Our Geology and Physical Geography MSci course is a flexible degree, supported by an extensive fieldwork programme, that will give you a broad-based knowledge of the Earth sciences.

100% of our Earth and Environmental Science graduates are in employment or further study within six months of graduating – 2016/17 Destination of Leavers from Higher Education survey

What drives the occurrence of natural hazards, and how can we forecast and respond to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes? What can past climate records teach us about future climate change? How is the movement of tectonic plates reflected in the landscape around us? If these are questions that you might ask, then this is the course for you.

The Geology and Physical Geography MSci programme gives you the opportunity to develop independent research skills and follow your interest in the Earth sciences more fully. It provides an ideal foundation for academic research or employment as a professional geoscientist. You may go on to work in pollution control or hydrogeology, or you could opt to become a geotechnical engineer, work for the British Geological Survey, carry out research or go into teaching. A Geology and Physical Geography degree from Newcastle sets you up for a wide range of exciting careers.

This Geology and Physical Geography MSci course gives you a broad and comprehensive training and allows you to develop your own specialist interests.

A varied fieldwork programme builds on a variety of lecture and laboratory based teaching, providing you with a range of practical scientific skills.

The first year of the course provides you with a strong foundation in geology and physical geography through a range of exciting core modules. You will build on this in the second year, where you can start to choose from optional modules, covering topics as diverse as continental deformation, geological natural hazards, hydroclimatology and environmental protection. In the third year you will lead the research for your dissertation. This could be anything from an industry-linked project with the British Geological Survey to a remote-sensing project investigating glacier retreat. You can also choose from a wide range of optional modules.

The fourth year allows you to specialise further and develop key career skills through leading your own research project. This independent project accounts for half of your final year, and may involve links with industry. You will develop your research plans with an academic member of staff. Several MSci students have published their research or presented it at conferences, and the MSci year provides excellent training for further research or a professional geoscience career.

Fieldwork

Getting out of the lecture theatre and into the field is an exhilarating experience. Whether you’re sampling, mapping or collecting data, the subject matter really comes alive. There’s no better way to learn about the natural and the built world than by being in the great outdoors.

Fieldwork is a key element of our degree programmes, and Earth Sciences at Newcastle has an outstanding reputation for providing its students with high quality field training. It offers you the chance to travel, work independently as well as in a group and learn valuable technical skills. We will make the necessary arrangements to accommodate students with disabilities for field courses throughout your time at Newcastle.

The field courses help you to develop as an observational Earth scientist. In year one, semester one there is a one-week residential field course to Northern Ireland. In semester two, there is a one-week residential field course to Pembrokeshire in SW Wales. These courses will provide you with practical skills and theory spanning the breadth of Earth Sciences. All students taking Earth Sciences courses do these trips together giving you the opportunity to get to know those on the Geology, and the Palaeontology and Geology courses.”

In year two, we continue to develop your core Geology as well as new Physical Geography field skills. There is a one-week residential field course to NW Scotland. This trip focuses on Quaternary Geology and geomorphology. In semester two, there is a one-week residential field course to SW England working on the world famous “Jurassic Coast” and then down in Cornwall.

The first two years of field training lead to your dissertation project, which will involve field data collection of approximately one week usually carried out between years two and three. This could be in a wide range of topics to suit your interests, from glacial geomorphology to groundwater pollution to volcanic hazards. You will also have the option to undertake your project with an industrial partner, leading to an industry-linked dissertation project. Your project may focus on an aspect of resource or applied geology. Students have recently worked on projects linked with local councils, extraction companies and the British Geological Survey.

In years three (and four if you stay for an MSci), you will select one residential field course each year giving you more control over the shape of your degree: Volcanology in Tenerife, Sedimentary Basin Analysis in SE Spain or Resource Geology in the UK.

The travel and accommodation costs of field courses are included within your fees, and we also offer financial support towards your dissertation field costs. We will make the necessary arrangements to accommodate students with disabilities for field courses throughout their time at Newcastle.

Basic fieldwork kit for all new starters

When you start in Newcastle, we will provide you with the basic field supplies (worth ~£85) that you will need for your degree program. Please note that you are responsible for providing suitable outdoor clothing for fieldwork.

Why Study this Course?

There are plenty of reasons to study Geology and Physical Geography MSci at Newcastle:

Employability – Our graduates are highly employable with up to 100% in employment or further study within six months of graduation (DLHE 2016/17).
Fieldwork – Fieldwork is an essential element of our degree programmes, and we have an outstanding reputation for providing students with high quality field training. The costs of travel and accommodation on all compulsory field courses will be covered by the University.
Research-led teaching – Our world-leading research feeds directly into our programmes, meaning you will learn from academics who are experts in their field.
The portfolio of modules across the Geology and Physical Geography degrees is varied and intellectually stimulating, and gives you the choice to specialise in the areas that most interest you. Topics cover everything from natural hazards to environmental pollution, urban ecology to hydrogeology, and climate change to tectonic processes.

Institutional Accreditation

University of Newcastle is accredited by the DETC Higher Learning Commission (DETC), www.detc.org.uk Since , University of Newcastle has been continually accredited by the DETC Higher Learning Commission and its predecessor.

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Geology and Physical Geography MSci (Hons)

Course Level:

Undergraduate, Single Honours

Credits

120

Course

CODE U487

How long it takes:

Undergraduate (4 years)

Study Mode:

Distance learning/ Campus

Course cost

Price: US$20,220

Entry requirements

Find out more about

Department:

Newcastle Law School

Year 1

Compulsory modules

The first year provides you with a broad training in topics across the subject, through several compulsory modules. We don’t assume any prior knowledge; the chemistry, physics and maths that you require is taught in the context of individual modules, and applied to the problems that you’re investigating. Residential trips to Northern Ireland and South West Wales will train you in key skills in geological observation, data recording and interpretation.

Earth History and Life
Earth Systems
Global Environmental Issues A
Global Environmental Issues B
Atoms to Volcanoes
Earth Structures & Tectonics
Geoscience Project
Introductory Field and Research Skills
SW Wales Field Course

Year 2

Compulsory modules

The Year 2 content builds on the first year, covering a range of specialised topics. Compulsory modules cover sedimentology, past environments, and a resources module, and you can also choose two or three options from diverse selection. The Year 2 field courses take you to North West Scotland, where you will focus on quaternary processes and geomorphology, and to Dorset and Cornwall, where you will cover a wide range of exercises, from palaeontology to structural geology.

Sedimentology
Field Skills and Project Planning for Independent Projects
NW Scotland Field Skills
Resource Geology OR Resources & Exploration

Optional modules

Micropalaeontology and Palaeoenvironments
Hydroclimatology: Climate and Water
Ecological Systems
Environmental Pollution
Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology
Continental Deformation
Geological Natural Hazards
Geomorphology and Palaeoenvironments
Oceans Through Time
Catchment Water and Soil Management

Year 3

Compulsory modules

Compulsory modules in Year 3 include your dissertation – a mapping project in an area of your choice, where you will undertake fieldwork the previous summer – and a field based module introducing a variety of new geological environments, processes and rock types.

Earth Sciences Research

Select one of the following field based modules:

Volcanology
Sedimentary Basin Analysis
Sustainable Resource Geology

Optional modules

You can specialise further by choosing modules from a wide variety of options, ranging from more applied and resource-based topics through to environmental and ecological modules. Example optional modules may include:

Palaeoclimates
Climate Change in the Earth System
Remote Sensing of the Cryosphere
Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
Evolution of Vertebrates
Petroleum Geoscience
Environment and Landscape Change
Weather Climate and Society
Landscape and Urban Ecology
Environmental Protection
River Processes, Deposits and Environments
Evolutionary Palaeobiology
Tectonic and Magmatic Processes
Environmental Protection
Evolutionary Palaeobiology
Climate change in the Earth System
Small-scale and Air Pollution Meteorology

Year 4

The compulsory Year 4 modules include your major research project – in a topic that you will have devised with an academic – and a skills-based field module – training you in research and science communication.

Compulsory modules:

Advanced Project

Select one of the following field based modules:

Sustainable Resource Geology
Sedimentary Basin Analysis
Volcanology

Optional modules:

You also take two optional modules (except those taken in Year 3):

Palaeoclimates
Evolution of Vertebrates
Petroleum Geoscience
Evolutionary Palaeobiology
Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
Inorganic Chemistry and Groundwater and Borehole Design, Construction and Maintenance
Environmental Geophysics
Groundwater Organic Contaminant Pollution and Remediation
Tectonic and Magmatic Processes
Professional Placements for Earth Scientists

Entry requirements

Applicants should normally have one of the following:

A non-law bachelor’s degree (from a UK university or recognised by the BSB if you wish to study the BPTC), or
A ‘stale’ law degree, where five or more years have elapsed since graduation, or
An academic or professional qualification at degree equivalent level

If English is not your first language, you will also need to demonstrate your English Language proficiency. For example, you should have IELTS 7.5 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in all components.

If you intend to become a Solicitor

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has reduced its requirements for pre-authorisation this year. For details of the current arrangements, see the SRA website. You should pay special attention to the Character and Suitability section. If you think you may have a character or suitability issue, you may wish to clarify with the SRA before proceeding with the GDL.

See further details of our English Language requirement

USA,UK & EU students, 2019/20 (per year)

£8,500

International students starting 2019/20 (per year)

£13,100

Assessment

You’ll show your progress through a combination of written essays, problem-solving assignments and presentations.

All students take our core modules, but please note that the availability of optional modules is subject to demand.

Where could a degree in Earth Sciences take you?

Recent graduates have found employment in a wide range of fields. Our most recent student survey showed that many students from Earth Sciences were engaged in work or study directly related to their first degree, with the remainder choosing career paths in areas outside of the subject where the transferable skills gained on the programme prove invaluable.

Careers in Earth Sciences and Geography are exteremely diverse, with students going into a wide range of professions. Increasing numbers of our graduates are employed in environmental planning, land remediation hydrogeology and pollution control. Opportunities in some fields, notably the oil and minerals industries, vary from year to year. Other employers include the British Geological Survey (BGS), local authorities, museums, government organisations and engineering and construction companies. Other graduates decide on a career in teaching either from primary or right through to further education. Many students also go on to careers around the world in locations including Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Increasingly, a successful career in geology is helped by having a higher qualification. Nearly half of our graduates go on to further study before taking a job, either by completing a one-year MSc course or researching for a PhD.

Transferable skills

You will acquire sought-after skills that will enable you to forge a career in a range of geology and geology-related industries, from the environmental through to engineering sectors, as well as a host of generic transferable skills. From data analysis and problem solving to communication and team-working, these transferable skills are highly valued by employers and will enhance your employability in the competitive job market.