Geology

On this BSc Geology you will have the opportunity to study the Earth and its processes and environments. You will examine how we can best manage environments through understanding the processes of rock and mineral formation through geological time, climate-ocean-rock-biosphere interactions, and the effects of human interactions with the environment.

Why choose this course?

• This degree is accredited by the Geological Society of London, opening up a route to becoming a chartered geologist. It will also equip you for careers in research, environmental protection, environmental hazard mitigation, and other industries.

• Geologists play a key role in guiding governments, industry and society on how best to protect the Earth’s environment whilst using its raw materials and potential for renewable energy in the most sustainable manner.

• You will benefit from the research activities of our staff, and also through our close collaboration with University College London's Earth Science department.

What you will learn

You will learn how to identify key environmental indicators, such as rock, mineral and fossil assemblages, alongside landscapes and geomorphology, that are used by geologists to understand the key processes that have produced the Earth, and the effects of human interactions with the Earth.

You will also learn key aspects of biology, geography, physics, chemistry, planetary science, material science, mathematics, cartography, numerical modelling, computer science, sustainability and environmental protection.

How you will learn

You can choose to study this BSc Geology through attendance on campus in our state-of-the-art laboratories and lecture spaces, or entirely by distance learning via online video streams, digital lecture notes and our electronic library. You will also have the option to attend residential field classes in places such as Wales, Scotland, Greece and Morocco, and we also provide virtual online field courses as an alternative.

All lectures offer full digital lecture notes with diagrams, photographs and video content and are live-streamed and recorded so they are useful for revision purposes and learning online in different time zones. Exams are online to allow assessment of both on-campus and distance-learning students.

This course is available to study full- or part-time. If you choose to study this course on campus, it has an evening timetable with classes taking place in the evening.

Highlights

• We offer you flexible teaching methods, balancing face-to-face and online learning.

• 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.

• We have been offering evening study courses in the subjects of Earth and planetary sciences for over 70 years and distance learning for more than 20 years.

Careers and employability

On this BSc Geology we teach you key research methods and approaches vital for future employment. On successfully graduating, you'll have gained an array of transferable skills, including the ability to:

• write scientific documents, use spreadsheets, carry out numerical calculations, write code for computer simulations, and make observations that facilitate data collection

• make and interpret maps, using a variety of cartographic skills and geographic information systems

• conduct independent field surveys, mapping and data collection, and work in a team of scientists

• present your work and communicate results to scientists, governments, industry, civil and environmental protection agencies and society in general.

Graduates have gone on to be employed in universities, environmental protection industries, resources industries, renewal energy industries, government departments, civil protection agencies, NGOs, charities, museums, local environment projects, environmental tourism, research councils and teaching.