Geology & Petroleum Geology

Programme Structure & Content

First Year

Two core courses:

• The Natural environment through Geological Time
• The Materials forming our Dynamic Earth

The first course considers the key themes relating to the evolution of the Earth over the past 4,500 million years, including: the Earth in the solar system; Internal structure and chemical composition of the Earth; Continents, oceans and plate tectonics; Formation and fill of sedimentary basins; Absolute and relative geological time (the fossil record and absolute dating); Geological maps and structures. Volcanism.

The second course examines the origin, physical and chemical characteristics of the rocks and minerals that make up the Earth.

Second Year

Four courses form the second year curriculum:

• Palaeontology
• Field and Laboratory Techniques (includes a seven residential day field course in NE Spain)
• Mineralogy
• Sedimentology

Each course builds upon the knowledge-base from the two first year courses.

Third & Fourth Year (Honours)

Over the 2 Honours years, a total of three residential field courses (28 days) a number of day-long field exercises and an independent field-based project (28 days) emphasize the hands-on nature of the subject. A number of elective courses can be chosen from a menu, depending on the interests of the student and programme for which they are studying.

Teaching & Assessment

Courses are taught by a combination of lectures, practical and field work tailored to the subject matter. All courses are supported by various on-line resources. Workshops on advanced research techniques and one-on-one discussions with staff help students to design and carry out Honours project work. The assessment for most courses combines exams with in-course assessment. In-course assessments are most commonly built around "real world" geological data sets which need to be manipulated and interpreted in order to solve geological problems.