Employment and PhD opportunities increasingly look for Masters-level qualifications. The MGeol allows you to combine undergraduate and postgraduate (Masters level) study into a single programme, graduating with a Masters degree. The MGeol in Earth Sciences will equip you with the skills and knowledge to investigate Earth as an interconnected system, integrating the study of the oceans, atmosphere, biosphere, and geosphere throughout Earth’s 4.6 billion year history. It will allow you to understand the natural processes which have shaped Earth in deep time through to those that generate environmental change today. Advanced training is provided via hands-on experience with analytical techniques and focused field-based study. The broad and flexible structure of the degree introduces you to topics across the Earth and environmental sciences and provides ample room for the development of specific interests.

Students interested in taking a shorter BSc degree may wish to explore the Environmental Earth Sciences BSc or Geology BSc instead.

Accreditation

The MGeol in Earth Sciences from St Andrews is accredited by the Geological Society of London, which provides a faster track to gaining Chartered Geologist status. 

Course details

The MGeol (Hons) in Earth Sciences is a five-year Integrated Masters, or four-year for direct entry students, course run by the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. The MGeol degree is designed to give you work and research-specific experience, giving you the edge to get into full-time employment or PhD research in an increasingly competitive market. 

During your degree, you will be able to take advantage of hands-on field and laboratory-based research projects that investigate a plethora of issues spanning how planets and Solar Systems form and develop habitable conditions, the formation of sustainable use of natural resources powering green technologies, and how the composition of the oceans and atmosphere have changed through time and influence climate.

Careers

The School is proactive about developing career opportunities, and career activities are provided for all students from first year onwards. Assessment styles imitate real workplace scenarios and many modules in Honours years are supported by visits to and by industry partners, and provide training in industry-standard software packages. As a result, graduates are well prepared for a wide range of career options and graduate employment prospects are consistently among the best in the UK.