Newsflash

The Department of Geography is ranked 4th in The Complete University Guide 2012.

The Department of Geography at Durham is one of the leading centres of geographical scholarship in the world. With 58 academics, 34 researchers, 21 professional support staff, 32 administrative and technical staff, 123 postgraduates, and 579 undergraduates, we teach and research across the discipline from Antarctica to Bangladesh, from spatial theory to flood modelling, and from GIS to the social economy. Our aim is to create and sustain a world class research and teaching environment with top class laboratories and IT facilities in a supportive and collegial atmosphere.

The Department was founded in 1928 and remains among the strongest in the country. It was ranked joint first nationally in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise and the quality of our teaching has been rated ‘excellent’ by an external Quality Assessment Audit. "It is remarkable", said Professor Robin Coningham, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Social Sciences & Health, "how the Geography Department at Durham has managed to remain at the apex of research achievement for so many years". He also remarked on the "ability of the Department's academic staff to bring their research interests and expertise to bear in their teaching, providing a stimulating intellectual environment for some of the best students in the country". Our success in marrying research and teaching excellence is reflected in the most recent university guides, which consistently place the Department of Geography at Durham in the top flight. Our strength lies in all the people who work in the Department and in the students who study here.

Professor Joe Painter, Head of Department