Gain the knowledge you need to understand how to manage the Earth, her resources and the environment, and develop the skills to embark on a career in the environmental sector.
Environmental Geoscience is a topical and growing area of study as society increasingly acknowledges the risks of deteriorating environmental conditions to the planet and navigates solutions to protect its future. This BSc connects Earth’s resources with humanity’s response to some of today’s global challenges such as climate change, sustainability and pollution.
Our flexible degree puts you in control, giving you both the fundamentals and increased specialisation as you progress through the degree, allowing you to choose a pathway of most interest to you.
Combining academic excellence, cutting-edge research and links to industry, the course will equip you with the tools needed for employment in a range of sectors, including environmental management, water management, energy, mining and geotechnics, or for further study or research. 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.
In the first year, you will develop a fundamental understanding of Earth sciences, mapping skills, remote sensing and data analysis. Year 2 specialises more in environmental aspects, during which you will develop your knowledge of laboratory techniques, sedimentology and climate. In Year 3, you will undertake a research dissertation and also experience working in small groups on an environmental management project of your choice.
You may be able to transfer to the four-year MSci degree in Earth Sciences at the end of your second year. The fourth year combines a bespoke research project in your specialism, with advanced modules designed to integrate your Earth Science knowledge for vocational and/or research applications. You can also apply to add a placement year or a year abroad to your degree, increasing the course from three years to four.
Course structure
Year 1
Core modules:
Earth Materials introduces you to Earth minerals and rocks and teaches you techniques for identifying them.
Field Studies explores techniques for description and interpretation of natural geological features. This module also covers mapping skills, and the observation, recording and processing techniques needed for fieldwork and imagery.
Understanding Earth Sciences covers an introduction to the areas of petrology, sedimentology, structural geology and palaeontology and relates the processes to the plate tectonic cycle.
Environment and Resources examines formation, distribution and extraction of the Earth's resources and energy, along with the water cycle.
Geoinformatics introduces the fundamentals of Earth observation and remote sensing. You will learn how to apply geospatial and digital cartography skills to plot and interpret your own results.
Examples of optional modules:
Mathematical Methods in Geosciences
Further Mathematics for Geoscientists.
Year 2
Core modules:
Sedimentary Environments covers the processes involved in the formation of sedimentary rocks and application of the techniques used to analyse these processes and a variety of environments.
Isotopes and Climate examines how stable isotopes can be used in understanding modern environment and climate systems, and in describing major events in the Earth's climate evolution. The module covers human impact on the global climate and how to understand and analyse future climate change predictions.
Field work (Environmental) introduces the principles of laboratory and field investigations to prepare you for further research in your final-year dissertation.
Examples of optional modules:
Structural Geology and Tectonics
Geophysical Methods for Geoscientists (essential for Geological Society accreditation)
Igneous and Metamorphic Geochemistry and Petrology
Modelling Earth Processes
Ancient Life and its Environment.
Year 3 (Year 4 if undertaking placement or year abroad)
Core modules:
Worth one-third of your final-year marks, you will produce an independent research Dissertation based on a computing, field or laboratory project chosen to suit your interests.
Environmental Geochemistry introduces a range of pollutants and their behaviour in the environment. It covers a range of common pollution problems and solutions for controlling pollutant movement in the environment, as well as waste and water management.
Environmental Management covers environmental economics and impact assessment through a range of UK case studies on water quality management practices and treatment technologies, flood risk and management, and air quality control.
Examples of optional modules:
Petrology, Geochemistry and Global Tectonics (Field work)
Volcanology and Magmatism
Deformation Processes in the Lithosphere
Earth Structure and Dynamics
Hazardous Geophysical Flows
Earth System and Climate
Earth Sciences into Schools.
Additional pathways
Students on BSc Environmental Geosciences can apply to be transferred onto either the ‘with Year Abroad’ or ‘with Placement’ pathway during the second year. Places on these pathways are in high demand and if you are chosen your studies will extend from three years to four.
Placement
You may be able to take a work placement. Find out more.
The course is mainly delivered through a mixture of lectures, practical classes, tutorials and fieldwork. The balance of these activities changes over the degree, as you develop your knowledge and your ability as an independent learner in preparation for professional life or postgraduate study. There are specialist field courses in the UK and abroad throughout your studies.
In Year 1, lectures and practicals dominate the timetable. You are also expected to undertake your own independent study to prepare for your classes and broaden your subject knowledge.
The balance starts to shift in the second year, with greater emphasis on self-directed learning and an opportunity to practice research methods.
In the final year, you will carry out a dissertation, producing a significant piece of independent research.
Assessment
You will be assessed through a combination of coursework, class tests and end-of-year examinations. A significant proportion of your final assessment will be through your environmental geoscience research dissertation in Year 3.
Entry requirements
A level offer – AAB including two sciences from Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Geography, Environmental Science, Economics, and Biology or Psychology.
BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – DDD plus A levels as above.
IB Diploma score – 36 with 665 in higher level subjects, including two science subjects from list above.
In addition to satisfying the University’s general entry requirements, please note:
If you do not satisfy our general entry requirements, the Foundation Programme offers multidisciplinary degrees to prepare you for a range of specified degree courses.
If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take an International Foundation Year pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.
We are pleased to consider applications for deferred entry.
Science A levels
Applicants taking Science A levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This applies only to applicants sitting A levels with an English examination board.
The tuition fees for 2024/25 academic year have not yet been finalised, they will be displayed here once approved.
The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.
The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).
Our flexible courses have been developed to meet the needs of industry and provide you with the skills you need to succeed. You will graduate with the scientific foundations and transferable skills to move directly into the workplace or to progress to a more specialised postgraduate qualification.
Career prospects for Durham graduates are excellent. Geology and Earth Sciences graduates are highly valued by employers and go on to a wide range of highly successful careers in the sector and beyond, working in industry and research, including environmental management, water management, energy and engineering geology. Some of the high-profile employers our graduates have gone on to work for include ATKINS, ARUP, BP, Centrica and the Environment Agency.
Of those students who graduated in 2019:
81% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes
Of those in employment:
100% are in high skilled employment
With an average salary of £27,000.
(Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)
Department information
Earth Sciences
Earth Sciences is the holistic study of the planet from the core to the surface, its water and the surrounding atmosphere.
Durham is one of the UK’s leading providers of Earth Sciences education. We offer six undergraduate courses, four of which are accredited by The Geological Society of London. Our courses explore the full geological spectrum including climate change, oceans, mass extinctions, rocks and minerals, and the structure and chemistry of the Earth. Our multidisciplinary approach applies physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology and physical geography to real world scenarios to make sense of today's major geoscience concerns .
Course structures are e flexible with a balance of formal teaching, fieldwork and active learning to put your theoretical knowledge into practice. You can tailor your degree to your interests through the wide range of optional modules and you may also be able to spend a year studying abroad, extending your degree by a year. All our degree courses are informed by the latest pure and applied research, and you can be sure your education will be in sync with the latest thinking in the discipline and will help you on your journey to a profession in the Earth Sciences sector and beyond.
We are on the main science campus, and our teaching taks place in the modern, purpose-built Arthur Holmes Building equipped with brand new optical microscopes and a large teaching collection of rocks, fossils, geological maps, and thin sections.
We use industry-standard and research-level software (e.g., ESRI ArcGIS Pro and Matlab), and if your dissertation or research project involves laboratory study, you can access our world-class geochemistry and rock mechanics labs.
Throughout your course you will have the opportunity to develop observation and analytical skills on residential field trips to study mountains, deserts, caves, volcanoes, rift valleys, faults and fossils.
Apply
Find out more:
Use the UCAS code below when applying:
Apply
F630
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) handles applications for all undergraduate courses.
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