Geology

Geology is the science of the solid Earth: how it formed, how its materials are structured and composed, and how the processes operating within it and on its surface have shaped the planet we inhabit over billions of years. Geologists play a vital role in addressing major global challenges, from securing the minerals needed for clean technologies and managing natural hazards, to ensuring water and energy security and advancing our understanding of climate change. The discipline combines rigorous scientific knowledge of rocks, structures, fluids, and processes with practical fieldwork and analytical skills that are central to professional geological practice.

At Leeds, this BSc Geology equips you with the scientific knowledge and practical expertise needed to tackle these pressing global issues. You will study mineralogy, petrology, structural geology, sedimentology, palaeontology, and Earth history, developing both theoretical understanding and the fieldwork and laboratory skills that make geologists professionally effective. The programme includes a sandwich placement year and a year abroad, along with embedded work placement opportunities, giving you substantial real-world and international experience.

It runs over three years full-time, with a typical entry tariff of 152 points.

Graduates of geology programmes work in the energy sector, including oil, gas, and increasingly geothermal and critical minerals; in environmental consultancy, hydrogeology, and site investigation; in academic and government research; and in geotechnical engineering. The fieldwork and analytical skills the degree develops are valued across a wide range of applied geoscience roles. Many graduates go on to postgraduate research in geology, geophysics, or Earth science, or pursue professional accreditation with the Geological Society of London as their careers develop.