Careers

To help you to maximize your potential and achieve your ambitions we have integrated careers support into all of our degree programmes.

No two people from my classes have the same job – we’ve all taken something from our degree and applied it to a career we were interested in.
— Jessica Houghton, BA Human Geography

All our graduates can expect to leave us with a range of both subject specific and transferable skills, including skills relating to data collection and analysis, the interpretation and evaluation of complex ideas and evidence, problem solving, individual and group project management, teamwork, IT and communication. These skills are highly desired by employers in several sectors:

Careers for Geographers
Careers for Environmental Scientists
Careers for Global Development Graduates

Geographers graduating from Queen Mary develop a range of skills and acquire knowledge and understanding that is directly relevant to a variety of specific careers. For example, if you have an interest in global affairs and have studied gender and development modules, this might lead you into a career as a civil servant in a government department such as DFID, or as an aid worker or a charity officer. Alternatively, your interests might lie in the business world, where your knowledge of global financial change and global economic growth would allow you to consider a career as a financial risk assessor or location analyst. Visit the careers page of the Royal Geographical Society website to explore more career choices available to you.

Our Environmental Science graduates develop a range of skills and acquire knowledge and understanding that is directly relevant to a career in the environmental field. For example, if you are interested in contributing to scientific and political debates about environmental issues, you might consider a career as an environmental campaign organiser for a major NGO such as Greenpeace. If your interests are less issues-based and you want a more practical role, you may wish to pursue a career as an environmental consultant or engineer, an environmental impact officer, or a conservation worker. Your degree would give you a good foundation from which to pursue these types of roles within governmental departments and agencies or within commercial organisations.

Take a look at our guide with Unifrog exploring where a degree in environmental science could take you. Visit the Prospects website or the Graduate Recruitment Bureau for environmental science graduates to explore more career options that may be available to you.

Global Development graduates will be well equipped with a number of transferrable and well-sought after skills which will prepare them for careers in a wide range of sectors, including development agencies, government administrations, international financial organisations, public broadcasters, legal firms and not-for-profit organisations. Recent graduates from the School have gone on to roles with: Deloitte; The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office; the BBC; Solar Impulse Foundation; and The Citizens Foundation (TCF).

87% of graduates are in work or further study within fifteen months of graduating

Graduate Outcome Survey 2024

The broad range of knowledge and skills developed studying with the School of Geography, coupled with multiple opportunities for extra-curricular activities and work experience, has enabled our students to move into a range of careers. Our alumni profiles tell you more about the breadth of career destinations graduates from the School have gone on to.

Organisations employing our recent graduates include:

• Goldman Sachs • Arup Hong Kong • UK Cabinet Office • Thomson Reuters • Rochester Grammar School • UK Power Networks • Jacobs • CRISIS • Citizens UK • Reading Agricultural Consultants • Kent Police • Atkins

A sample of our recent graduates’ roles include:

• Business Analyst • Engineering Geologist • Policy Adviser • Head of Strategy • Project Manager • Graduate Geomorphologist • Transport Technology Consultant • Planning Information Officer • Flood and Coastal Risk Management Officer

Kana Alam - Assistant Producer, BBC - BSc Environmental Science

"I am comfortable communicating the complexities of climate change in a really digestible way to the wider public."

Anis Islam - Senior Policy Advisor, UK Civil Service - BA Geography

"My role sees me play an intermediary role with the Department for Education and the National Cyber Security Council at GCHQ as their cyber expert."

Natalie Fairchild - Operations Specialist, Kenyon International - BSc Geography

"The broad knowledge base that comes with a geography degree has helped enormously when working with the variety of cultures I engage with daily."

EAST: the Queen Mary student career journey

EAST is designed to help your prepare for life after graduation, whether that be work, study or launching and enterprise. It consists of four stages: Exploring career options; Acquiring experience; Showcasing your skills; and Transitioning towards your next steps.

Find out more about EAST What career stage am I?

Career development support

'Careers Conversations' event with careers consultant Gemma Garrett

To help you to maximize your potential and achieve your ambitions we have integrated careers support into all of our degree programmes. This begins in the first year and runs throughout your time as a student with us. Even if you don’t have a specific career in mind (and we recognize that many students don’t), we use our tutorials and other in-curriculum sessions and events to help you prepare for life after university.

To ensure the best quality support, we work closely with Queen Mary’s Careers & Enterprise Centre as well as with our dedicated School of Geography Careers Consultant. They offer a programme of careers events and work experience opportunities, as well as one-to-one careers guidance tailored to meet your individual needs. They can help you secure important work experience while you study, help polish your CV and prepare you for interviews.

We also draw on our alumni. Past activities have included ‘Career Conversations’ events, which are a fantastic opportunity to hear from our graduates about the range of jobs they moved into after their degree, how they got there and what advice they would give to those wanting to move into that sector. This is a great way to help you identify how the skills and knowledge you develop during your degree with us relate to the world of work.

Our careers support does not stop when our students leave. Graduates can continue to access support provided by the Careers & Enterprise Centre for two years after they complete their degree. This includes one-to-one careers advice and guidance, access to our careers information resources and graduate job listings.

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