Course overview

With over 40 years of experience in teaching applied earth science, this course has developed an enviable international reputation and our graduates are employed worldwide. As the country’s leading provider of applied geoscience graduates to industry (our courses have above average employment rates), we will give you the practical skills to ensure a dynamic, interesting and rewarding career.

This is a specialist degree in applied geological sciences, which will provide you with the key academic and practical skills to understand the mechanisms, causes and triggers involved in the evolution of geological hazards. You will be able to quantify the risks associated with the hazard, and assess management and civil strategies used for their mitigation. The role of the geological hazard specialist is therefore wide-ranging, with excellent employment opportunities in the aid, environmental, offshore, civil, mining and insurance sectors. Many of our graduates use this degree as a vehicle to more specialist areas of geohazard studies at either Master's or PhD level.

You will study how the earth works, how it has changed and how this information can be used to aid civilisation and economic development. We will show you how to ‘read’ the landscape, understand how it was formed and how major geological events influenced that landscape. You will learn about the hazards of volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and landslides.

Professional accreditation

The course is fully accredited by the Geological Society of London, the professional body that oversees geoscience in the UK. It is automatically accepted as satisfying the first stage of professional development leading to the award of Chartered Geologist status and will allow you direct progression to Chartered Geologist status after a period in industry. This is a key professional qualification which is internationally recognised.

Course content

As well as the academic content of the course, it is structured to develop transferable skills such as meeting deadlines, organising and prioritising work, self-reliance, teamwork, self motivation, report writing, numeracy, IT literacy and communication.

Year one

To be a good geological hazard professional you first need to be a good geologist. In year one we concentrate on the fundamentals of the geological sciences:

• how the earth works: an introduction to all aspects of geoscience
• earth materials: the description and interpretation of minerals and igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks
• earth history and life: an introduction to the study of past life on earth and its evolution, and geological time and the rock record
• natural hazards: the interaction of the Earth’s surface processes with the natural and man-made world

We also prepare you for year two with units that focus on the physics and chemistry of earth processes and applied mathematics:

• quantitative methods: mathematical and IT skills and techniques for the geosciences
• science for earth systems: aspects of physics and chemistry used in the geosciences

Year two

In year two we start to specialise in the more applied subjects that cover:

• volcanology and seismology (primary hazards)
• geological hazards that affect the UK
• the mechanical behaviour of engineering soils and rocks
• ground water and flood management
• more geology focused on structural aspects of geological interpretation and map work

We also prepare you for career interviews, CV and letter writing with mock job interviews being held before the Christmas break.

There is a strong emphasis on fieldwork in the second year (see below).

Final year

The skills and academic knowledge gained over the previous year’s study are utilised in your final year in units which cover:

• hazard and risk analysis
• geological hazard modelling
• management and communication of hazard and risk
• landslides and slope stability

The culmination of your degree is the production of an independent final-year project – this allows you the freedom to map an area of your choice, carry out laboratory tests on samples that you have collected and finally produce a hazard-based project.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching is via traditional lectures in both large and small groups, as well as self-learning. Tutorials, seminars and laboratory-based practical sessions cover the more practical aspects of the disciplines. You will be assessed by a mixture of examinations (written, oral and computer-based), as well as via innovative coursework assignments. These include writing interpretive reports, producing lab work portfolios, team-based exercises, posters and field reports. The coursework assignments have been designed to provide you with the transferable skills that employers are looking for in a graduate.

Every student is assigned a personal tutor who will act as a guide and mentor from year one through to graduation. Your tutor will become your project supervisor in your final year at the University.

All of the taught units have associated web-based learning resources which means that as long as you have an internet connection you can download all of the learning resources available for a particular unit.

Fieldwork

The fieldwork programme is a major element of the degree and comprises some 40 to 50 days, spread over the three taught years of the course. We currently visit the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Norfolk, Kent, northern Spain, Provence and Tenerife.

In your final year there is an optional self-funded field course to a region of extreme geological hazard. This trip is currently being devised and more information will be available in due course.

During field trips, you will gain hands-on knowledge of a variety of geological techniques including mapping, logging, hazard assessment, terrain evaluation and rock mass assessment. Problem-based exercises are used extensively along with team and group work.

Career prospects

Due to the clear political pressure throughout the developed world and in much of the developing world to monitor, warn, control and mitigate problems arising from geological hazards, there is a rapid growth in employment opportunities in these areas. Graduates who studied geological hazards have found themselves involved in work as hazard mitigation specialists, disaster risk management strategists and hazard assessors for insurance companies. Employment sectors include:

• regulatory authorities and government and agencies
• government and non-governmental aid organisations
• geotechnical, geological and civil engineering consultants
• mining and quarrying companies
• ground investigation specialists
• risk, insurance and reinsurance sectors
• postgraduate training and research

Many of our students who study this degree use it as a route to Master's postgraduate studies in subjects such as volcanology, engineering geology, crisis and disaster management, contaminated land studies and coastal engineering. Alternatively, this is an excellent degree pathway into higher levels of postgraduate study such as an MPhil or PhD.

Facilities and features

We have comprehensive networked IT facilities in our School that you will have access to. Our laboratories contain an array of analytical and testing equipment including:

• Mass Spectrometer
• Scanning Electron Microscope
• Labs for XRF, XRD, gamma spectrometry, crystal growth, low temperature physics, geochemistry, palaeontology, soil mechanics, rock mechanics, rock preparation and aerial photographic interpretation

Our soil testing laboratory was upgraded in 2009 and is now a state-of-the-art learning venue with fully computerised testing equipment and teaching areas. You will have full access to all these facilities and will be fully trained and supervised in their use. You will also have access to our field equipment pool, including geophysical instruments and rock mass assessment and ground investigation tools.

Our team of experienced academic, support and administration staff are always willing to help. We also have a long-established network of civil engineering consulting and contracting organisations that provide real-world case studies, curriculum advice, feedback on your work and employment opportunities.

Maths Café

The Maths Café is a daily drop-in facility, where ANY student of the University can receive help on any maths or statistics problem they encounter in their studies. We operate in a friendly, informal location which we hope will encourage students to visit us. Handouts on key topics are available to take away. Students can be shown how to use computer-aided learning packages, which can be accessed from any computer attached to the University's computer network.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BSc (Hons) Geological Hazards for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).