MSci in Earth Sciences

A four-year Masters's degree course that has been designed to provide a comprehensive and rigorous education in all aspects of Earth Sciences with the opportunity to interact with staff at the cutting-edge of scientific research. It provides the opportunity to follow the Geology (F600) or Environmental Geosciences (F630) or Geophysics with Geology (F662) for the first three years and undertake a detailed Research Project in the area of your choice in the fourth year. The MSci Earth Sciences course incorporates a substantial amount of independent (and group) project work which will involve you in high-level quantitative investigations, in addition to advanced key skills training.

Students who have been accepted on the BSc degree courses can choose to transfer to the four-year MSci degree in Earth Sciences (F644) at the end of their second year. This will depend on your progress in the first two years.

Year 1
Compulsory modules:

• Principles of Earth Sciences 
• Earth Materials
• Understanding Earth Sciences
• Field Studies.

Optional modules:

• Environment and Resources 
• Mathematical Methods in Geosciences 
• Further Mathematics for Geoscientists
• Physics for Geoscientists
• Up to two modules from another academic department.

Year 2
Compulsory modules:

• Fieldwork (Geological) 
• Structural Geology and Tectonics 
• Sedimentary Environments 
• Igneous and Metamorphic Geochemistry and Petrology

Optional modules:

• Geophysical Methods for Geoscientists
• Geoinformatics 
• Palaeoecology
• The Geological Evolution of the British Isles
• Water and Climate
• Modelling Earth Processes
• One module from another academic department.

Year 3
Compulsory modules:

• Dissertation 
• Challenges in Geodynamics I

Optional modules:

• Earth System and Climate 
• Earth Structure and Dynamics
• Petroleum Geophysics
• Sedimentary and Petroleum Systems
• Magmatism
• Palaeobiology
• Tectonics and Deformation Processes
• Environmental Geochemistry
• Earth Sciences into Schools
• Hydrogeology and Geomechanics.

Year 4

Compulsory modules:

• Research Project
• Frontiers in Earth Science
• Earth Science Field Seminar
• Earth Sciences into Society.