Course summary

Geophysics is the application of physical principles to study the structure of the Earth and other planets, and the physical processes that shape their surfaces and environments. Geophysicists are involved with assessing and mitigating natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. Geophysics is also essential to the discovery and recovery of natural resources, including critical minerals and hydrocarbons, and the evaluation of groundwater and carbon storage reservoirs. The first year of the Geophysics degree introduces core concepts that underpin an understanding of the Earth as a physical system, including its composition and geological history, through compulsory modules shared with our other degree courses. Compulsory first-year modules also develop the quantitative mathematics, physics and computing skills that underpin modules later in the Geophysics degree. In the second and third years, you will deal with material that is specialist, numerically based and at the cutting edge of geophysical research. Modules cover topics including the use of research equipment to collect geophysical data in the field; the analysis and visualization of data to understand processes at and beneath Earth’s surface; and the behaviour of hazardous geological flows. You will also be free to choose one module each year offered by any department in the University, subject to timetable constraints. Graduates from our courses have secured employment across the geoscience sector, within the environmental and hydro-geological industries, in petroleum exploration, and in mineral exploration and extraction companies. The advanced quantitative skills developed during this course can provide a strong base for securing employment outside geoscience, for example, in finance, insurance and data science. For more information on this course, including a list of all optional modules, please see our website.