Master of Science (Earth Science)

The Master of Science (Earth Science) at Massey University will develop your skills in a field and laboratory environment that is focused on solutions to Earth science-based issues facing society.

Examine the environmental impact
Massey’s expertise in environmental geochemistry includes remediation of contaminated sites, phytomining, mine sites and land reclamation.

You can learn from – and build on – our expertise in the societal impacts of earth events, such as volcanic activity. These include social, economic, infrastructure and the impact on local communities including iwi.

Explore the world around you
You’ll gain transferable skills that will be useful in many different careers. These include observation skills, advanced ability in data collection, analysis and interpretation, problem-solving and lateral thinking skills, self-motivation and resilience, teamwork as well as developing high-level written and verbal communication skills.

Let our expertise become yours
Massey University Earth science staff are actively researching and are members of internationally-relevant related groups. Many also have extensive industry experience, through either employment or consultancy. They bring this expertise to your teaching.

In-depth research
This master’s includes an in-depth research project, where you will be able to explore an aspect of Earth science that interests you.

Specialised equipment
We have a range of specialised equipment which is available to you for your research and study. 

• A microprobe for spatial geochemical analysis of geological materials. Able to focus down to two microns, it allows measurement of changes in composition across crystals (which record pre-eruption processes in magmas).
• Laser particle size analyser for measuring grain-size distributions of materials such as tephra.
• FTIR (Fourier Transform Infra-red) microscope. This measures water and CO2 contents in volcanic materials (related to eruption dynamics), but has also been used for analysing compositional differences in horse bones and carbon nanoparticles.
• Pyroclastic Flow simulator.
• Hyperspectral analyser for remote sensing soil, rock and plant materials (an example of use includes detecting mineralised ground by remote sensing).
• FLYSPEC analyser for measuring SO2 in volcanic eruption plumes.
• XRD analyser for determining mineralogical compositions of a wide range of materials, especially clay minerals.
• TGA/DSC (Thermogravimetric Analyser/Differential Scanning Calorimeter) for uses such as thermal behaviour in volcanic glasses to characterise biochar.
• OEM (Optical Emission Analyser) for geochemical analysis with particular application to environmental geochemistry.