Environmental Geoscience

Do you have a curious mind? Are you fascinated by how the Earth works? An environmental geoscientist uses their understanding of the planet and its processes to predict hazards like floods and earthquakes, clean up dangerous waste, and help civil engineers plan the construction of new roads, tunnels or buildings.

On our Environmental Geoscience course, you will explore different processes that happen on our planet like acid rain and global warming and find solutions to geological problems in the UK and around the world. You will develop advanced skills in mapping, research, analysis and problem-solving.

Our Masters degrees involve a fourth year of study where you work on a research project with a leading scientist from the School and their research staff. Your advanced research and problem-solving skills will be invaluable to employers in academia, government and industry.

South Wales has a rich geological history and is ideal for teaching how geology impacts on landscapes and industry. We take regular field trips to areas of natural beauty and old industrial and mining sites. There will be an opportunity to do an overseas trip. In the past we’ve been to Spain and Cyprus.

We’ve worked with industry to design our degree so you graduate with the specialist skills needed to be a professional environmental geoscientist.

You don’t need to have studied Geology as we’ll be starting year one with the basic principles to bring everyone to the same level.

Distinctive Features of the Programme

• Professional accreditation - our Environmental Geoscience degree is accredited by the Geological Society, the professional body for geosciences in the UK. This accreditation keeps us connected to industry and allows our graduates to become chartered Geologists.

• Flexible degree schemes - all of the School’s degrees have a common first semester that introduce you to geosciences and geography. You can then decide whether to stay with your chosen degree or switch to another in the same School.

• Hands-on fieldwork - you will get plenty of opportunity to develop your fieldwork skills with regular day trips and residential trips in Wales and overseas. South Wales has a long (and heavily polluting) industrial history and there are lots of outstanding natural landscapes for us to explore.

• World leading experts and facilities – you will be taught by world-leading scientists and have access to equipment and laboratories for analysis and testing of environmental samples. These will be used in your independent dissertation project in year three.

• Access to the British Geological Survey and National Museum of Wales - our school is in the same building as the Welsh office of the British Geological Survey and next door to the National Museum of Wales. We use the exhibition galleries of the National Museum and material from its collections to enhance our teaching. British Geological Survey Wales has a strong environmental focus and helps provide ideas for student projects along with advice on professional skills and careers.