Environmental Geoscience

About this course
Explore the evolving Earth system through the lens of sustainable environmental management.

On your four-year integrated Environmental Geoscience master's you'll combine geology, geography, oceanography and environmental science, giving you the freedom to specialise in subjects ranging from environmental law to marine pollution.

Based at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS), one of the leading research centres globally for ocean science, you'll graduate able to pursue further study and careers
such as an Geo-environmentalist, Hydrographic Surveyor, Data Scientist or Environmental Consultant.

Key features of the course:

• Complete an applied and multidisciplinary degree with a high level of fieldwork

• Study at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS), one of the leading research centres globally for ocean science

• Benefit from the flexibility to select modules aligned to your interests

• Learn through a mixture of lectures, laboratory work, and field work, graduating with real-life skills suited to industry to enhance your employment prospects

• Become part of a department ranked 8th in the UK and top 40 globally, QS World Rankings by Subject (Earth and Marine Science) 2026

• Join a University where 99% of Ocean and Earth Science graduates were in employment or further study 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes 2022/2023, published 2025).

Student support
Our supervisors will mentor you throughout your studies as you gain the expertise needed to take the next steps in your career. They will help you decide on optional modules, and discuss your future career plans to ensure you are on the right path for you.

Further information
This course is open to UK and international applicants and, depending on the modules you choose, is predominantly based at our Waterfront Campus.

We have a varied range of modules for all years, which gives you the opportunity to tailor your studies to your passions and to equip you with the skills and experiences needed for success as a graduate. Here's what you might expect, from each year of study:

Year 1: An introduction to a range of earth and ocean science topics, alongside developing key analytical and field skills.
Year 2: Choose whether you will specialise in earth or ocean geoscience topics and field skills on either the Geoscience or Marine pathway.
Year 3: Choose specialist modules, develop your skills as an independent researcher and learn applied field skills on land or at sea.
Year 4: Conduct a novel piece of independent research alongside choosing specialist modules from a range of advanced topics.

For full list of all modules available, please visit the course page.

Your learning is delivered, and assessed, through a wide range of methods to ensure you develop a broad variety of skills that will set you up for success after graduation.

The learning activities for this course include lectures, classes and tutorials, coursework, individual and group, projects and independent learning.

We’ll assess you through coursework, laboratory reports and essays, dissertations, individual and group oral presentations, poster presentations, research project reports, written and practical exams, fieldwork/boatwork exercises and reports.

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

• The Geological Society