Geological Science in UK

The geosciences are critical to shaping the future of our planet. Geologists use their knowledge of the earth’s evolution and the physical, chemical and biological process that shape our planet, to pioneer sustainable futures. Our new modules explore geohazards and risk, clean energy transitions, and long term environmental change. Students gain specialist academic, international fieldwork and laboratory skills providing a springboard to an exciting and diverse range of careers.

The principal challenge facing the world’s growing population is how to maintain sustainable access to the natural resources – water, energy and food – that are necessary for us to enjoy a good quality of life, while protecting the environment.

The science and engineering behind understanding and solving this challenge lie at the heart of earth science, an interdisciplinary subject which encompasses physics, chemistry, mathematics and other sciences. It can be applied to the study of Earth to give us an understanding of how our planet works, from its internal core, crust and oceans, to the atmosphere and our solar system.

All our courses combine a strong traditional emphasis on observational and field skills with the numerical and analytical fundamental science required to understand Earth processes and systems quantitatively.

We also emphasise the development of transferable professional skills such as group working, problem-solving, drawing inferences from incomplete data, IT, and oral and written communication. You can expect a balance between theory and practice, including a variety of field trips in the UK and abroad.

The Earth is billions of years old - but what is the ultimate destiny of our world?

Through geology, you can study our planet's fascinating history to predict and protect its future.

With the BSc Geology, you will learn about how:

• the Earth was formed
• our planet has changed over time
• the processes that shape our planet affects our life upon it

The BSc Environmental Geosciences course seeks to develop specialist geoscience students for careers in the environmental sector, further study or research. Graduates of our degree go on to work for companies in a range of relevant areas including environmental management, water management, energy, mining and geotechnics.

You may also go on to study for an MSc and PhD in more specialist areas including environmental geochemistry, hydrology, hydrogeology and geotechnics. The course has a special emphasis on employability and benefits from consultations with experts from the industry including Amec, Atkins, the Environment Agency, English Nature and Mott MacDonald.

Our MSc in Geoscience Research is a research-focused masters programme designed to develop generic and subject specific research skills over a broad range of disciplines within Geology and Geoscience, providing a strong educational background for a career in research and development, or the public or private sector. 

The programme is designed to develop generic research skills such as a critical evaluation, research design, scientific writing, data management, literature reviews, reflective practice and science communication, alongside subject-specific research skills such as fieldwork, laboratory skills, data collection, data analysis and interpretation.

Join us for your MPhil or PhD in Geosciences. You'll work with academics who are leaders in their field. You'll be supported and guided to produce geoscience research of an international standard.

The School of Natural and Environmental Sciences has an international reputation for using the latest science to solve problems of global importance.

Research Areas

The MSc Advanced Applied Field Geoscience is the most fieldwork based MSc in the UK. This is a vocational MSc course that will give you with the knowledge, skills, competence and confidence to work in a wide range of practical geoscience careers, from engineering geology and mining to quarrying, petroleum geoscience and research.

Rather than focusing on an individual geoscience career path, we focus on providing a thorough training in a number of geoscience skills including digital data capture and visualisation, analytical methods and applied field geology.

Our Geology degrees gives you a broad training in the geosciences, from the structure and history of our planet and life on Earth, to the natural resources that geologists need to manage for a sustainable future. You may have already discovered that every rock tells a fascinating story: perhaps it was formed in a volcano, or preserves dinosaur remains, or a chemical signature of past oceans, or a rare mineral with high-tech applications. Our Geology degree helps you piece it all together to arrive at a profound understanding of our planet and the role of the geoscientist in today’s world.

The first year lays the foundations by introducing you to the full spectrum of geoscience topics, including the rock cycle, palaeontology, natural resources, and geological maps. You will undertake a field trip to the beautiful Isle of Arran in Scotland where you can put into practice everything you have learn on campus. In the second year you will develop your skills and understanding, and in the third year, develop specialist expertise to help realise your potential. You can choose optional modules to reflect your developing interests, and take field trips to UK and overseas locations. By choosing the Geology degree, you will have more option choices than students on specialist degree streams, though it’s easy to change at the end of the first year if you discover a particular interest in palaeontology or applied and environmental geology. Explore the different modules in detail using the links on this page.

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are now a major component of information technology – and if you're interested in pursuing a career in this innovative, exciting field, our MSc Geographical Information Systems (GIS) degree course will give you the tools to succeed.

On this MSc Geographical Information Systems degree course, you'll learn practical GIS skills using the same software tools employed by professionals in the field. You'll analyse spatial data through your own project work and build on your previous geographical studies, creating distinctive methods of data analysis, algorithms and software tools.

Once you graduate, you'll be well placed to pursue a career as a geographical information science specialist within local and national government, health authorities, environment and conservation organisations, or in university-based research.

The MSc in Reservoir Evaluation and Management (REM) teaches students how to be successful subsurface geoscientists and engineers, able to build models that can provide good predictions of hydrocarbon reservoir behaviour. The success of these models requires a good understanding of both the geology and engineering of the reservoir. The REM programme, with its combination of geoscience and engineering, provides students with the ability to identify those aspects of the reservoir which have the greatest impact on hydrocarbon recovery. Our graduates typically go on to careers in petroleum geology, geomodelling or reservoir engineering.