Environmental Geoscience

Course details
Environmental Geoscience is a topical and growing area of study as society increasingly acknowledges the risks of deteriorating environmental conditions to the planet and navigates solutions to protect its future.
Our lives on Earth are at a turning point. Studying Earth Sciences provides knowledge and insight into the implications of this and explores society’s options to secure a sustainable future for the Earth, its environment and its inhabitants.
This BSc connects Earth’s resources with humanity’s response to some of today’s global challenges such as climate change, sustainability and pollution.
Our flexible degree puts you in control, giving you both the fundamentals and increased specialisation as you progress through the degree, allowing you to choose a pathway of most interest to you.

Why Durham University?
Durham is one of the UK’s leading providers of Earth Sciences education. We offer six undergraduate courses, four of which are accredited by The Geological Society of London.
Combining academic excellence, cutting-edge research and links to industry, the course will equip you with the tools needed for employment in a range of sectors, including environmental management, water management, energy, mining and geotechnics, or for further study or research.
Our courses explore the full geological spectrum including climate change, oceans, mass extinctions, rocks and minerals, volcanoes, and the structure and chemistry of the Earth. Our multidisciplinary approach applies physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology and physical geography to real world scenarios to make sense of today's major geoscience concerns.

Facilities
Our teaching takes place in the modern, purpose-built Arthur Holmes Building equipped with brand-new optical microscopes and a large teaching collection of rocks, fossils, geological maps, and thin sections.
We use industry-standard and research-level software (e.g., ESRI ArcGIS Pro, Python and Matlab). If your dissertation or research project involves laboratory study, you can access our world-class geochemistry and rock mechanics labs.

Rankings
3rd in the UK Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026
5th in the Guardian University Guide 2026
5th in the UK Complete University Guide 2026
Top 100 in the QS World University Rankings 2026

Career Opportunities
Our flexible courses have been developed to meet the needs of industry and provide you with the skills you need to succeed. You will graduate with the scientific foundations and transferable skills to move directly into the workplace or to progress to a more specialised postgraduate qualification.
Career prospects for Durham graduates are excellent. Geology and Earth Sciences graduates are highly valued by employers and go on to a wide range of highly successful careers in the sector and beyond, working in industry and research, including environmental management, water management, energy and engineering geology.
Some of the high-profile employers our graduates have gone on to work for include ATKINS, ARUP, Centrica and the Environment Agency.

Course Modules

Durham Education 2027

The University is committed to continuous improvement and is currently undertaking a review to enhance our courses. As we make updates, some details of courses advertised for 2027 entry may change. These enhancements are being developed in consultation with students and in response to student feedback. We will not be making changes to degree subjects, academic standards or the broad concepts that will be taught, but to how courses are organised. In some cases this may mean that the balance of compulsory and optional modules may change. Any updates will be communicated transparently and by the end of summer 2026, ensuring applicants know exactly what to expect from their chosen degree.

For current module information please visit our course page.

https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/courses/environmental-geoscience-f630/september-2027/

You will be assessed through a combination of coursework, class tests and end-of-year examinations. A significant proportion of your final assessment will be through your environmental geoscience research dissertation in Year 3.

The range of assessment methods is designed to assess your knowledge and understanding of subject-specific knowledge, alongside transferable skills in mathematics, scientific writing, informatics, policy, critical analysis and project management.

In addition to the help provided by your subject lecturers, you can also access extensive support for your assessments through ASC, the Academic Skills Centre. See below for details: https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/centres/academic-skills-centre/