BSc Climate Science

Program Overview

It equips students with the knowledge and skills to lead society towards mitigating climate change, preparing them for careers in environmental management, research, and other high-skilled fields. The program combines lectures, practical classes, tutorials, and optional fieldwork, culminating in a significant research project in the final year.

Program Outline

Climate Science BSc at Durham University:

Degree Overview:

This program provides a comprehensive understanding of past, present, and future climate changes and their impact on Earth and human systems. Its main objective is to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead society towards mitigating climate change. The program adopts a holistic approach, encompassing both recent and past climate changes, their causes, and potential solutions. It offers a big-picture perspective on the climate crisis and empowers individuals to become active participants in finding solutions.

Outline:

This program offers a comprehensive study of climate science, spanning its historical, contemporary, and future aspects. The program's structure and content are meticulously designed to provide a well-rounded education in this field.

Year 1:

• Core Modules:
• Environmental Earth Science:
Introduces the Earth's water cycle, its resources, and its composition.
• Introduction to Climate Change: Explores the science behind climate change, its impacts, and controversies surrounding it.
• Introductory Data Science: Equips students with the tools to analyze and visualize scientific and geospatial data.
• Sustainability: Introduces global sustainability issues, focusing on water, climate, energy, food, natural hazards, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Optional Modules:
• Field Studies
• Mathematical Methods in Geosciences
• Understanding Earth Sciences
• Planet under Pressure

Year 2:

• Earth System and Climate: Long Term Processes: Provides insight into the interconnectedness of Earth's systems and their relevance to long-term climate change.
• Optional Modules:
• Sedimentary Environments
• Fieldwork
• Modelling Earth Processes
• Ancient Life and its Environments
• Frontiers in Palaeontology
• Carbon and Biogeochemical Cycles
• Climate Change: Geographical Perspectives
• Glaciers and Glaciation
• Reconstructing Environmental Change

Year 3:

• Dissertation: A significant research project based on a chosen field of interest within climate science, accounting for one-third of the final year marks.
• Optional Modules:
• Environmental Geochemistry
• Earth Sciences into Schools
• Atmospheric Circulation and Dynamics
• Monitoring the Oceans: Geohazards & Climate Change
• Groundwater Hydrology
• Polar Quaternary Environmental Processes
• Geochemistry of the Earth
• Environmental Management
• Sea Level Change and Coastal Evolution
• Oceans Past and Present
• Ice Age Environments
• Antarctic Environments
• Archaeology and Global Sustainable Developments

Assessment:

The program utilizes a variety of assessment methods, including coursework, class tests, and end-of-year examinations. The dissertation, which holds significant weight, assesses research skills, critical analysis, and project management. Additionally, the assessment process aims to evaluate students' knowledge of climate-specific information alongside transferable skills in mathematics, scientific writing, informatics, policy, and project management.

Teaching:

The program combines various teaching methods, including lectures, practical classes, tutorials, and optional fieldwork. The balance between these methods shifts throughout the program as students progress and develop their research skills. In the final year, students undertake independent research for their dissertation, allowing them to further refine their research skills and critical thinking abilities.

Careers:

Graduates of this program are equipped with the scientific foundation and transferable skills to pursue various career paths, including:

• Environmental Management
• Water Management
• Energy
• Engineering Geology
• Research
• Academia
The program prepares students for high-skilled employment opportunities, with graduates finding success in organizations such as ATKINS, ARUP, Centrica, and the Environment Agency.

Other:

• The program is open to students with diverse academic backgrounds, including science, mathematics, and environmental sciences.
• Students have the opportunity to participate in an optional work placement, broadening their professional experience.
• The program offers various scholarships and bursaries to support students financially.
• The program boasts excellent rankings, placing it among the top Earth Sciences programs in the UK.
• Students have access to modern facilities, including laboratories, software, and equipment, necessary for conducting research and completing projects.

The tuition fees for 2025/26 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).