Applied Geology MGeol

The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.

The first year is common to both Geology programmes and gives you a foundation in geology, together with an overview of crystallography and mineralogy, stratigraphy, palaeontology, geological maps and surveying. Modules in mathematics and chemistry provide the basis for more advanced geological and applied modules in Years 2 and 3. Field work skills, critical for all geologists, are developed both locally and nationally.

Students attend a one week residential field class in Pembrokeshire during Easter Vacation/Term 3 as part of Field Geology and Geological Maps. This module also includes ten, one-day, field classes at localities in Cornwall. At the end of the first stage students also attend a three week practical surveying course, based on the Penryn Campus in Cornwall, that is assessed under CSM2184.

Your studies continue in key aspects of pure geology and their applications and include a substantial amount of practical work. Students of both programmes continue to follow the same modules in Year 2. You will develop your skills in geological data collection and analysis during field classes in the UK. Core geological skills are developed in sedimentology, igneous and metamorphic geology and structural geology. The inter-relationship between geology and the engineering behaviour of rocks is developed through the geotechnics module. In the summer vacation between Years 2 and 3 you will undertake a five-week project that involves the collection and analysis of geological or related data. Many of our students take advantage of the Department’s exceptional links with industry and choose to carry out their project as part of a work placement. Alternatively you can carry out a group mapping project or individual research project in the field or laboratory.

There are two periods of residential fieldwork. As part of CSM2182, there are six, one-day, field classes at localities in Cornwall. As part of CSM2183, a six day geological field class during Term 1 focuses on sedimentary rocks, stratigraphy and the tectonic development of the Wessex Basin (Devon/Dorset). An eight or nine day field class in Scotland (or possibly mainland Europe from 2013-14) that is focussed on geological mapping skills takes place in either the Easter Vacation or after the Term 3 exams (CSM2184).

In Year 3, you will specialise according to your programme of study. The overall focus of the year is applied geology and advanced options in related scientific, engineering or environmental applications. You will report on your vacation project and also carry out a research project focusing on your area of special interest. The applied field geology module takes the form of a residential field class in either Spain or Cyprus and provides a practical synthesis of many of the modules covered in Years 2 and 3.

During the Easter vacation students undertake a ten day residential field class in Cyprus or Spain (assessed under CSM3048). The fieldwork provides a synthesis of much of the programme’s syllabus, focusing on applied mapping, geotechnical engineering and environmental impact.

You will undertake an Applied Research Project that runs throughout the year and select from a range of modules relevant to employment in exploration/production geology and geometallurgy, such as Fluids in the Geosphere; Advanced Mineral Analysis; Ore Deposit Models; Industrial Rocks and Minerals; Mineral Resource Assessment; and Mineral Processing. You also participate in an overseas field class.