Geology and Physics

Geology offers you the chance to find out how the Earth works and when you combine Physics with this subject you get a real sense of energy and matter and their interaction. This is a joint degree programme combining approximately 50% Geology and 50% Physics courses of study.

Geology - studying the Earth beneath our feet and it’s fascinating 4.5 billion years of history, from volcanoes and earthquakes to dinosaurs and ancient rivers - is central to our transition to a sustainable future. Geology provides you with the skills you need to explore the processes that have shaped the Earth and its surface and subsurface environments through time, equipping you with powers to address the major modern world challenges, from climate change to sustainable energy, and from water security to natural disasters.

This programme teaches and utilises the latest fieldwork, digital and technological skills and techniques to show you how to extract valuable information recorded in Earth’s rocks, minerals and fossils: an archive that holds the keys to many of the issues we face today such as climate change, water management, natural hazards and transition from fossils fuels to geothermal energy and other sources of renewable energy.

You will examine the origin, structure and composition of the three major rock groups; igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary, learning about the most fascinating and important geological events and how we date them, and developing the professional geological skills needed to gather and interpret data in the field.

Physics challenges our imaginations with concepts like relativity and string theory and leads to great discoveries about how the world works. Physics is the most fundamental of sciences. At its most basic, it is about explaining and predicting what happens in the physical universe. This covers topics so vast they don’t get much bigger, such as "How the universe has evolved into its present state?" to topics of daily importance such as "Will the car I’m in stay on the road as it corners?" or "Will an artificial hip joint last as long as the patient?"

Physics encompasses the study of the Universe from the largest galaxies to the smallest subatomic particles and is the basis of many other sciences, including chemistry, oceanography, seismology, and astronomy. Discoveries in Physics make possible technological innovations like transistors and the microchip, computers and lasers which in turn change our lives.

View all modules on the programme page to find out more about what you will be studying and when. University of Aberdeen modules are designed to give you breadth and depth to your degree. The range of modules you study will allow you to become proficient in all subjects which are directly relevant to your degree giving you greater career options.

The use of various forms of assessment and learning environments facilitates the development of generic transferable skills enhancing student employability.

Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods: coursework such as essays and reports completed throughout the course; practical assessments of the skills and competencies they learn on the course; and written examinations at the end of each course. The exact mix of these methods differs between subject areas, years of study and individual courses.

Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• The Geological Society