Subject Advice Guide

Earth Sciences

Overview

Earth Sciences is the study of the planet we live upon. The rapidly changing scope and nature of the subject is reflected in the course at Oxford, which provides sound and broadly-based scientific training.

Earth Scientists combine physics, chemistry and biology with geology, geography and palaeontology to answer fundamental questions about the origin, development, and future of the Earth. You will be trained in the skills required for the interpretation of rock materials and geological phenomena as well as applying theory and techniques from other disciplines to the study of the Earth and the environment.

 
 

Choosing Your Course

To Study Earth Sciences at Oxford you will typically need to have studied Maths at A level as well as either Physics or Chemistry. The other of Chemistry or Physics is also useful as a third subject but not required. Biology, Geology or Further Mathematics can also be helpful to candidates in completing this course. Students can apply for a three-year BA in Geology or a four-year MEarthSci. These are the same for the first three years. If you are unsure which course they would prefer, it is best to apply for the MEarthSci, as it is typically easier to then transfer to the BA later on.

Career Prospects

Typical destinations for Earth Sciences graduates include the energy industry, the environmental sector and engineering/ technical consultancies. Some enter unrelated professions; in which the analytical and problem-solving skills they have developed are highly sought after. Around 40% continue to study, through a PhD or further Master’s course.

 
 

Course Structure

Year 1

Students currently take all courses in five parallel streams:

  • Planet Earth

  • Fundamentals of geology I

  • Fundamentals of geology II

  • Physics, chemistry and biology for Earth Sciences

  • Mathematics for materials and Earth Sciences

Current field courses

  • Pembroke field course (pre-session)

  • Arran field course (introduction)

  • Local field courses

Year 2

Students currently take all courses in five parallel streams:

  • Earth deformation and materials

  • Palaeobiology

  • Petrology

  • Geochemistry and ocean chemistry

  • Mathematical and geophysical tools

Current field courses:

  • Dorset field course

  • Assynt field course (mapping)

Year 3

Students take a combination of core and optional papers from the current selection:

  • Natural resources

  • Sedimentary basins

  • The oceans

  • Climate

  • Seismology and earth structure/Vector calculus

  • Geodynamics and continental deformation

  • Volcanology, igneous processes and petrogenesis

  • Evolutionary turning points/Quantitative palaeobiology

  • Earth materials, rock deformation and metamorphism

Current field courses:

  • South-east Spain field course

Independent field mapping project (conducted over summer break between Years 2 and 3)

Extended essay

Year 4 (Research based)

Students choose four options (currently out of eight to ten), generally two in each term:

  • Anatomy of a mountain belt

  • Planetary chemistry

  • Structure and dynamics of the Earth’s mantle

  • Records of major environmental change in Earth’s history

  • Palaeobiology

  • Environmental, rock and palaeomagnetism

  • Topics in oceanography

  • Topics in volcanology

Field courses: optional field courses as announced each year

Independent work: research project over 2.5 terms

 
 

Recommended Reading

Listed below are books and online resources which offer an insight into various aspects of earth sciences and are recommended by our department! The list is not exhaustive or considered compulsory for the undergraduate course. An asterisk (*) indicates work by current or former faculty members.

Introductory Reading:

·       Colliding Continents by Mike Searle*

·       Earth Story by Simon Lamb* and David Sington

·       T. Rex and the Crater of Doom by Walter Alvarez

·       Supercontinent by Ted Nield

·       The Goldilocks Planet: The 4 billion year story of Earth’s climate by Jan Zalasiewicz and Mark Williams

·       How to Build a Habitable Planet by Wally Broecker and Charles Langmuir

·       The Two Mile Time Machine by Richard Alley

·       The Earth: A Very Short Introduction by Martin Redfern

·       Lucky Planet: Why Earth is Exceptional – and What that Means for Life in the Universe by David Waltham

·       For Younger Readers:

·       George & the Blue Moon by Lucy and Stephen Hawking, featuring essays by Prof Ros Rickaby* & Prof Tamsin Mather*

Podcasts/Online lectures:

·       Department of Earth Sciences lectures and podcasts on iTunesU and YouTube.

·       Geological Society of London. Videos of past lectures are available online.