Program Overview

---

Bachelor in Geology

The Bachelor in Geology is a three-year program that provides students with a comprehensive education in geology, covering topics such as geological mapping, field sampling, and laboratory analysis. The program is designed to give students a solid foundation in the principles of geology, as well as practical skills in areas such as geochemistry, optical and electron microscopy, and computer modeling.

Programme Objectives

The program aims to fulfill students' ambitions by providing training in a diverse range of fields, including:

• Management and use of sub-soil environments (water, raw materials, fossil fuels)
• Global environmental management (climate change, protection of water resources, natural risks volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides )
• Geological mapping

Teaching Team and Methods

The program includes basic courses in physics, chemistry, mathematics, and biology, as well as geology courses taught in the first block, accompanied by practical training based on the recognition of rocks and fossils. The program also includes a one-day field trip, which links the materials learned in the laboratory with observations from outcrops throughout geological time.

International/Openness

The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences has developed Erasmus-Socrates programs with several European institutions, giving students the possibility to spend four or eight months at a foreign university. Many "visiting" professors teach in the bachelor program, bringing their expertise in their respective fields, both in the form of lectures, practical training, and field trips.

Programme's Added Value

The training of geologists is versatile in nature, based on combined teaching of several subjects such as geology, chemistry, and biology. Students will be able to develop skills in all sub-disciplines of geological sciences, particularly in petrography and mineralogy, paleontology, geobiology, and biogeochemistry, sedimentology, and (paleo)climatology, geophysics, volcanology, and oceanography.

Schedule

The program consists of 1/3 of lectures on theory and modeling, 1/3 of practical training in the laboratory, and 1/3 of fieldwork. It will allow students to study the major phenomena related to geology, from plate tectonics to interactions between geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.

Access Conditions

Access to the program is granted to students who have obtained a Certificat d'Enseignement Secondaire Supérieur (CESS) or equivalent. Students must also demonstrate a sufficient mastery of the French language.

Conditions Spécifiques

Students from outside the European Union are subject to the criteria of the admission commission for the first year of the first cycle. Students who have acquired or validated at least 45 credits out of the first 60 credits of the program can complete their annual program of units of teaching from the rest of the program cycle.

Programme Structure

The program is divided into three units:

• Unit 1: Introduction to geology, including courses on biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics.
• Unit 2: Geological mapping, sedimentology, and thermodynamics.
• Unit 3: Advanced courses in geology, including micropaleontology, geodynamics, and petrology.

Courses

The program includes a range of courses, including:

• BIOL-F102: Biologie générale
• CHIM-F101: Chimie générale
• ENVI-F1001: Sciences de la Terre, Environnement et Société
• GEOL-F104: Les temps géologiques : concepts et méthodes
• GEOL-F105: Géologie de l'Europe
• MATH-F119: Mathématiques
• PHYS-F104: Physique 1

Optional Courses

Students can choose from a range of optional courses, including:

• BIOL-F201: Evolution et diversité des eucaryotes : botanique
• CHIM-F201: Chimie analytique 1
• ETHI-F201: Sciences, éthique, histoire et société
• GEOG-F103: Fondements de la géographie humaine

What's Next?

After completing the Bachelor in Geology, students can pursue a Master's degree in Geology or related fields, leading to a wide range of career opportunities, including:

• Geological and mining exploration
• Oil sector
• Hydrology
• Research and teaching
• Monitoring of seismic and volcanic zones
• Management of radioactive waste storage
• Renewable energies (geothermal)
• Geotechnics (civil engineering)
• Resource planning and development
• Combating pollution

Geologists are versatile and can work in various fields, from cartography to modeling of past and present biogeochemical cycles. They can also work in areas such as prospector of gold, diamond, geochemist analyzing gases from the Earth, or biogeochemist searching for biosignatures for exobiology purposes.