BSc (Hons) Applied Geology - More information

KEY FACTS

Title
BSc (Hons) Applied Geology
Course type
Full-time
Duration
3 years (no placement)
Award
Bachelor of Science - BSc (Hons)
Faculty
Faculty of Science and Technology
School
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
UCAS codes
Institution P60
Course F610
Location
Plymouth

This course is offered by the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences.

SSTAR Awards 2012

The UPSU SSTAR Awards have been organised by students with the support of the Students' Union to reward the many excellent university staff members and dedicated course reps we have here at Plymouth University.

Professor Jim Griffiths - Nominee Oustanding Personal Tutor

Fieldwork

Fieldwork lies at the heart of earth sciences and the field is the best natural laboratory in which to develop a real understanding of all aspects of the subject. All of our degree courses include substantial amounts of fieldwork both in the UK and overseas, with the aim of transforming you into an experienced field-worker able to apply the knowledge and skills acquired at university to a range of earth science problems in the real world. Residential field classes also encourage teamwork and stimulate learning from a practical perspective. Plymouth University is ideally placed to offer an outstanding range of field experiences. The South West region contains some of the most superb geological localities in the UK, including the Jurassic Coast and Cornish Mining World Heritage Sites. At Plymouth you will also have opportunities for extensive overseas fieldwork. Building on UK-based fieldwork in your first year, we use the exceptional geology of central Spain to train you in the key skills of geological mapping at the start of your second year. Overseas fieldwork in subsequent years takes advantage of a number of world-class environments in order to further extend our field training.

Recent locations have included:

Mount Etna, Sicily
Death Valley, California
the Pyrenees
western Ireland
southern Spain
Cyprus

In addition to compulsory fieldwork modules, we encourage our students to undertake fieldwork as part of their independent project(s). In recent years students have successfully carried out projects in South Africa, Norway, Portugal, USA, Spain, France, Canada and Kenya. Whatever degree course you select, at Plymouth we can assure you of a stimulating, informative and exciting programme of field trips led by staff who are expert field geologists and have a real enthusiasm for their subject.

Throughout your field training you are guaranteed:

high-quality tuition in the full range of field techniques and skills
a range of classic field localities in which to develop your skills
training in the safe conduct of earth science fieldwork
support materials of the highest quality

Facilities

Plymouth University is committed to investing in its facilities with the refurbishment of existing buildings and the construction of new purpose-built buildings. Students will benefit from the recent improvements and expansion of library facilities, which includes a resource centre accessible on a 24/7 basis for study.

Plymouth has been recognised by the government as one of the UK's top universities for teaching excellence, securing an extra £18 million to fund four Centres of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs) – the highest level of such funding in the university sector. This funding is being used to further enhance our teaching facilities. Earth sciences students will directly benefit from the CETL in ‘Experiential Learning in the Environmental and Natural Sciences’, in the form of an innovative open access laboratory facility known as LABplus and the development of an interactive, immersive theatre for state-of-the-art visualisation of Earth sciences imagery and data.

Academic and personal support

You will be allocated a personal tutor when you begin your course, and they will provide you with academic and personal support and guidance throughout your first two years at Plymouth. The role of the personal tutor is taken over by your project advisor during the final year (and fourth year if you are studying for the MGeol degree), since they will develop a strong working relationship with you during the course of your independent project work.

In addition to your personal tutor, we have a member of academic staff acting as a dedicated skills tutor, who will ensure that you develop a full range of transferable skills, equipping you for both the course and the wider post-graduation world. You will meet weekly with either your personal or skills tutor as part of a small group. As part of our tutorial scheme you will be asked to maintain a Personal Development Profile throughout your studies – this will help you to reflect on your progress and to document your growing portfolio of skills.

There is also a network of university support services to ensure that you make the most out of your time at Plymouth. For example, there are health care facilities, a counselling service, a chaplaincy, Student Funding Unit and childcare provision.

Professional links

Academic staff at the University maintain close links with Earth science industries, with many staff being engaged in consultancy activities for mining, petroleum, and engineering/geotechnical companies, and in association with geoenvironmental agencies, such as Natural England (formerly English Nature) and the Dorset/East Devon World Heritage Site. The involvement of our staff in these activities ensures that your learning experience at Plymouth will be focused towards the needs of industry and society, as well as giving you access to the latest industry-standard geological software. Other staff are involved in national and international Earth science committees and sit on the editorial boards of international scientific journals, ensuring that we are involved in setting the agenda for the development of our science.