Environmental Geoscience

Environmental geoscience applies the methods and knowledge of the earth sciences to the urgent environmental challenges facing the planet. It asks how geological processes create the resources we rely on and the hazards we face, how human activity is altering natural systems, how the climate has changed over geological time, and how geoscientific knowledge can inform decisions about land use, resource extraction, energy transition, and environmental risk management. In an era when society urgently needs to understand and respond to climate change, it is a discipline of considerable practical importance.

At the University of Plymouth, this three-year full-time degree with foundation year gives you a grounding in environmental geoscience that begins with the fundamentals of Earth history and structure, including plate tectonics, the evolution of life, and the science of climate change, before building towards more advanced and applied topics. The foundation year eases your transition into university-level geoscience, providing the academic and scientific grounding you need to succeed at degree level. Throughout the programme, you will engage with the role of geoscientists in addressing today's biggest environmental issues, from the energy transition and sustainable development to environmental risk and resource management.

Field, tutorial, and lecture-based teaching gives you hands-on experience with the kinds of evidence and methods that geoscientists use professionally. The sandwich year provides extended professional experience, and work placement is embedded in the programme.

Field work is typically central to earth sciences, and Plymouth's location in south-west England offers access to some of Britain's most geologically interesting landscapes.

Graduates go on to careers in environmental consultancy, geological survey work, the energy sector, hydrogeology, land remediation, resource management, and environmental regulation. Many continue to postgraduate study in environmental science, geoscience, or a related specialism. The combination of scientific rigour and applied environmental thinking prepares graduates for roles at the forefront of the environmental challenges the world faces.