Program Overview

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Geology with Palaeontology BSc

Course Description

The history of life on Earth is written in the rocks, and it takes a palaeontologist to decipher it. If you love fossils, and what they can tell us about evolution and environmental change, then this geology degree is for you.

Entry Requirements

• A-levels: ABB-BBB preferably including at least two from: Geology, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Use of Maths, Computer Science, Environmental Science, or Geography. We also consider one-science profiles with Geology, Maths, Biology, Chemistry or Physics.
• EPQ with A-levels: BBB + EPQ at grade B. A-level subjects preferably including at least two from: Geology, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Use of Maths, Computer Science, Environmental Science, or Geography. We also consider one-science profiles with Geology, Maths, Biology, Chemistry or Physics.
• GCSE: Grade C/4 in English Language and Maths.
• Access to HE Diploma: Pass science diploma with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3, 30 of which must be at Distinction. To include Physics, Chemistry and Maths Level 3 credits.
• International Baccalaureate: Pass Diploma with 30 points, including grade 5 in two science subjects at HL. Minimum of 3 in HL Maths or 4 in SL Maths required if grade 4/C not held at GCSE. Must include a minimum of grade 4 in English A or 5 in English B if minimum of grade 4/C not held in English Language at GCSE.
• BTEC Nationals: Pass Diploma with DDD (Science Related). Please contact School regarding eligibility.
• T Levels: Distinction in Science (with an Occupational Specialism in Laboratory technician)

Fees and Funding

UK Students

• £9,535 in your first year. Tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with inflation, subject to government regulations. The inflation rate used will be the Retail Price Index excluding mortgage payments (RPIX)
• Year in Industry: your fee will be £1,905 for that year
• Year Abroad: your fee will be £1,430 for that year

International Students

• £24,500 per year
• Year in Industry: £3,675, which is 15% of the full-time tuition fee
• Year Abroad: £6,125, which is 25% of the full-time tuition fee

Accreditation

All our degrees are accredited by the Geological Society of London, the professional body for geologists in the UK. Their accreditation panel said that our courses are “excellent” and they were “particularly impressed by the amount of fieldwork undertaken.”

Careers and Employability

Our Geology graduates are highly competitive in the job market as their degrees provide them with a strong set of subject-specific and transferable skills, suited to a range of different sectors. Career directions particularly include renewable energy, sustainable resource extraction and environmental geology.

Related Courses

• Geology with Palaeobiology MGeol, 4 years
• Geology BSc, 3 years

Sustainable Development Goals

We are committed to providing skills and knowledge to help prepare you tackle global challenges. We have mapped our undergraduate degrees for learning which aligns to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This degree includes learning which relates to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:

• Goal 3: Health and well-being
• Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
• Goal 13: Climate action
• Goal 15: Life on land

Fieldwork

Fieldwork can be one of the most stimulating and enjoyable experiences of your time on a Geology degree. Your field begins in the very first week of your studies with a day spent investigating the fascinating local geology of Leicestershire.

In Year 1, the Introductory Field Course takes place on Arran, a Scottish island with more geological variety per square kilometre than virtually anywhere else in the world. You’ll rapidly develop observation and recording skills through active participation in scientific discovery.

In your second year you will focus on developing the skills that will enable you to carry out your own geological fieldwork in a variety of terrains. We’ll guide you through this with field trips to Spain, Anglesey and the Lake District.

In your third year, you will carry out an Independent Field-based Project. You get to choose your own field area, allowing you to develop your geological interests. This will enable you to demonstrate your determination, motivation and ability to solve problems based on your own observations, as well as developing your self-confidence and organisational skills.

The cost of fieldwork is dependent on the year of study, destination, and whether the trip is core or optional to the programme. You will also incur expenses in completing your own independent fieldwork which is a requirement of the course. You will undertake this at the end of the second year of your course and you will be provided with partial financial support for this. Your own expenses will depend upon where you decide to undertake your independent fieldwork.

Course Structure

Year 1

• First Year Tutorials
• The Rock Cycle – Our Dynamic Earth (double module)
• Micro to Macro
• Palaeobiology and the Stratigraphic Record
• Natural Resources and Energy for the 21st Century
• Geological Maps and Structures
• Introductory Field Course

Year 2

• Geological Field Skills
• Magmatic and Metamorphic Processes
• Major Events in the History of Life
• Climate Change: Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation
• Introduction to Geochemistry
• Structure and Tectonics
• Depositional Processes and Environments

Year Abroad or in Industry (optional)

If you want to, you can spend the third year of the BSc studying abroad at one of our partner institutions or working in an industrial placement. Alternatively, you can opt to continue studying at the University and complete your degree in three years.

Final Year

• Independent Field-Based Project
• Diversity and Evolution of Vertebrates
• The Forensic, Archaeological and Geological Application of Microfossils

Plus your Dissertation

• Option modules:
  • Environmental Geoscience
  • Crustal Dynamics
  • Water Quality Processes and Management
  • Planetary Science
  • Mineral Exploration, Economics and Sustainability
  • The Mining Lifecycle Field Course – Cornwall
  • Key Events in the Evolution of Planet Earth Viewed Through the Geological Lens of Wales - a field course
  • Physical Volcanology
  • Stable Isotopes in the Environment
  • River Dynamics

Teaching and Learning

You will be taught through a mixture of lectures, tutorials, seminars, practicals and fieldwork. All lecture material is available online through our virtual learning environment Blackboard. Residential field trips are run by academic staff throughout the degree and provide extended periods of small group teaching in field contexts.

Assessment

You will be assessed through a combination of coursework, fieldwork, independent reports and projects, seminars, oral and poster presentations and computer-based tests, as well as formal exams.

We place a strong emphasis on safety training, time management, and student initiative.

Your personal tutor will provide you with individually tailored academic support throughout your degree. You will receive non-assessed feedback on every module to help you improve and prepare for your assessed work.

Through the Student-Staff Committee you can raise any issues relating to your studies and suggest course developments.