Curious about studying Geosciences & Sustainable Energy - BSc (Hons)at Royal Holloway, University of London? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Main Site
Full Time
Sep 2026
3 Year
BSc Geosciences and Sustainable Energy is a new degree designed to provide a clear and distinct pathway leading to a career in shaping society’s response to sustainable energy and the booming sustainable energy business. On this innovative new degree, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills needed to take an active part in the energy transition and the movement towards building a cleaner and more sustainable society. BSc Geosciences & Sustainable Energy will give you a deep understanding of renewable energy sources like solar, wind, ocean energy, and the emerging technologies to harness the power of natural resources, as well as efficient resource management, and how to minimise waste and reduce pollution. You will be taught by academics with extensive industry experience allowing you to acquire highly employable practical skills and analytical abilities You’ll study a hands-on degree with over 60 hours of fieldwork and over 60% of timetabled study time taken up by hands on practical classes Study in a department consistently ranked among the top 10 in the country and home to an inspiring research culture that informs our teaching. Duration: 3 years full time
This module will describe the key principles of academic integrity, focusing on university assignments. Plagiarism, collusion and commissioning will be described as activities that undermine academic integrity, and the possible consequences of engaging in such activities will be described. Activities, with feedback, will provide you with opportunities to reflect and develop your understanding of academic integrity principles.
Earth is a dynamic and evolving planet with a record of plate tectonic and environmental change over its 4.6 billion year history. This module explores the geological structure and the processes that shape our planet and other planets within our solar system, from the planetary heat engine that powers plate motion and leads to the surface expression of these forces in volcanoes and earthquakes, to the use of maps, minerals and rocks to unlock the story in the rocks beneath our feet.
This module introduces the 4.6 billion-year history of our Evolving Earth and provides you with the skills to interpret that history. The module is subdivided into two complimentary streams that closely integrate. One stream (palaeontology) considers the story of life from its origin to the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, concluding with our own recent human evolution. It focuses on major events in evolution, and introduces you to the key concepts including systematic palaeontology, palaeoecology, palaeobiology, evolution, and taphonomy. The other stream (sedimentology) considers earth surface processes and palaeoenvironments and teaches you how to recognise the changing environments through time using techniques including rock classification, textural analysis, facies analysis and graphic logging, palaeoflow analysis, and stratigraphy. Because life and environments have co-evolved and are co-dependent, palaeontology and sedimentology need to be taught in close parallel, providing you with a powerful synthetic understanding of how our Earth has evolved in the past and continues to change in the future.
In this module you will develop an understanding of basic concepts in chemistry and physics and how to apply these to geological processes. You will look at atoms and atomic structure, the periodic table of elements, reactions, equations, geochemical analysis, the composition of the earth, interpretation of phase diagrams, solubility of minerals, weathering and the hydrological cycle. You will also consider Newton's Laws, kinematics, circular motion, planetary orbits, gravity, magnetism, electricity, resistivity, stress, strain, seismicity, isostasy, radioactivity, and geochronology.
In this module you develop an understanding of the skills required to practice geology in the field, carrying out a series of activities in South Devon and Pembrokeshire. You will learn to describe and interpret the origin of sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks and how to prepare a geological map and cross-section using standard symbols. You will examine stereographic projections, sedimentary logging, the construction of stratigraphic columns for the identification of rocks, and the analysis of structural features using stereonets.
In this module you will develop advanced geological field skills. You will carry out a series of activities in an area of igneous and metamorphic rocks, and in an area of sedimentary rocks. You will learn to describe and interpret the origin of the rock types in the field and will prepare a geological map and cross-section using standard symbols. You will analyse structural features using stereonets, and infer the geological history of a region through the construction of scaled cross-sections through structurally complex terrains.
In this module you will develop an understanding of the theory and practice of seismic, gravity, magnetic and resistivity surveying. You will consider the methods used to manipulate, analyse, and display geophysical data to solve geological exploration problems, and examine the strengths and weaknesses of the different data types.
In this module you will develop an understanding of how computation tools are used to read, create, analyse, and visualise digital earth science data. You will learn to use python, a popular scripting language, to read and manipulate data from digital files, and look at digital mapping techniques, using data to plot 2D and 3D maps. You will consider how to fit linear data and analyse the goodness of fit using statistical analysis tools, and examine how to produce simple models of geological processes using algebraic expression, such as generating models for seismic travel time curves, major element concentration during magma crystallization, sedimentary basin thickness, and other similar geological phenomena.
Skills in GIS and Remote Sensing are most effectively acquired through practical work and the use of industry-standard commercial software packages. Practical work is entirely computer-based and involves learning techniques of handling, using and interrogating GIS data, through exercises and projects which have relevance to geology.; The applications currently used are ArcGIS and ER Mapper.
The module will introduce you to the principles of deep and shallow geothermal energy and its current and potential use for producing electricity and space heating (and, for heat pumps, also space cooling). Geothermal energy is the close to other geological topics such as hydrogeology, volcanology, and hydrocarbon reservoirs. The module will underline the ideal combination between geothermal energy (steady source ? always there) and other but non-steady renewable sources (solar, wind and wave energy). The module will provide clear and detailed overviews on the main geothermal energy sources, namely (1) shallow geothermy (heat pumps), (2) hot-dry-rock (enhanced geothermal systems), and (3) natural geothermal (hydrothermal) systems, both in sedimentary basins and in active volcanic areas. Highly successful projects (most shallow geothermy and natural systems project) and the less successful (many hot-dry-rock projects) will be analysed to learn from them. The focus is on quantitative methods for understanding and using geothermal systems, including the basic physical principles that control the formation and maintenance of such systems, petrophysical principles, thermal principles, and using large datasets to assess the potential of geothermal systems in different geological environments. The module also covers the environmental, political/social, and economic aspects of the exploration and use of geothermal energy. The module aims to provide the students with knowledge and skills for analysing and exploring geothermal energy, both shallow and deep, in the UK and worldwide.
In this module you will develop an understanding of how to analyse geological structures in terms of the deformational mechanisms and tectonic stresses that have produced them. You will look at brittle failure in rocks, fracture types and propagation, and consider the relationship between principal stresses and geologic structures on small and regional scales. You will examine remotely sensed continental and marine data sets, and use imagery available in Google Earth for tectonic analysis.
The module will introduce you to the Geoscience (and wider background) needed to understand the exploitation of the subsurface for the storage of carbon dioxide (to reduce greenhouse gas emissions) and the storage of renewable energy (e.g. compressed air storage within salt). These new uses of the subsurface are expected to become significant businesses through the 2020s (in response to the Paris Climate Agreement), and the Petroleum Industry has the necessary skills, knowledge and resources to develop these. Consequently, many of our future graduates will likely find significant career opportunities in these new areas rather than in traditional hydrocarbon extraction. The module introduction will cover the environmental, economic, political and social background so that you understand the business model that will enable this new industry (specifically the how and why of carbon pricing). You will then investigate the geophysical methods required to evaluate potential subsurface structures. You will also look at the science behind subsurface utilization (e.g. issues such as what structures and sediments are needed and how these are similar to, or different from, the structures and sediments that form hydrocarbon reservoirs). In summary, the module aim is to produce graduates who can explore and exploit sedimentary basins in all the ways they are likely to be important during the 21st century.
3.9Royal Holloway, University of London was founded over 170 years ago. Since then, it has been at the forefront of social ...
