Program Overview

Geology (Certificate of Higher Education)

The Certificate of Higher Education in Geology provides students with the opportunity to focus on the study of the Earth, its environments, and the processes that formed it. Through this exploration, students will learn essential knowledge about how to better protect the planet.

Why Choose This Course?

• By studying geology, students have the chance to help guide governments, industry, and society on how best to use the Earth's raw materials and on the potential for using renewable energy in the most sustainable manner.
• This course can be taken as a qualification in its own right or used as credit to progress to the BSc Geology, which provides a route to becoming a chartered geologist.
• It offers flexible teaching methods, through on-campus or online classes, or a combination of both, allowing students to choose study that fits around their work or other commitments.

What You Will Learn

On this Certificate of Higher Education, students will learn how to identify key environmental indicators used by geologists to understand the processes that have produced the Earth and the effects of human interactions with the Earth. This includes rock, mineral, and fossil assemblages, alongside landscapes and geomorphology. Students will also learn important aspects of different scientific disciplines such as biology, geography, physics, chemistry, planetary science, material science, mathematics, cartography, numerical modeling, computer science, sustainability, and environmental protection.

How You Will Learn

Students can study this course on campus, online, or through a combination of both. The course has an evening timetable with classes taking place in the evening. Teaching includes lectures in state-of-the-art laboratories and lecture spaces, field classes, live video-streams, digital lecture notes, and the use of the electronic library. Students will have access to an extensive collection of rocks, minerals, and fossils on site, plus digital archives of topography, landscape, and geomorphology, and geological maps. Whether studying on campus or online, students will have the option to attend a residential field class in South Wales or a virtual online field course.

Key Information and Modules

• Geology CertHE: 2 years part-time, on campus, starting October 2026
  • Year of entry: October 2026
  • Duration: Two years
  • Full-time or part-time: Part-time
  • Style of study: On campus
  • Location: Central London or by distance learning
  • Status: Fully Approved
  • Awarding body: University of London
  • Attendance: One to two evenings a week, October to July
• Geology CertHE: 2 years part-time, online, starting October 2026
  • Year of entry: October 2026
  • Duration: Two years
  • Full-time or part-time: Part-time
  • Style of study: Online
  • Location: Central London or by distance learning
  • Status: Fully Approved
  • Awarding body: University of London

Highlights

• The program offers exciting field trip opportunities to famous geological sites in South Wales.
• This Certificate of Higher Education can lead towards the BSc Geology, which is accredited by the Geological Society of London as a recognized professional qualification.
• Students benefit from the research activities of the staff, which are integrated into the teaching, and from close collaboration with University College London (UCL).
• Birkbeck was rated in the top 25 universities in the UK for its Earth Systems and Environmental Science research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

Entry Requirements

• The university welcomes applicants without traditional entry qualifications, basing decisions on its own assessment of qualifications, knowledge, and previous work experience.
• For part-time courses, standard requirements are a minimum of two A-levels or equivalent.
• English language requirements: If English is not the first language, the usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

Fees

• Geology CertHE: 2 years part-time, on campus or online, starting in academic year 2026–27
  • Part-time home students: £4,740 per year
  • Part-time international students: £4,740 per year
• Additional costs include travel to and from college, books, stationery, etc., and specific costs for field trips, such as the trip to Pembrokeshire, which is approximately £600.

Teaching and Assessment

• Teaching may include formal lectures, seminars, and practical classes and tutorials.
• Assessment is an integral part of university studies and usually consists of a combination of coursework and examinations.
• Methods of assessment on this course include reports on field-based projects, laboratory work, and written examinations, with some modules including continuous assessment through written work.

Careers and Employability

• This Certificate of Higher Education in Geology equips students with important transferable skills, including understanding Earth processes, research methods, and cartographic skills.
• Graduates can pursue career paths in the environmental protection industry, the oil, mineral, and groundwater industries, the insurance industry, the hazard and risk industry, civil protection government institutes, museums and curation, tourism for natural environments, academia, and geology.
• Possible professions include engineering geologist, geochemist, geophysicist, hydrogeologist, and higher education lecturer.

Course Structure

• Students must complete modules worth a total of 120 credits.
• Year 1:
  • Two compulsory modules: Earth as a Planet, Planetary Materials
• Year 2:
  • Two compulsory modules: Earth History, Life and the Fossil Record
  • One option module from: Igneous Petrology, Introduction to Field Geology, Introduction to Field Geology (Virtual), Metamorphic Petrology, Structural Geology and Tectonics