Undergraduate

Geology degrees have been awarded in Aberdeen since 1892 ­and we have developed an excellent reputation for providing strong vocational training that is well-regarded by employers.

We are the most popular university department in Scotland with a vibrant student population. BSc degrees are in the form of 4-year programmes, the traditional period of study in Scotland.

• Geology and Geophysics
• Joint honours programmes with Geography, Physics and Archaeology

All have been accredited by the Geological Society. This means these courses meet strict minimum standards, covering many factors including inter-personal and transferable skills development as well as the more obvious fieldwork and earth science skills you would expect. As a result, these courses count significantly towards the achievement of professional status of Chartered Geologist, which is a legal requirement in many countries for practice as a Geologist.

Note that suitably qualified applicants can gain entry direct into the second year, making these programmes equivalent in study times to BSc  programmes in England and Wales. To these programmes we have now added a "level 5" year leading to the degree of MGeol.

"The University of Aberdeen has decided that [UK students coming from outside Scotland] will pay no more than £27,000 for a four-year degree programme but that the rate per year is set at £9,000. 

In order to offer flexibility of choice to students, those who wish to take advantage of the breadth of study offered by a four-year degree will only pay for three years of study at a rate of £9,000, meaning that total fees for four-year degree at Aberdeen will be equivalent to those for a three-year degree in other parts of the UK.

We will also continue to offer advanced entry options to RUK students who meet the entry requirements so that degrees can be completed in three years at a cost in-line with Universities south of the border with the same standing as Aberdeen". - statement by Ian Diamond, Principal; August 2011.

• All undergraduate programmes consist of an annual workload of 120 credits - generally delivered as 8 x 15 credit courses.
• Each course represents 150 hours of study, consisting of direct (contact) teaching together with student-directed learning.

These self-study components are key: individuals can then develop skills and knowledge at rates appropriate to their own backgrounds and the specific challenges of each task. Direct teaching involves combinations of lectures and practical classes with much of the fieldwork delivered in residential classes.

• All courses are accompanied by various web-based teaching resources that support self-study and student-directed learning.
• Both the final year of BSc and the MGeol years involve significant project work. Workshops on advanced research techniques and one-on-one discussions with staff help students to design and carry out Honours project work.
• The assessment for most courses combines exams coupled with in-course assessment. These exercises are most commonly built around ""real world" geological data sets that need to be manipulated and interpreted in order to solve geological problems.