a while and want to use the course to update your understanding and skills; we are pleased to offer advice on the status of your existing qualifications.

Work experience

Relevant work experience is viewed positively and is taken into account particularly for candidates whose first degree grade is slightly below our requirement.

Part-time study

We usually recruit several part-time students every year who take the course over two academic years and combine study with paid work or other commitments. This means that you can work to fund your studies, or gain a new qualification without giving up an existing job. We aim to be particularly flexible in helping you to put together a part-time course structure that meets your academic goals while recognising the constraints upon your time for study.

Overseas students

We welcome applications for full-time study from overseas and EU candidates.

In recent years we have attracted students from all around the world including the USA, Italy, Spain, Nigeria, Canada, Australia and India. To be able to get the most out of our course we ask that you have an academic qualification equivalent to a good second class degree from a British university.

English language qualifications

If your first language is not English, the University requires you to provide evidence of competence in English. We ask that you meet our minimum language requirements by enclosing a recent TOEFL or IELTS certificate with your application. Minimum requirements are:

  • TOEFL score (internet-based test) of at least 94 overall with at least 21 in listening, 23 in reading and speaking, and 24 in writing
  •  IELTS score of 6.5 with at least 6.0 in all components
  •  PTE (Academic) score of 64 with at least 60 in all components
  • Other qualifications are accepted, but will be reviewed when you apply.

If you feel that your level of English is not adequate for your course, you should consider enrolling on one of the full-time pre-sessional English language courses run by the Language Centre at the University of Leeds. These courses are of six or ten weeks duration and prepare students in the English language skills needed for study and provide a useful orientation to academic and social life in Britain. Even if you already fulfil the University's English language requirement, you may still find the preparation given by these courses very helpful.