Earth, Climate and Environmental Change

Through Science and in everyday life we understand that climate change is happening all around us. As our planet continues to warm up and climate patterns change, bringing extreme and unpredictable weather, environments will become hotter, drier or wetter, the natural resources we rely upon will become increasingly threatened and all life on Earth will be severely impacted.

BSc Earth, Climate and Environmental Change is a new degree designed to develop a strong scientific understanding of Earth system science and how it has shaped today’s world. This three year course examines many of the greatest challenges faced in the 21st century including natural hazards, resource security and climate change.

You’ll experience teaching that is research-led, quantitative science based, underpinned by the world-leading expertise of academic research in the Earth Science department, from atmospheric composition, greenhouse gas emissions and environmental diagnosis, to paleoclimates, ocean science and the cryosphere. You’ll benefit from this cutting-edge quantitative physical science research as you engage in a broader and deeper study of the subject, and you’ll experience the thrill of working in a research group on real world problems through independent projects.

Underpinning training in core knowledge will be the teaching of key skills used to monitor and inform on environmental change, such as air and water composition, field sampling and observation, remote sensing, data handling, GIS and computer modelling. You will develop your abilities as a quantitative physical scientist, practicing your skills in collecting and analysing raw data with statistical rigour and applying it to understanding physical processes in Earth system science.

You will graduate equipped with the specialist knowledge and practical skills to tackle the scientific challenges of a rapidly changing world, ideally prepared for a scientific or technical career in your chosen field, or ready to progress into postgraduate study.

• Develop a deep understanding of humanity’s relationship with the planet.

• Participate in exciting fieldwork opportunities.

• Choose from a range of optional modules to tailor your learning to fit your interests.

• Recommended for those who wish to undertake a broader and deeper study of the subject.

Course Modules

Year 1

• Evolving Earth

• Human Interaction with the Earth

• Climate, Ocean and Atmosphere

• Physics and Chemistry of the Earth

• Earth Scientists Toolkit

Year 2

• Research in Earth, Climate and Environmental Change

• Geohazards

• Geochemistry

• Earth Scientists Environmental Toolkit

• Earth Scientists Digital Toolkit

Year 3

• Earth, Climate and Environmental Change research project

• Advanced Practical Meteorology

• Modern Climate Change

• Advanced Palaeoclimate

• Advanced Geohazards

• Earth Scientists Independent Project

Optional Modules

Below is a taster of some of the exciting optional modules that students on the course could choose from during this academic year. Please be aware these do change over time, and optional modules may be withdrawn or new ones added.

Year 1

• All modules are core

Year 2

• Stratigraphy and the History of Life

• Applied Geophysics

• Geothermal Energy

• Topics in Palaeobiology

Year 3

• Hydrogeology

• Applied Geochemistry

• Planetary Geology and Geophysics

• Subsurface storage of CO2 and Energy

Classroom teaching methods are highly diverse including lectures, practicals, tutorials, fieldtrips, and other learning modes. Students will typically spend 75% of each module (90 of 120 hrs) engaged on independent tasks; however, this will vary, module-to-module, to reflect the diverse fields being synthesised, and diverse subject-specific approaches to teaching, with practical lab-based or field-based modules having higher level of classroom time.

Students on this course will benefit from pastoral support from a personal tutor.

A combination of assessment methods will be used (exam, projects, coursework, moodle quizzes, presentations and team exercises) and innovative assessment modes will be encouraged as new modules are developed for this course.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• The Geological Society